Sanctuary near Tsarev Peak

Thracian Megalithic Sanctuary near Tsarev Peak in the South Rila Mountains

Through the past several years the explorers' endeavors of the expedition have been concentrated in the area of Tsarev peak in the south ridge of Rila Mountains where in year 2006 at an altitude of 1800-2000 m above the sea level an ancient Thracian megalithic sanctuary of a huge territory was registered located between Markov Peak and Markov Kamak of Dobro Pole. The rock arch is the most notable located immediately at the south foot of Tsarev Peak. It is marked with numerous rock sacrificial altars - circular, oval. Among them there are two of considerable dimensions. They have the shape of a palm of a human hand. One of them has the shape of a human footmark - "The Footmark of Krali Marko". A special attention is to be paid to the stone egg - a natural code marked with sacrificial altars. It is located on the path of the sun rays that are caught early in the morning into the clearance of the arch. The archaeological gains date as far back as the Late Bronze, Pre-Roman and Late Ancient Ages. The archaeo-astronomic studies performed by Dr. Aleksey Stoev and Dr. Penka Maglova found that it was an ancient astronomic facility for the establishment of the day of the Summer Solstice. Probably this day was related to the major cult practices in the Thracian antiquity. It could be supposed that the Orphic Demiurgic Myth for the birth of the god of light Phanes from the cosmic egg was taken down through those symbols - rock egg, sacrificial altars in the shape of hands and the rock arch. Probably it was a particularly significant king's sanctuary that served for the immortalization of the Thracian rulers. It could be supposed that it is the probable Thracian precursor of the Rila Monastery. (Markov, V. The ancient Thracian megalithic sanctuary Markov kamak" at Tsarev Peak in Rila Mountain: semantic and functional analysis. In: Geoarchaeology and Archaeomineralogy. Proceedings of the International Conference 29-30 October 2008 - Sofia, p. 177-179; Markov, V. Cultural Heritage and Succession. Heritage from the Ancient Heathen Holy Places in the Bulgarian Folklore Culture. Blagoevgrad: Neophyte Rilski University Press 2007).

Rock arch