Thracian megalithic sanctuary
"Tsarevi porti" near the village of Kovachevitsa, district of
Gotse Delchev
The rock sanctuary of Tsarevi porti
(King's gate) near the village of Kovachevitsa, district of Gotse
Delchev is analogical to the "live" (figuratively said) Thracian
sanctuaries of the villages of Dolno Dryanovo, Kribul and Bachevo.
The rock arch at the place is also hewn high into the natural rock
and again to the south (similar to Skribina). There is a large
platform of horst location with numerous traces of cult activities
- fragmented pottery - the earliest one dated as far back as the
Old Iron Age and the oldest - as far back as the second half of the
first millennium BC. In year 2001 in the treasure-hunters'
excavations some traces of scorching in the cultural layer were
registered too. At the highest part of the mountain ridge
immediately above the rock arch there is a mound heaping, as well
as remains of a building to the south from the tumulus. In year
2002 the team led by Assoc. Prof. Al. Gotsev registered
archaeological finds - fragmented pottery - in the cave located
immediately under the rock arch. Thus it became clear that at the
place (on the analogy of a great part of the explored megalithic
sanctuaries in the region) the traces of the cult activities were
concentrated in two major centers, respectively in the "up" and
"down" positions. From a structural-semantic point of view these
are the positions related to the heavens and the underworld.
The results from the
interdisciplinary analysis of the sources make us think that this
is an ancient Thracian megalithic king's sanctuary, related to the
immortalization of the Thracian kings. (Markov, V. Cultural
Heritage and Succession. Heritage from the Ancient Thracian Holy
Places in the Bulgarian Folklore Culture. Blagoevgrad: Neophyte
Rilski University Press 2007, p. 236-248; Gotsev, Al. Studies of
the Thracian Sanctuaries in the West Rhodopi Mountains.- C: The
Thracian Sanctuary near Babyak and its Archaeological Environment.
Edited by М. Tonkova, Al. Gotsev. Sofia: 2008, p. 194-135).
A rock arch
A rock arch. General view
A view from the east
Mound heaping on the top