Visiting Bulgaria is still a bit of an adventure for most westerners. In the UK, Bulgaria is mainly known for its cheap package tours to Black Sea resorts such as Sunny Beach and Golden Sands, or for winter ski holidays to Pamporovo or Borovets. Yet few people ever venture beyond the tourist areas to explore the rest of the country.

Part of the reason is that many tour operators to Bulgaria don't offer more adventurous alternatives to suit modest pockets. But the main reason is that independent travellers are often deterred by the unfamiliar language and alphabet, and by perceived difficulties due to differences in convention, culture and transport systems.

Certainly it can be quite challenging to find your way around if you don't know the language, since apart from young people in the cities, most Bulgarians don't speak English. Yet if you are prepared to make the effort, if you learn a few basic Bulgarian phrases, take The Rough Guide * with you and set out with an open inquiring spirit, you will find many rewards.

You will discover the true heart of Bulgaria, a land rich in mythology, archaeology and folklore.

* The Rough Guide to Bulgaria (2005) by Jonathan Bousfield and Dan Richardson is the only general guide worth taking with you. It's an invaluable resource with comprehensive info on all aspects of independent travel in Bulgaria from place descriptions to accommodation listings and background info on history, culture and folklore.

The beautiful Rhodopi mountains lie in the south of Bulgaria, stretching from the Thracian plain to beyond the Greek border. With spectacular gorges, alpine meadows, underground caves and rich archaeological sites, it's a land steeped in myth and antiquity. For this is the place where Orpheus and the Orphic cult originated.

The mythology of the legendary singer, musician, magician and healer, Orpheus, dates back 3000 years and probably has much older roots. Much of what we know comes from the writings of the ancient Greeks, but in fact Orpheus was a native Thracian born in the Rhodopi mountains.

Orpheus sang and played the lyre, and his music was so beautiful that he could charm the birds and the beasts. When his bride, the nymph Evredika (Euridice in English), died from a snakebite, Orpheus went to the underworld to plead for her return. His music so captivated Hades and Persephone, the king and queen of the land of the dead, that they agreed to his request on one condition: Orpheus must not look back upon Evredika until they had both reached the upper world. But Orpheus looked back a moment too soon, before the sun had laid its eye upon Evredika. At once she slipped back into the land of darkness and was lost to him forever.

Inconsolable, Orpheus roamed the Rhodopi mountains spurning female company until the women of Thrace (Bacchantes or Maenads - the female followers of Dionysus) tore him apart and flung his dismembered body into the river. His head floated along the river Mesta to Lesbos where it began to prophesy and became famous as an Oracle.

Bulgarian experts believe that beneath the mythology there may have lived a real Orpheus, a priest of Dionysus who introduced a new spiritual movement linked to the sun god Apollo. Archaeologists claim that a tomb recently found in the Eastern Rhodopi could possibly be the grave of Orpheus, but positive proof is likely to be elusive.

The Rhodopi mountains are saturated in legends about Orpheus and Evredika. The crystalline rocks that can be found in the mountains are called by local people "the tears of Evredika", and the earth itself is her body.

Go to the Rhodopi to enjoy wonderful scenery and to soak up the landscape where Orpheus roamed.

Gela
 

Gela, in the central Rhodopi mountains, is the legendary birthplace of Orpheus. You get to it from Shiroka Luka, home of an acclaimed folk music academy, along a good road that winds up the mountainside. Six kilometres from Shiroka Luka you reach the green meadows of this beautiful peaceful little village whose origins go back 3300 years and which was once occupied by the Thracian tribe, the Bessi.

Keep your eyes open for the Orpheus flower, the silivriak (Heberlea rhodopaensis), a unique species native to the region whose small pink bells are said to have been formed by the blood of Orpheus when he was slain by the Maenads.  It is said that even after being uprooted and dried for a long period of time, the plant revives and re-grows normally when given moisture.

Every year there is a a major regional bagpipe festival here in the first weekend of August. The Bulgarian word for bagpipe is "gaida".

Dyavolsko Gurlo - The Devil's Throat



Photo: Ivor Davies
The Devil's Throat - looking up to the light on the return from the underworld.

Set in the breath-taking Trigrad gorge in the remote southern Rhodopi, Dyavolsko Gurlo, the Devil's Throat is a magnificent cave where a huge waterfall thunders down from the upper world and disappears into the womb of the earth. This is the place where Orpheus is said to have entered the underworld in his search for Evredika, and it's easy to see why.

The vast vaulted cave is deeply atmospheric. From a rocky fissure above, a shaft of light pierces the darkness. Water tumbles down into the invisible depths and the air trembles with its echoing roar. No-one knows exactly where the water goes but objects thrown into it are never seen again.

You can clamber down to the bottom of the cave where the water gathers into a dark lake. The water is calm and remarkably mild to the touch, evocative of the mythological River Styx that takes the dead to the underworld. Local legend has it that the ancient Thracians threw the corpses of their kings down from the rocks, surrendering them to the water to hasten them on their journey to the land of the dead.

You can only enter the cave with a guide, and you must be prepared to make the rather thrilling return ascent via an almost vertical iron staircase - there are no concessions to the unfit, the careless or those who fear heights. Generally, the guides are good, but some speak only in Bulgarian.

Each year in August as part of the Trigrad festival, there is a re-enactment of the Orphic mystery rites at the entrance to the cave. The gorge and the Trigrad area are spectacularly beautiful.

Perperikon


Photo: Ivor Davies
 

The sacred stone city of Perperikon stands high on the summit of a hill with magnificent views of the surrounding landscape. Invisible from below, it is hewn out of the rock, and covers most of the summit. Its history spans from before 5000 BC in the Neolithic (New Stone Age) period through to the 14th century AD. Excavations in 2000-2002 revealed the vast extent of the complex, and work is still in progress. Structurally, it consists of: a fortress at the top of the hill; a temple/palace immediately beneath it facing the south east; and two outer cities on the northern and southern slopes.  

The memory of Perperikon's former greatness has been preserved by the local, and now predominantly Turkish population, who call it "the summit of the ghosts". It is indeed a very special place and evokes a strong sense of the past. Standing on these ancient heights, looking out over the world, it is easy to imagine Perperikon's beginnings when people deified the bare rocky hill and worshipped the sun-god from it.

Later, during the Bronze and early Iron Age, a monumental religious complex was carved out from the hilltop. Perperikon became a major sanctuary, probably closely associated with Orphic cult and the ritual practices linked to its two main divinities, Orpheus and Dionysus (usually known in Thrace as Zagreus). Here, hewn out of the rock, you will find a temple and holy palace, sacrificial altars and a necropolis.

You approach the site through an impressive rock passageway with high, crudely hewn steps leading steeply upwards, and enter the palace/temple through two stone gateways. You can wander through great halls carved from the rock and open to the sky, climb stone staircases, contemplate the crypt with evocative chiselled sarcophogi, sit with pride upon the great stone throne and imagine what took place here long ago.

In one place, you will find a passageway with high steps leading to a huge oval hall at whose centre is a magnificent round altar, with a stone platform nearby. Archaeologists speculate that this is the famous oracular temple of Dionysus referred to in ancient Greek and Roman sources. If they are right, it was here that Alexander the Great learned that he was destined to conquer Asia. The oracle divined the future through a wine and fire ritual, by pouring wine over the altar and causing it to burst into flames. Prophecies were made by reading the height and character of the flames.

In many places there are hollowed-out stone troughs and basins which may have been used for wine-making, an integral part of the worship of Zagreus (Dionysus), the god of wine himself. The process of shredding and pressing of the grapes symbolised the dismemberment of the great "twice-born" god by the Titans.

During the Roman conquest, new fortifications were added to Perperikon, and after Christianity was introduced in the 4th century AD, pagan shrines were converted to Christian use and new churches established. Perperikon became part of the Byzantine empire and construction expanded down the slopes to the foot of the hill over the next few centuries.

When the Proto-Bulgarians arrived, they also began to worship upon the holy mountain - look out for the carving of the Proto-Bulgarian fertility goddess, Umai, and female genitalia etched into the highest rock on the hill. Between the 7th and 14th centuries AD the Bulgarians battled with Byzantium for control of Perperikon, finally losing in 1343.

Perperikon is a huge site with many layers of history. Take the time to explore and enjoy it!

It is located in the eastern Rhodopi close to the town of Kurdzhali. Road access to the foot of the hill is currently potholed but passable. There are no tourist facilities apart from a spring of water and a person selling guide maps at the bottom of the hill  - buy the English version if you haven't already got a map, otherwise the site can be confusing. It's a stiff and slippery walk up a stony path to Perperikon, but it's worth the effort when you get there.

There is an excellent website on Perperikon with a virtual tour and background information on Orpheus, Orphism and the Thracian Dionysus at http://www.perperikon.bg. Click on "full version" for the full English version of the site.

Read more about Thracian mythology on the Folklore page

The mythology of the ancient Thracians still holds plenty of mystery, but new archaeological discoveries continue to reveal their secrets.

The Kazanluk Tomb and the Valley of the Kings
 

If you travel through the Thracian plain that separates the southern Bulgarian mountains from the northern Stara Planina Balkan range, in the area known as the Valley of the Roses, you will see that the landscape is dotted with countless tumuli. These are the tombs of the Thracian kings and leaders who lived in these lands for 2000 years until their people were assimilated by the incoming Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians in the 6th century AD. Most of the burial mounds have not been excavated and many secrets lie waiting to be revealed.

There is a concentration of tumuli (called mogila (s) or mogili (pl) in Bulgarian) in the area northwest of Kazanluk along the route to the Shipka Pass. It was an area sacred to the inhabitants of Thracian Seuthopolis and today it is known as the Valley of the Kings. Some fine tombs have been excavated and recent spectacular discoveries such as those near Shipka (the Golyamata Kosmatka tomb, believed to be that of King Seutes III, excavated in 2004) have shed more light on this ancient and proud warrior civilization.

The Kazanluk Tomb is a good starting place to find out more about the Thracian way of life and death. Its frescoes are beautifully executed artistic masterpieces but they are so delicate that the original tomb is not open to the public so you can only visit a replica which lies right next door in a small park on the northern outskirts of the town. It is a sensitive reconstruction and it is still possible to sense the power of the original within it.

The stone-built beehive tomb dates to the end of the 4th century BC. It is very womb-like. It has an ante chamber and a low narrow passageway leading into the small round-domed burial chamber. The passageway is beautifully painted on both sides with two friezes, one of battle scenes and the other with vegetation motifs, set above a strip stained a deep red. But the crowning glory is the intimate vaulted burial chamber, decorated with exquisite frescoes. At the centre sits the chieftain for whom the tomb was built.

You see him straight in front of you as you approach the chamber through the passageway. He sits at a small table laid with a funeral feast. His wife sits next to him on a throne, her face downcast, and the couple tenderly clasp each other's hand.  On the chieftain's other side a woman offers him pomegranates, the fruit of death.  It is likely that she is the great Thracian mother goddess, Bendis, but the pomegranate also links her with Persephone, the Greek queen of the underworld.

A graceful procession of people approaches the couple from either side, bearing gifts of fruit, jewels, perfumes and a cloak. Young women play long slender horns, followed by warriors bringing a chariot drawn by four horses and leading two other horses. Above this scene, at the top of the dome a chariot race gallops wildly round in an eternal circle.

According to Herodotus, the Thracian dead were laid out for three days of mourning, which was followed by a communal feast. The body was then buried, or cremated and laid to rest beneath a burial mound, while horse races or athletic games were held around it.

Herodotus also states that the wives of the polygamous Thracians would compete for the honour of being declared the dead warrior's favourite, to be slain and buried alongside him. These views are linked to the Orphic belief in the immortality of the soul. Horses and dogs would also be sacrificed for burial with their dead masters.

There is a detailed description of the Kazanluk tomb at: www.digsys.bg/books/cultural_heritage/index.html

Starosel


The entrance to the Starosel tomb temple
 

The road approaching Starosel from the east wins the prize for the worst road to a major Bulgarian archaeological tourist attraction, but the destination is worth the trials of negotiating the sparsely signposted lunar terrain.

Starosel lies in the Sredna Gora, roughly in the centre of the triangle formed by Karlovo, Plovdiv and Panagyurishte. This spectacular tomb temple was probably the grave of the Thracian ruler, Sitalkes 1, the first king of a combined Thracian empire, and was also used in religious rites. It was discovered in 2000 and dates back to the 4th or 5th century BC.

Encircled by a 263 metres long wall of hewn stone blocks, symbolizing the sun, the tomb itself represents the earth goddess. It is hidden within a huge mound 20 metres high overlooking a vast valley. A grand stone staircase cuts into the mound, leading up to a large landing. From there a wide passageway leads to the impressive rectangular doorway into the temple.

Going inside is like entering the earth itself, and is a reminder of the Thracian belief that the goddess of Earth lived inside a cave. There are two chambers: a rectangular antechamber and an inner sanctum. The sanctum is a beautifully constructed domed chamber supported by Doric semi-pillars and covered with ornate stone plates. The vaulted ceiling is painted with a red, black, green and blue coloured frieze.

The sanctuary was probably used in Orphic mystery rites. Young men would probably have danced ritual dances on the outer landing before entering the inner sanctum.

You can only enter the tomb temple with a guide who speaks in Bulgarian, so buy the English version of the Starosel booklet on sale at the entrance.

This was once the centre of a Thracian cult complex, and there are many other archaeological remains in the immediate area. Take time to wander freely here. Directly behind the tomb is a wine press, wine being an essential part of Dionysian rites. There are other graves close by, including an excavated cist possibly belonging to Sitalkes' brother. Make sure you visit the valley below where there is a ruined temple lying under protective cover.
 

The Shrine of the Nymphs
(See also the section on the Madara Horseman below)

At the foot of the Madara Plateau to the right of the famed Madara Horseman, a path winds up to a large cave. This is the Cave or Shrine of the Nymphs. It's like a huge natural theatre beneath a giant overhang of rock, and the ancient Thracians worshipped their gods here.

It's an atmospheric place. The rock wall is draped with greenery and little rivulets of water continually trickle down the surface, for the source of the River Madara is very close by.

Archaeologists date the shrine to the 3rd - 4th centuries BC. Votive tablets and inscriptions suggest that the shrine was dedicated to the three nymphs of the water, the forest and nature, and to Dionysus, Heracles and Artemis. Tablets with representations of the Thracian Horseman have also been found.
 

Read more about Thracian mythology

The Rila Monastery


 

The Rila monastery nestles in a forested valley by the foaming Rila River in the heart of the Rila Mountains. The monastery is an artistic and architectural jewel with balconied buildings encircling a large central courtyard, stunning murals, whitewashed walls and graceful colonnades decorated with black, white and red stripes.

Ivan Rilski (John of Rila in English; 880 -  946AD), the Bulgarian hermit, healer and Christian mystic established the first ascetic religious community here after he came to seek enlightenment in this wild and remote place. He spent 12 years living in a cave, temporarily moving into the hollow of an oak tree before settling on a high rock for 7 years. It is said that he tried to embalm himself while still alive by consuming particular herbs. His corpse purportedly possessed healing powers.

While Ivan Rilski was still alive, his fame spread and disciples joined him, living in nearby shelters to form the first monastic community. The monastery was built on its current site in 1335.  It became a major place of pilgrimage  and was central in preserving Bulgaria's spiritual and cultural identity during the 500 years of Ottoman rule. Most of the monastery burned down in 1833 but it was rebuilt in stages during the 19th and into the 20th century. It is a great place to explore, and there are many treasures to discover.

The most instantly obvious are the fantastic frescoes that decorate the porch and exterior of the monastery church. Painted by Zahari Zograf during the 19th century, many depict gruesome scenes of hell, torment and torture for sinners by bat-winged demons and other fearsome beasts. It is a fascinating picture of Christian folklore and demonology.

Ivan Rilski's mummified left hand is still kept inside the monastery church in a silver casket. The hand is not on display: you have to ask a priest if you want to see it, or wait for some opportune moment when it is brought out. The church is vibrant with the intensity of the icons and paintings inside it.

Next to the church  is Hrelyo's Tower (the edge of it is pictured on the left of the photo above), the oldest building in the monastery, built in 1335 with money from Hrelyo Dragovol, lord of Struma. In a twist of fate, Hrelyo later took refuge here as a monk and was strangled in the Tower in 1343, hence the inscription on a tombstone: "My wife sobs and grieves, weeping bitterly, steeped in sorrow." He has since taken on a mythological persona and figures in several Bulgarian epic tales under the name of Relyo Shestokrilyo (Relyo of the Six Wings), one of Bulgaria's loved heroes. Most notably in the tale of Krali Marko and the Arvatska Maiden, it is Relyo who spreads his six wings and flies the five other heroes out of a tower in which they had all been imprisoned (featured in The Red Blood Rose). Remember him when you are here!

The Chapel of Sveti Luka

The small chapel of Sveti (Saint) Luka, Ivan Rilski's nephew, lies about a half hour's walk from the monastery. The chapel is usually locked and you'll only be able to go in if you find the caretaker to open it with his big iron keys (he may be tending the garden or Ivan Rilkski's chapel next to the cave - see below).

Inside, the first room contains interesting frescoes, but go through to the room beyond as that is a place of power. A row of saints stare out at you from icons that line the walls, concentrating their gaze towards you. The intensity is palpable, and if you lend yourself to that feeling for a moment you'll get a strong sense of the spiritual energy of this place.

To get to the chapel, follow the road beyond the monastery's east gate for two kilometres. Then just after the Bachkovo Chesma restaurant, take the path that rises on the left of the road and follow it up the hill through the woods.

Ivan Rilski's Cave

Twenty minutes further on through the woods, you come to the cave where Ivan Rilski spent the last twenty years of his life. It is quite dark inside, but you can just make out enough to work your way past the stone platform to reach a narrow natural chimney. For centuries pilgrims have come here to try and pass through this "miracle hole" and emerge on the hillside above, for it was said that only the pure in heart could go through. So take courage and see if you can manage the short womb-like scramble upwards from the dark into the light. Reap the reward of standing on the hillside above and survey the view around you.

Although Ivan Rilski lived in a much later Christian era, there are echoes here of the Thracian reverence for caves as sacred to the earth goddess.

Cut into the rock next to the cave is the simple chapel of Ivan Rilski with a spring of water next to it.

Bachkovo Monastery

The Seven Lakes

Photo: Ivor Davies
View of one of the Seven Lakes
 

The seven lakes lie in the Rila Mountains to the south of Sofia, in an area of a spectacular natural beauty. Since the early 20th century this has been a place of pilgrimage for the Dunovisti, also known as the White Brotherhood, a sect following the spiritual teachings of the Bulgarian mystic, Petur Dunov. Their belief system integrates elements of Christianity, paganism, sun worship and eastern philosophy. Its principles are spiritual development, love and truth. You will find the Dunovisti here in the summer, often practising pan-eurhythmy, a sacred form of movement and dance, in the meadows and upon the hills surrounding the lakes.

The seven lakes are all interconnected, flowing one into another down from the heights. Some say that they represent the seven chakras or energy centres of the body. Whatever your religion, this is undoubtedly a very special place. Come here to commune with the natural wonder of a landscape that helped to shape Bulgarian culture.

The Strandja

The Strandja region is located in the south east of Bulgaria stretching inland from the port of Bourgas down to the Turkish border. It's a secretive undulating landscape of spacious deciduous forests, plateaux, meadows and valleys threaded by the exotic Ropotamo and Veleka rivers. This is the area where Bulgaria's sacred fire dancers, nestinari and nestinarki are to be found.

Koprivshtitsa


Photo: Ivor Davies
The house of Dimcho Debelyanov

The small town of Koprivshtitsa is set in a lovely valley amid wooded hillsides in the gentle Sredna Gora mountains of central Bulgaria, not far from Panagyurishtė. With cobbled streets, stone bridges and half-timbered houses, it is renowned for the beauty of its National Revival architecture. But most of all it is known for its role as the centre of the April Rising of 1876 against the rule of the Ottoman Turks.

It was here at the picturesque Bridge of the First Shot that the Rising began. The blood of the first dead Turk was used to write the "Bloody Letter" informing leaders elsewhere that the revolt had begun. But the Rising was a tragic military disaster. The insurgents were wiped out, many young lives were lost, Ottoman reprisals were harsh, and there were many grim atrocities. However, the battle cry had sounded, and the seeds were sown for Bulgaria's independence, the first phase of which was won in 1878.

It is impossible to appreciate Bulgarian culture without acknowledging the impact that 500 years under the Turkish yoke has had on the Bulgarian psyche. The memory of that enslavement and the struggle for freedom is deeply ingrained in the Bulgarian soul. It has become almost mythic in scope within the imagination. Its heroes are the haidouts and revolutionary fighters.

Here in Koprivshtitsa you will come across the names of revolutionaries such as Vassil Levski, Georgi Benkovski and Hristo Botev famed throughout Bulgaria for their participation in the struggle for liberation.

The best way to discover more about this part of Bulgaria's past is to buy a combined ticket to visit the six house museums. It is a poignant journey, where history and personal story combine to bring the events and atmosphere of that time to life. 

This museum must win the prize for the most drab exterior and unpromising external environment to house a wonderful archaeological treasure. The two Neolithic (New Stone Age) dwellings unearthed in central Stara Zagora are located next to the district hospital behind a basketball court, sheltering within a protective concrete block. But don't be put off. This secretive spot has many mysteries to reveal.

Inside the museum you'll find the dwellings preserved in the state in which they were found by archaeologists in the 1960s. They were part of a Neolithic settlement destroyed by fire in about 5500 BC. At first sight in the artificial light, they look like low piles of rubble, but once your eyes adjust it is easy to distinguish familiar domestic features. Inside the two adjoining single-roomed dwellings there is an oven, millstones for grinding flour, a rectangular earth platform that served as a couch, a cult area for worshipping the household gods, and lots of earthenware pottery. The walls of the dwellings were built with wooden stakes covered with wattle and daub. The roof would have been covered with straw or rushes.

The museum's basement gallery is a real treasure trove, housing the best pieces of prehistoric art discovered in the Stara Zagora vicinity. There are beautifully decorated pots, sacred spirals and phallic symbols fashioned from clay, fertility goddess figurines, animal and zoomorphic figures. One fragment possibly shows a shamanic rain dance. In some of these cult objects we must surely find precursors of subsequent Thracian mythology. There is also a child's gold bracelet from 5000 BC, one of the oldest gold ornaments ever discovered. 

Part of the delight of the museum is the wonderful curator. She speaks some English, but her enthusiasm for the treasures she looks after is boundless. Full English-speaking guides are available with advance booking.

Koprivshtitsa

The Koprivshtitsa folk festival is probably the biggest in Bulgaria. It takes place once every five years for one weekend in August, extending throughout the beautiful Revival town of Koprivshtitsa into the surrounding mountain valleys and meadows. The last festival was summer 2005 so the next one is due in August 2010.

Thousands of amateur Bulgarian folk music, song and dance groups as well as solo performers turn out for the festival. There are lots of stages plus informal activity going on in every available space from morning till night. The sight, sound and atmosphere of it all is fantastic: the performers in colourful traditional costume, the wonderful singing and music, the thrilling dances, the trance-like zurnas compelling the hips to snake and the shoulders to shimmer to their rhythm. It is exhilarating.

You'll see lots of ritual folklore enactments too, plus masked Kukeri dancers and traditional puppet shows. (Read more about Kukeri on the Folklore page.)  The streets are thronged and lined with stalls selling jewellery, folk art and traditional costumes. Look out for the fortune-telling guinea pigs.

It is a wonderful experience. People are very friendly, but keep your money, passport and valuables secure. As everywhere, there are opportunist thieves who prey on foreigners.

Koprivshtitsa is set in the gentle Sredna Gora, the central highlands of Bulgaria, not far from Panagyurishtė. If you want a hotel or private rooms in the town, you need to book well in advance.

Trigrad
 

Each August in the spectacular Trigrad gorge in the remote southern Rhodopi mountains, there is a festival at the small village of Trigrad and at the entrance to the nearby Dyavolsko Gurlo cave, the cave where Orpheus is said to have entered the underworld.

During the daytime, folk bands and singers perform in the village square while people dance the horo or watch and relax. Then the rhythmic clanging of bells begins and kukeri dancers appear. They are spectacularly masked with huge cowbells around their waists, and the ensuing ritual enactment and mummers' play is gripping. August is not the usual time of year for kukeri; traditionally they mark the transition between the old year and the new, between winter and spring, But this festival has Orphic claims, and the kukeri ritual is thought to be descended from Thracian times.

As dusk falls, everyone walks in torch-lit procession from the village to the arena at the entrance to the cave. The rhythm of the kukeri bells echoes throughout the gorge and the masked dancers look like beings from the otherworld. There in a fantastic surreal setting surrounded by mountains the evening's festivities begin.
 

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