<< Our Photo Pages >> Perperikon - Ancient Temple in Bulgaria
Submitted by Andy B on Saturday, 18 May 2013 Page Views: 20497
Multi-periodSite Name: Perperikon Alternative Name: Hyperperakion, PerperakionCountry: Bulgaria
NOTE: This site is 8.899 km away from the location you searched for.
Type: Ancient Temple
Nearest Town: Kurdzhali Nearest Village: Perperik
Latitude: 41.712649N Longitude: 25.461502E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
Internal Links:
External Links:
I have visited· I would like to visit
ModernExplorers visited on 11th Jul 2012 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 3 Some interesting ruins - columns, ceramic pots, a tower at the top of the hill but the more interesting features were the shapes carved or cut into the rock.
One of my favourite sites around the world
quetzalcoatl visited on 1st Jan 2005 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 5 Visited in 2005 and passed by in 2015, big difference, now there is a big parking and many visitors, in 2005 there was nobody. I'm worried about the impact of the many visitors. They are quite fragile rocks
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 2.5 Ambience: 4.5 Access: 4
The classic Greek mythology evolved by the early Iron Age, 11th-6th century BCE, during which the Thracian Gog/Heroes Dionysus and Orpheus became well established. Perperikon comprises four elements: the citadel, an acropolis at the top of the hill; a palace or temple immediately beneath the acropolis and facing southeast; and two outer cities, one on the northern and one on the southern slope of the hill. At the top of a barren rock hill a procession enters the sacred city of Perperikon through a road cut inside the rocks. Before making it to the top of the hill, they went through the vineyards on the slope, and collected wine that had been made on the sacred site using one of the many presses. The shredding and pressing of grapes reminds them of the misadventures of the god they came to worship: the Thracian god Zagreus, better known to the Greeks as Dionysos.
As they penetrate the temple carved in the rocks through the massive gate, they pay their respects to the high priest, who is also their ruler. The priest sits on a massive throne carved in the rocks. Soon the ceremony will begin. The worshipers are already in awe in front of these huge rooms and the magnificent views on the valley to their right, but their excitement is about to reach its climax when the temple's prophetess will pour wine on the fire that has been lit on the altar. At first sparkles will come from the wine drops. But then a large flame will erupt, the height of which will predict the fortunes of the year's harvest.
This is but one of the many scenes of worship which are believed to have taken place at Perperikon, a grandiose holy site which has been active for thousands of years before falling into oblivion starting in the 12th century AD.
Read more at Blue Bulgaria
See also www.directionbulgaria.com and
www.rock-cut.thracians.org.
There are also photos at Blue Bulgaria
http://www.perperikon.bg/home.php?cp=2
Note: Bulgaria should seriously consider inviting Mongolian shamans to "enliven" its ancient sites, argues leading Bulgarian archeologist Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov.
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