Legend tells how, before going in search of the Golden Fleece, Jason and the Argonauts arrived in Begliktash. They asked the prophets who lived on the rocky shore by the sea and offered gifts to the gods. Then they undertook the trials that fate had prepared for them. But the energy of this mysterious place has given them the strength to face challenges along the way.
The coastal hills of Strandzha hide the secrets of an ancient megalithic sanctuary. His name is Begliktash. Formed as a result of rock erosion, it has been visibly remodeled by human hands. And the result is impressive: surprising compositions in which dolmens, Thracian mounds and small rock sanctuaries alternate. Today the Begliktash syenite blocks, arranged in a natural whole, give it the glory of one of the oldest megaliths in our country.
Who piled these stones weighing tons here
“Going back in time, during the last ice age, when the glaciers were flowing towards the sea, they dragged rocks along their way. This is how their grouping happened, right here, on the right bank of the Ropotamo River. Over of the time, masons or enlightened people sculpted them with hammer and chisel to give them these shapes” – this is how Evgeniy Sachev, the only Bulgarian professor of cultural heritage and national security, develops his version of the megaliths. Research on them is still fragmentary, but one of the facts about them is unprecedented: there are similar dolmens only in Strandzha and fewer in the Eastern Rhodopes. Around the world, however, their traces can be found in mysterious Tibet, but also in green Ireland. Even in South Wales, on the island of Malta closest to us, as well as in distant Africa.
A strange configuration with the bed of the Sun God
The center of Begliktash is a large rocky area. It is slightly raised compared to the surrounding land and inside it are placed in a circle with a diameter of 56 m rocky elements that were used to perform rituals. They have kept their natural character, but have been modified by the hand of man with characteristic sacred symbols and signs. At the eastern end of the stone circle is the “wedding bed”, where the marriage between the Sun and the Mother Goddess was ritually celebrated on the night before the summer solstice. On the sides you can see the gutters where the ritual liquids were poured: wine, milk, water and olive oil. If you manage to climb the huge rounded stone called menhir, you will see the rock throne of the Sun God, or so-called. “Pass of God”. It offers a view of the entire sanctuary. And on the opposite side is the “Passo della Dea”. Nearby you can see the sundial, consisting of 16 flat round stones, and a huge dolmen representing the “sacred cave” – a metaphorical allusion to the womb of the Mother Goddess, as well as the “labyrinth” – a symbol of the trial route.
The place where the Sun fell in love with the Earth
Karel Shkorpil was the first archaeologist to explore the area in 1930. He described the peak as a block of rock with a distinctive heart shape and named it Apostle Tash. Years later (1972-1973) Prof. Alexander Fall and Prof. Ivan Venedikov, during the “Apollonia-Strandja” archaeological expedition, completed the picture – they documented “artificial round depressions under the block in the rock”. They note “a block of rock in the shape of a walnut, 12 m in diameter, placed on top of other blocks as a roof under which one could pass”. Archaeologists only returned to the field in 2003, but identified Begliktash as the first Thracian megalithic sanctuary discovered on our Black Sea coast. Excavations prove: a Thracian sanctuary has been functioning here for a long time, since the end of the Bronze Age ( XIII century BC) to the IV century. Their conclusion is that it is a cult complex.
Another interesting version is that the magical place was an observatory from which the Thracians observed the stars and the entire Universe. And their priests divined by them. Thus, the entire megalithic ensemble represents an astronomical clock. Even the stones are arranged so that the shadow of the sun falls from the high altar on the 6 minor stones arranged north of it. “I’m a supporter of the version that
this place used to be an astrophysics lab,
where man has sought spiritual enlightenment through his connection to cosmic intelligence! From time immemorial, man has wanted to unravel the mystery of the Great Creation – in many religions it is interpreted through the fertilizing connection between the Sun and the Earth, between Osiris and Isis. Or the fertility cult. You’ve heard the myths about golden rain that gives a rich harvest to the land. It is no coincidence that it is poured in May, the most clement month of the year, when nature awakens and we find energy in stone and wood. This myth is present in ancient Egyptian mythology, but also in Tibetan and Sumerian culture and in Scandinavian sagas.
Even today, on the night of May 10-11, holographic images of people appear in this place for a short time, according to eyewitness accounts.
It is no coincidence that the Strandzha area is also home to the mysterious Mishkova Niva with its Egyptian path. You have also heard of the goddess with a cat’s face – Bastet, daughter of a Thracian chieftain who lived in these lands thousands of years ago.
If we go back to the holograms in question, I would add that they are not the result of phantasmagoria. It is no coincidence that such places are associated with mysteries in our folklore. They are a kind of portal or channel of information where a spiritually prepared person can receive enlightenment. It is seeing the future by understanding the past! – sums up Prof. Sachev.
Vanga advises dad where to build “Pearl”
Access to the Begliktash shrine has been impossible for decades. How come? Underground passages brought energy from the cult object to “Pearl” – the hunting lodge of Todor Zhivkov in Primorsko. Nonna Vanga personally advises dad to use the place. And about her daughter Lyudmila to spend more time alone in nature-next to the rocks in the embrace of Strandzha.
Built more like a villa, according to the project of the architect. Mikhail Sokolovski, the maritime residence was intended entirely for the family of the social leader Zhivkov. Foreign guests were rarely allowed here. In the transitional years the property was abandoned and sunk into oblivion. Most recently, the building was purchased by the late Iliya Pavlov for a staggering BGN 14.6 million.
At the time Begliktash was within the confines of the Pearl hunting lodge, access to the place was impossible and therefore remained unknown to archaeologists. Scientists “discovered” the mysterious place in 2002-2003.Then Tsonya Drazheva, archaeologist at the regional Burgas History Museum, with little funds, began excavations of the ancient shrine.
The lion’s head “marks” the ancient Ranuli
A walk along the Ropotamo River can also take you to Ranuli, a mysterious ancient fortress or city also known as Azine.
Azine was located on an area of about 30,000 square meters, rising on a rocky and verdant tree-lined peak, which today is known as Lion’s Head. They built it precisely in this place because of the relief and the favorable climate. Fortress walls have now been discovered in the area, for the construction of which large but very beautifully shaped stones were used. According to the researchers, the construction of the famous fortress wall, as well as some of the oldest and most preserved buildings, coincides with the era of the so-called Creto-Mycenaean civilization. In fact, people are believed to have lived here millennia earlier, but the scale of the construction involved destroyed many of the older artifacts.
In more recent times, the ancient ruins are known as “Valchanovo Kale”, because the famous governor of Valchan used the fortress during the Ottoman Empire years.
The Ottomans collected beglik (taxes) here
The origin of the name Begliktash is also interesting. Linguists mean the Turkish language, where beglik means tax and tash means stone. Or “tax stone”.
During the years of the Ottoman Empire, taxes were collected here – the local population handed over their cattle to the Ottomans. Traditions say that even those in power felt the amazing power of this place and did not dare to raise a hand against the Bulgarians.
Long after the Ottoman era – in the soca years, the place continued to be “beglik”. This is demonstrated by the fences of the Perla hunting lodge, used by the family of former Prime Todor Zhivkov. For years this territory has been “appropriated” for the personal use of man, a symbol of state power and authority. Only in 2003 Begliktash was opened for visitors.
Yordanka Pavlova, artist: Here, every stone tells a story
“Begliktash brings me a special energy which inspires me. I have painted some of my best pictures here. Like this one, I have named it “Oil Cape in the embrace of the Black Sea”. I would only add: “…where every wave it’s a kiss and every push for a ready outlet…” This is how Yordanka Pavlova told us while showing us one of her canvases.
The beautiful woman from Plovdiv is one of the most precious people to come out of the “balcanturist” school in the soca years. With her mastery in the kitchen she amazed important Italian counts who came to visit us. A Jordanian woman remembers those years with a certain nostalgia. Today, however, she dedicated herself to a new thrill. “For me, the relationship between paintings and cooking is very personal,” says the still life and landscape artist. One of her favorite places when she is in front of the canvas is the mysterious Begliktash.
“This place takes me back in time,” continues the lady. – In those ancient times that bring us information about the code and the origin of the Bulgarians. I feel the magnetism of the earth that has drawn our ancestors to these lands. I think it is no coincidence that Bulgaria falls right here, in a purely geographical sense, but also in a sacred sense.
Begliktash is also not a random place. The most impressive thing for me is this heart-shaped stone – in the shape of an upside down heart – you see the big slope. The stone stands as if on a pedestal and the fulcrum on which it is held is so small. It’s as if it’s suspended in the air, but it weighs hundreds of tons. And this is the greatest magic of this place. It’s hard to explain, what is this higher power? We do not know! But it is she who gives the energy to this place. And it brings inspiration to the people who visit it.
I think Begliktash was an ancient shrine. Here every single stone, every stone tells its story. In the sound of the forest, you can feel the connection of the wind passing through the rocks and touching the sound of the sea. From this synchronicity comes this particular vibration. Like quiet music, very quiet! Dawn illuminates the stones and gives them that slightly yellow tint, almost orange in the reflection of the sun. And the dawn passes softly between the stones, in the form of light jets of light!”.
