The legacy left to us by the Thracians is so mysterious and fascinating that it will arouse human curiosity for thousands of years to come. One such strange place is the rock complex Eagle Rocks near the town of Ardino…
Where is located
It’s located on 36 km from Kardzhali and only 3 km from Ardino. At the very beginning of the city there are brown signs that lead to the “road to Eagle Rocks”… It’s a bit steep, but relatively refined, and along its route there are several gazebo for relaxation. The road ends right at the start of the path to the complex, but it should be borne in mind that the parking area is very narrow and must be parked close to the rocks surrounding the road…
Start of the trail
We were greeted by an entrance sign of 2 lv (1euro), which we couldn’t figure out where to pay… There are two options to get to the rocks – short and a little longer pat. The long route (around 20 minutes) is along the so-called “path of Ardin poetry”, where signs with poems by locals greet tourists. Intrigued by the signs with verses, we took a few steps on it, but the steepness and the significant difference in time made us return to the touristic road… It took us no more than 5 minutes!
The mystical Eagle Rocks
Here they are in front of us – around 30 meters high volcanic rocks and many trapezoidal niches on them… To be more precise… 100 cracks have been discovered, and today as many as 97 of them are preserved! The Turkish name of the complex is “Kuzgun Kaya”, which means “raven stone”, but since the middle of the 20th century the name “Eagle Rocks” has prevailed… These rock crevices are unique for Europe and similar places are observed only in the Balkans, most of which are positioned in the Rhodopes. They are a little less than 1 m high and are about 20-40 cm deep. These are the most typical for Bulgaria rock carvings, whose origin and period of occurrence are unclear and the theories for this are several…
Funeral facilities
According to some scientists, the niches were used for vertical furial facilities, where the ashes of the deceased were placed in an urn. Tombs were made for the rulers, while cracks were made for the common people. No traces of such urns were found in the area… And based on the assumption that they are our heritage from the Thracians and the lack of information that they used cremation, this theory seems unlikely…
Coded message
Another idea of historians is that this may have been a coded message left by the Thracians, which we have not yet been able to decipher… The location of the rock holes hasn’t synchrony and this suggests that there may be something true in this theory, no matter how crazy it sounds…
Performing rituals
This theory seems to be the most valid due to the fact that various charred remains of pottery have been found in the area. It’s believed that the Thracians kindle them and placed them in niches on solemn occasions. Another option is to place various sacred objects there on certain days and occasions…
For a final
There are several other theories, such as the extraction of gold and metals and a dragon that is under the rock and keeps a treasure, but they are very unlikely… The truth is that we will hardly ever know what exactly they were used for, but the mystique and easy access to the place make it a must-see destination when visiting the area!
