Perperikon

Perperikon is a hill of volcanic rock in the eastern Rhodopes that was worked continuously from the Bronze Age into the medieval period, with almost everything cut directly into the stone rather than built on it: staircases, rooms, cisterns, wine vats, a large rock-cut hall interpreted as a sanctuary, an acropolis, streets and later a fortress and a basilica. Some accounts connect it with a Dionysian oracle described by classical writers, which the excavator has argued for and others dispute. What is not in question is the scale of the cutting and the length of the occupation. The site is spread over the hill and takes a couple of hours to walk, with a steep approach from the car park and no shade at the top.

History

People were active on the hill as early as 5000 BC, the first traces of settlement date from the Bronze Age, and a round altar almost 2 metres across cut into the rock belongs to the Early Iron Age; a famous temple of Dionysus is thought to have stood here, and in 424 BC Medokos declared himself king of Thrace at Perperikon. The archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov began excavating in 2000 and uncovered a large multi-storey palace and a fortress of Roman times with walls up to 2.8 metres thick; the name, from the Middle Ages, is linked to gold refining (Wikipedia, Perperikon).

What's there

• Rooms and stairs cut into rock - almost the whole site carved rather than built.
• The large rock-cut hall - the chamber interpreted as a sanctuary.
• Wine vats and cisterns - the working cuttings across the hill.
• Medieval fortress and basilica - the last phases on the acropolis.

When to go

April to October. Two to three hours. Mornings for temperature; the rock reflects heat badly in summer. Weekends bring Bulgarian visitors in numbers. The climb is steep.

What to expect

The climb from the car park is steep and there is no shade anywhere on the hill. The oracle attribution is contested and presented as fact on site. Interpretation is limited in English. Surfaces are uneven rock and slippery when wet.

Nearby

Tatul is south; Kardzhali lies south-west.

Key facts