The Petrified Forest
It
is situated on the land of the village of Raven (in the
Momchilgrad region), in a deep ravine. The ‘trees’ cover
some 120 m of the ravine’s length. Those look like 20-odd
stumps resembling burnt trees. They reach 1-1.5 m in height
and are 0.4-0.6 m thick. In a cross-section, annual rings
are clearly to be seen on the stumps. The Petrified Forest
is believed to have appeared in the Tertiary period, i.e.
about 30 million years ago, and is the result of underwater
volcanic activity and outward earthly forces.
There
exist two explanations of its coming about. One maintains
its origin is not biological but it was made up of rock
sediments, closely knit fine grains of sand as well as
old rock pieces. The other insists that that had been
a wood situated on the shore of the Tertiary sea or next
to an island. When the intense volcanic activity had started,
this wood had been partially buried and burnt by the hot
substance. Some of the trees were however preserved, under
that abundant volcanic material. The high temperature
charred whole trees or parts of them. Some trees kept
their skeleton intact. At later stages of the volcanic
activity, water carrying flinty stuff flowed through those
skeletons and so filled the hollows. Thus the petrified
trees came into existence.
A
unique trait of the Raven forest is the trees’ erect posture.
Such a detail has not been recorded before. The Petrified
Forest was made a protected site, in the ‘natural highlight’
category, on February 9, 1970. Back then the stumps were
taller. Regretfully, the same forces that created the
Petrified Forest continue their destructive activity.
If measures are not taken, the trees will completely wither
away
The Asara Fortress
(Kaleto or Chatal Kaya), village of Rabovo – remains of
a medieval fortress.
The Karangil Cave
– village of Shiroko pole, District of Kardzhali.
It
was carved out in lime rocks, it is on three levels and
it is 650 m deep. It is the dwelling place of various
kinds of bats. In the cave, the only spider-breeding site
in the world is to be found.
The Stremski Labyrinth
(the Inkler caves)
Village
of Stremtsi, Municipality of Kardzhali. Those are well-preserved
gold mining galleries (1st-3rd c. AD, Roman). Their total
length is 460 m. The galleries resemble a maze and were
accordingly dubbed.
The Snezhinki (snowflakes)
caves – village of Dazhdovnitsa, Municipality
of Kardzhali. They are situated below the medieval fortress
Asara, seven in number. The biggest is 110 m long and
opens up next top the fortress as a secret entrance.
The Tilkin cave
– village of Opalchentsi, District of Kardzhali. It was
formed by a rock wreath 125 m long. In ancient times it
was inhabited. In it, the only habitat of the blind cave
beetle site in the world is to be found.
The Karabekirova cave
– village of Gluhar, District of Kardzhali.
It
was formed by a rock wreath above the river of Varbitsa.
The cave was primitive men’s dwelling place during the
Neolith.
The Brazhlyanina cave
– village of Visoka polyana, District of Kardzhali.
It
is situated near the Asara fortress. Bats dwell inside.
Hladilnika
– Municipality of Ardino. A natural phenomenon, Hladilnika
(the Fridge) is a Karst cave form on the land of the village
of Lyubino. Its appellation comes from the exceptionally
low temperatures inside, even in the hottest summer months.
