Momchilgrad municipality released unique footage a few days ago which went viral on social media. The video, shot using a drone, offers a bird’s eye view of the mysterious medieval fortress Asara in the region of the village of Ralitsa in the Rhodopes.

The remains of the fortress date back to the 11^th-12^th century. They rise on top of a prehistoric rock sanctuary and a crypt. A trapezoidal sacrificial altar has been hacked out on the fortress site. The ruins of two large towers are still visible that were once connected by a passage hacked out into the rock. In one of the towers there are traces of a residential area and a chapel. Archaeologists discovered precious medallions made of bone that were once elements of a gold-inlaid icon.  

Video:

Studies have shown that some of the first attempts at ore-mining in the Balkan peninsula took place right here, in the Eastern Rhodopes. Ore-mining galleries like the ones found at the foot of Asara peak have been discovered in the vicinity of the village of Zvezdel nearby. The peak, where the fortress remains are scattered, commands a breathtaking view of the Eastern Rhodopes and the highest peak in this part of the mountain – Stramni Rid peak (960 m.)

Not far from Asara fortress, Boyalak waterfall rises to a height of some 25 m. The bizarre-looking rocks formed after the waterfall are also well worth seeing.

The Asar fortress in Momchilgrad municipality is not the only fortress of that name in Bulgaria. The word “asar” comes from the Arabic-Turkic “hisar”, “hisarlak” meaning fortress, fortification, pile of stones. That is why there are many fortresses in the Bulgarian lands bearing such names.

More:

• The mystery of the wooden mosque in Podkova village in the Rhodopes
• Gyullek waterfall – the magnificent “secret” tucked away in the Eastern Rhodopes
• Walking the trails of history in Haskovo and the Rhodope

Video: Tencho Petkov Photography

Editing by Veneta Nikolova

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova