Dzhendema
Encyclopedia
Dzhendema or Djendema, meaning "hell", applies to the South slope of Mount Botev
, 2376 m above sea level, the highest peak in the Balkan mountain
range in Bulgaria
42°41′41"N 24°54′41"E. It is also called the Southern Dzhendem. It was established as reserve on March 28, 1953. Djendema encompasses 42.2 km², and is the largest reserve in the mountain and the second largest reserve in Bulgaria
. It is centered on a granite
extrusion combined with limestone
outcroppings to form a labyrinth of steep slopes; deep, narrow gorges, massive rock cliffs, and huge waterfalls. Djendema Reserve shelters beech and fir forests and large meadows with unique sub-alpine grassy species and communities. Because of its specific geological and climatic conditions,the area is rich in endemic species and rare plants. One could take several days to cross Djendema.
There is also so called Northern Dzhendem or the Northern Djendem located on the north slope of Mount Botev 42°44′48.79"N 24°55′41.34"E. It was established as Reserve on September 30, 1983. It has a total area of 16.1 km² and is the highest reserve in the Balkan Ranges, encompassing a wild and inaccessible section of the central part of the mountain. The reserve includes the nearly vertical northern slopes, approximately 10 kilometers wide with an of average height of 900 meters, looming rock tiers, short and steep watersheds, overhanging cliffs, rock bridges, jaded cornices, deep precipices, numerous waterfalls, as well as grassy terraces. At low altitudes, ancient beech and fir forests cover almost two-thirds of the steeply sloped Northern Djendem. It also contains sub-alpine grassy and forest habitats. Many rare wildlife species have found their last refuge in this impenetrable natural forest, which is home to an unusual community of Siberian juniper, myrtle-leaf rhododendron and blueberry
, as well as the only known location of Urumov’s campion in the world. The Northern Djendem is home to the Balkan chamois (alpine goat), brown bear
, grey wolf, red deer
, roe
, golden eagle
, peregrine falcon
, and wallcreeper
. The two Djendems are alpine objects for many climbers.
Botev Peak
Botev Peak is, at 2,376 m above sea level, the highest peak of the Balkan Mountains. It is located close to the geographic centre of Bulgaria, and is part of the Central Balkan National Park....
, 2376 m above sea level, the highest peak in the Balkan mountain
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...
range in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
42°41′41"N 24°54′41"E. It is also called the Southern Dzhendem. It was established as reserve on March 28, 1953. Djendema encompasses 42.2 km², and is the largest reserve in the mountain and the second largest reserve in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. It is centered on a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
extrusion combined with limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
outcroppings to form a labyrinth of steep slopes; deep, narrow gorges, massive rock cliffs, and huge waterfalls. Djendema Reserve shelters beech and fir forests and large meadows with unique sub-alpine grassy species and communities. Because of its specific geological and climatic conditions,the area is rich in endemic species and rare plants. One could take several days to cross Djendema.
There is also so called Northern Dzhendem or the Northern Djendem located on the north slope of Mount Botev 42°44′48.79"N 24°55′41.34"E. It was established as Reserve on September 30, 1983. It has a total area of 16.1 km² and is the highest reserve in the Balkan Ranges, encompassing a wild and inaccessible section of the central part of the mountain. The reserve includes the nearly vertical northern slopes, approximately 10 kilometers wide with an of average height of 900 meters, looming rock tiers, short and steep watersheds, overhanging cliffs, rock bridges, jaded cornices, deep precipices, numerous waterfalls, as well as grassy terraces. At low altitudes, ancient beech and fir forests cover almost two-thirds of the steeply sloped Northern Djendem. It also contains sub-alpine grassy and forest habitats. Many rare wildlife species have found their last refuge in this impenetrable natural forest, which is home to an unusual community of Siberian juniper, myrtle-leaf rhododendron and blueberry
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
, as well as the only known location of Urumov’s campion in the world. The Northern Djendem is home to the Balkan chamois (alpine goat), brown bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
, grey wolf, red deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
, roe
Roe
Roe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
, golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
, peregrine falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
, and wallcreeper
Wallcreeper
The Wallcreeper is a small passerine bird found throughout the high mountains of Eurasia. It is the only member of the genus Tichodroma.-Taxonomy and etymology:...
. The two Djendems are alpine objects for many climbers.