Rhodope Mountains - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Rhodopes icon are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern 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...

and the remainder in Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

. Its highest peak, Golyam Perelik

Golyam Perelik

Golyam Perelik is the highest peak in the Rhodope Mountains, situated 19 km to the west of Smolyan. It makes the Rhodopes the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain range after Rila, Pirin, Stara Planina, Vitosha, Osogovo and Slavyanka...

(2,191 m), is the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain. The region is particularly notable for the Karst

KARST

Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...

areas with their deep river gorges, large caves and specific sculptured forms, such as the Trigrad Gorge

Trigrad Gorge

The Trigrad Gorge is a canyon of vertical marble rocks in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria's very southern parts....

.

A significant part of Bulgaria's hydropower

Hydropower

Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...

resources is located in the western areas of the range. There are a number of hydro-cascades and dams used for electricity production, irrigation and as tourist destinations. The Rhodopes have a rich cultural heritage including ancient Thracian

Thracians

The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...

sites such as Perperikon

Perperikon

The ancient Thracian city of Perperikon is located in the Eastern Rhodopes, 15 km northeast of the present-day town of Kardzhali, Bulgaria, on a 470 m high rocky hill, which is thought to have been a sacred place. The village of Gorna Krepost is located at the foot of the hill and the...

, Tatul

Tatul

Tatul is a village in Momchilgrad municipality, Kardzhali Province located in the Eastern Rhodopes in southern Bulgaria. It is lies at 319 m above sea level at , 15 km east of Momchilgrad, and has a population of 189 people...

and Belintash; medieval castles, churches, monasteries and picturesque villages with traditional Bulgarian architecture from 18th and 19th century.

Name

The name of the Rhodope mountains has a Thracian provenance. Rhod-ope (Род-oпа) is interpreted as the first name of a river, meaning "rusty/redish river", where Rhod- has the same Indo-European root as the bulgarian "руда" (ore, "ruda"), "ръжда" (rust, "razda"), "риж" (latinrufous) and germ. rot ("червен", "ред"). Through texts of Publius Ovidius Naso and Plutarch, the myth about the origin of the Rhodope mountains and the Balkan mountain range has reached us: "Rhodopa and Hemus were brother and sister. They had started having a desire for each other, where Hemus was referring to her as Hera and Rhodopa to him as her beloved Zeus. The gods felt offended and decided to transform them into homonymous mountains."

Geography

In geomorphological aspect the Rhodopes are part of the Rilo-Rhodope massif

Massif

In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...

which is the oldest landmass on the Balkan peninsula. They are the most extensive Bulgarian mountain. The Rhodopes are spread over 14,735 km², of which 12,233 km² are on Bulgarian territory. The mountains are about 240 km long and about 100–120 km wide, with an average altitude of 785 m. To the north the mountain slopes are steeply descending towards the Upper Thracian Plain

Upper Thracian Plain

The Upper Thracian Plain constitutes the northern part of the historical region of Thrace. It is located in southern Bulgaria, between the Sredna Gora mountains to the north and west; the Rhodopes, Sakar and Strandzha to the south; and the Black Sea to the east. A fertile agricultural region, the...

, to the west the Rhodopes reach the Avram saddle, Yundola and the valley of the Mesta River

Mesta River

The Nestos or Mesta , formerly the Mesta Karasu , is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. It rises in the Rila Mountains and flows into the Aegean Sea near the island of Thasos. It plunges down towering canyons toward the Aegean Sea through mostly metamorphic formations...

. To the south and east they extend over the border with Greece. The Rhodopes are a complex system of ridges and deep river valleys.

Fifteen reserves have been established in the region, some of which are under UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

protection. The mountains are famous for the largest coniferous woods in the Balkans, their mild relief and the lush vegetation in the western parts as well as the abundance of birds of prey in the eastern areas.

Climate

The location of the Rhodopes in the southeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula determines the climate in the region to a great extent. It is influenced both by the colder air coming from the north and by the warmer breeze from the Mediterranean

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

.

The average annual temperature in the Eastern Rhodopes is 12–13°C, the maximum value of precipitation is in December, the minimum is in August. In the Western Rhodopes, the temperature varies with 5° to 9°C and the summer rainfalls prevail.

The mild climate, combined with some other factors, works in favour of the development of recreation and tourist activities. The Pamporovo

Pamporovo

Pamporovo is a popular ski resort in Smolyan Province, southern Bulgaria, one of the best-known in Southeastern Europe. It is set amongst magnificent pine forests and is primarily visited during the winter for skiing and snowboarding. It is also a popular tourist place in summer. The hub of...

resort, where the microclimate permits a heavy snow cover to be preserved for a long time, is an excellent example.

Temperatures of −15°C are common in the winter, and due to this the Rhodopes are the southernmost place in the Balkans where tree species such as the Norway Spruce

Norway Spruce

Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...

and the Silver Birch

Silver Birch

Betula pendula is a widespread European birch, though in southern Europe it is only found at higher altitudes. Its range extends into southwest Asia in the mountains of northern Turkey and the Caucasus...

can be observed.

Waters

The mountains have abundant water reserves. There is a dense network of mountain springs and rivers. The natural lakes are few, the most famous of these are the Smolyan lakes situated at several kilometers from the town of the same name. Some of the largest dams in the country are located in the Rhodopes including the Dospat Dam, Batak Dam

Batak Dam

The Batak Reservoir is located in the Rhodope Mountains and is the third largest in Bulgaria. It attracts many tourists and fishermen, and the resort Tsigov Chark was built on its shore. The lake is situated just above the historic town of the same name....

, Golyam Beglik

Golyam Beglik

Golyam Beglik is a dam near the central parts of the Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria. It was formerly officially called the Vasil Kolarov reservoir in honour of Vasil Kolarov, a communist political leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria....

, Kardzhali Dam

Kardzhali Dam

The Kardzhali Reservoir is located near Kardzhali town in Kardzhali Province, Bulgaria.The reservoir was recently seeded artificially with European perch. The fish was taken from the Ovcharitsa reservoir....

, Studen Kladenets

Studen Kladenets

The Studen Kladenets Reservoir is the second largest reservoir in Bulgaria. It is situated on the river Arda, and is created behind the Studen Kladenets dam, 30 km south-east of the town of Kardzhali...

, Vacha Dam

Vacha Dam

Vacha is a dam situated in south Bulgaria, Devin municipality, 680 m above sea level.It is located near the road from Krichim to Devin....

, Shiroka Polyana

Shiroka Polyana

Shiroka Polyana is a reservoir lake situated in the Western Rhodopes mountains in Bulgaria.The lake is situated 30 km south of Batak, on the road to Dospat. It is located 1500 meters above sea level amidst a forest of old pine trees. Different legends are told about the lake.The shape of...

and many others. They are used mainly for hydro-electric power

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...

generation and for irrigation. There are many mineral water springs, the most famous being in Velingrad

Velingrad

Velingrad is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of Chepino Valley, part of the Rhodope Mountains. It is the administrative center of the homonymous Velingrad Municipality and one of the most popular Bulgarian balneological resorts...

, Narechen

Narechen

Narechen is a village in the Plovdiv Province, central Bulgaria. it has 924 inhabitants. It is set amid pine forest on the Assenitsa river in the Rhodopean mountain. The village is notable for its hypothermal mineral springs which have transformed it into an important spa resort.Narechen Glacier...

, Devin

Devin, Bulgaria

Devin is a town in Smolyan Province in the far south of Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Devin Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 7,054 inhabitants.-Location and geography:...

, Beden

Beden

The Beden is an ancient Somali maritime vessel that remains the longest surviving sewn ship in East Africa. Its shipyards predominantly lie in the Hafun region, and the ship's modern usage is chiefly for fishing. The ship's construction style is unique to Somalia and significantly differs from...

, Mihalkovo and others.

Subdivision

Western Rhodopes

The Western Rhodopes are the larger (66% of the area of the Rhodopes in Bulgaria), higher, most infrastructurally developed and most visited part of the mountains. The highest and best known peaks are located in the region (more than 10 are over 2,000 m) including the highest one, Golyam Perelik (2,191 m). Among the other popular peaks are Shirokolashki Snezhnik (2,188 m), Golyam Persenk (2,091 m), Batashki Snezhnik (2,082 m), Turla (1,800 m).

Some of the deepest river gorges in the Rhodopes are located in the western parts, as well as the rock phenomenon Wonderful Bridges

Wonderful Bridges

The Marvelous Bridges is a rock formation in the Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria. It is located in the Karst valley of the Erkyupryia River in the Western Rhodopes at 1,450 metres above sea level, at the foot of Persenk Peak.-Description:...

. Significant bodies of water include the Chaira lakes and the dams Dospat, Batak

Batak Dam

, Shiroka Polyana

Shiroka Polyana

, Golyam Beglik

Golyam Beglik

and Tsigov Chark

Tsigov Chark

Tsigov Chark is a ski resort in the western Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria. It is located at 900–1000 metres above sea level, and is located 8 kilometres from the town of Batak and 24 kilometres east of Velingrad. The resort is situated near the artificial Batak Reservoir.-References:*...

The town of Batak

Batak, Bulgaria

Batak is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, not far from the town of Peshtera. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Batak Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 3,498 inhabitants.- Geography :...

is also located in this part of the mountains, as well as the popular tourist centres Smolyan

Smolyan

Smolyan is a town and ski resort in the very south of Bulgaria not far from the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Smolyan Province...

, Velingrad

Velingrad

, Devin

Devin, Bulgaria

, Chepelare

Chepelare

Chepelare is a town and ski resort in Smolyan Province in Southern Bulgaria. It is situated in the central part of the Rhodopes, on the banks of Chepelare River. Chepelare is a popular winter resort with one of the longest ski runs in Southeastern Europe. It is located near Pamporovo, one of the...

, the winter resort Pamporovo

Pamporovo

, the Eastern Orthodox Bachkovo Monastery

Bachkovo Monastery

The Bachkovo Monastery , archaically the Petritsoni Monastery or Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bulgaria is an important monument of Christian architecture and one of the largest and oldest Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Europe...

, the ruins of the Asen dynasty

Asen dynasty

The Asen dynasty ruled a medieval Bulgarian state, called in modern historiography the Second Bulgarian Empire, between 1187 and 1280.The Asen dynasty and the Second Bulgarian Empire rose as the leaders of a rebellion against the Byzantine Empire at the turn of the year 1185/1186 caused by the...

's fortress, the caves Dyavolskoto Garlo, Yagodinska, Vievo

Vievo

Vievo is a Pomak village in the Rhodope Mountains in the Smolyan Province of Bulgaria.During the First Balkan War, the village was set on fire by the local Bulgarian militia to ethnically cleanse the Muslim Turks from the region. The remaining population took refuge in the nearby town of...

and many others. The highest village in Bulgaria, Manastir (over 1,500 m), is crouched in the northern foot of Prespa Peak. A number of architectural reserves, such as Shiroka Laka, Kovachevitsa, Momchilovtsi, Kosovo

Kosovo, Plovdiv Province

Kosovo is a village in Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria, located at .- Geography :Kosovo is located in Rhodope Mountains, in their central part, five kilometers away from a spa. It is surrounded with untouched nature, with four rivers flowing through it...

, are also located in the area.

Eastern Rhodopes

The Eastern Rhodopes are spread over a territory of about 34% of the mountains' area in Bulgaria, constituting a much lower part.

The large artificial dams Kardzhali

Kardzhali Dam

and Studen Kladenets

Studen Kladenets

are located in this part of the mountains. The region is rich in thermal mineral springs. The waters around Dzhebel

Dzhebel

Dzhebel is a town in Kardzhali Province, southern Bulgaria. It has 3,312 inhabitants. Dzhebel is the administrative center of a municipality, which apart from Dzhebel itself, contains 47 other villages and has a population of 9093. The municipality is mainly populated by ethnic Turks, which are...

have national reputation for healing various diseases. Belite Brezi is an important healing centre for respiratory and other ailments.

Major cities in the area are Haskovo

Haskovo

Haskovo , is a city, an administrative centre of the homonymous Haskovo Province in southern Bulgaria, not far from the borders with Greece and Turkey. As of February 2011, it has a population of 74,843 inhabitants....

and Kardzhali

Kardzhali

Kardzhali or Kurdzhali is a town in Bulgaria, capital of Kardzhali Province in the Eastern Rhodopes. Near the town is the noted Kardzhali Dam.-Geography:...

, as well as the smaller Momchilgrad

Momchilgrad

Momchilgrad , is a town in the very south of Bulgaria, part of Kardzhali Province in the southeastern part of the Eastern Rhodopes. It is largely settled by ethnic Turks....

, Krumovgrad

Krumovgrad

Krumovgrad is a town in Kardzhali Province in the very south of Bulgaria, located in the Eastern Rhodopes on the banks of the river Krumovitsa. The majority of its population consists of ethnic Turks...

, Zlatograd

Zlatograd

Zlatograd is a town in Smolyan Province, Southern-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Zlatograd Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 7,110 inhabitants....

and Kirkovo

Kirkovo

Kirkovo is a village in Kardzhali Province, southern Bulgaria, near the Greek border. The Turkish name Kırkova means "Forty Plains".-External links:*...

. The Eastern Rhodopes, being significantly lower, are also more populated than the western part.

Almost every species of the Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an birds of prey

Bird of prey

Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....

nestle in rocks and forests of the Eastern Rhodopes including the extremely rare Black vulture

Black vulture

Black vulture may refer to:* American Black Vulture* Eurasian Black Vulture...

, Egyptian vulture

Egyptian Vulture

The Egyptian Vulture is a small Old World vulture, found widely distributed from southwestern Europe and northern Africa to southern Asia. It is the only living member of the genus Neophron. It has sometimes also been known as the White Scavenger Vulture or Pharaoh's Chicken...

and others.

Southern Rhodopes

The Southern Rhodopes are the part of the mountain range that is located in Greece. The Rhodope Prefecture

Rhodope Prefecture

Rhodope is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its name is derived from the Rhodope Mountains, which cover the northern part of its territory. Together with the regional units Evros and Xanthi, it forms the geographical region of Western...

in the northern part of the country is named after the region.

Mythology

In Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

, Queen Rhodope

Queen Rhodope

In Greek mythology, Queen Rhodope of Thrace was the wife of Haemus. Haemus was vain and haughty and compared himself and Rhodope to Zeus and Hera, who were offended and changed the couple into mountains . The story is mentioned by the Roman poet Ovid at Metamorphoses 6.87-89....

of Thrace

Thrace

Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...

, the wife of King Haemus

Haemus

In Greek mythology, King Haemus of Thrace was the son of Boreas. He was vain and haughty and compared himself and his wife, Queen Rhodope, to Zeus and Hera. The gods changed him and his wife into mountains...

, was changed into the Rhodope Mountains by Zeus

Zeus

In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...

and Hera

Hera

Hera was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow and the peacock were sacred to her...

as a punishment.

History

The Rhodopes are inhabited from the Prehistoric age. There are many archaeological finds of ancient tools in some of the caves.

The first known people that inhabited the mountain are the Thracians

Thracians

. They built many temples, cities and fortresses. The most famous town in the area is the sacred city of Perperikon

Perperikon

located 15 km northeast of Kardzhali

Kardzhali

Kardzhali or Kurdzhali is a town in Bulgaria, capital of Kardzhali Province in the Eastern Rhodopes. Near the town is the noted Kardzhali Dam.-Geography:...

. One of the most important Thracian temples was Tatul

Tatul

near the village of the same name. Additionally, there are archeological sites throughout the region related to the cult of Dionysus

Dionysus

Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...

, such as the ancient Thracian city of Perperikon

Perperikon

During the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

the mountain was part of the Bulgarian

Bulgarian Empire

Bulgarian Empire is a term used to describe two periods in the medieval history of Bulgaria, during which it acted as a key regional power in Europe in general and in Southeastern Europe in particular, rivalling Byzantium...

and Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...

s and often changed hands between the two countries. There was a dense network of castles which guarded the trade routes and the strategic heights. The largest and most important castles include Lyutitsa

Lyutitsa

Lyutitsa is one of the largest and best preserved castles in the easternmost part of the Eastern Rhodopes, located 3.5 hours' walk south-west of Ivaylovgrad, in southernmost Bulgaria. It is also known as the "Marble City" because of its walls made of white marble.The fortress occupies an area of...

, Ustra

Ustra

Ustra is a castle in the eastern Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria. Its ruins lie southwest of the village of Ustren situated on a hill at approximately above sea level....

, Tsepina

Tsepina

Tsepina was a castle and town in the western Rhodope mountains, southern Bulgaria, now in ruins. It is located at 6 km from the Dorkovo village in the north-eastern part of the Chepinska valley....

, Mezek

Mezek

Mezek is a village in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Svilengrad municipality, Haskovo Province. It lies at the foot of the eastern Rhodope Mountains, just north of the Bulgaria–Greece border and not far west of the Bulgaria–Turkey border. Mezek is famous for the well-preserved medieval Mezek...

, Asenova krepost

Asenova krepost

Asen's Fortress , identified by some researchers as Petrich , is a medieval fortress in the Bulgarian Rhodope Mountains, 2-3 km south of the town of Asenovgrad, on a high rocky ridge on the left bank of the Asenitsa River....

and many others. Between 1371 and 1375 the Rhodopes fell under Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

occupation in the course of the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars

Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars

The Bulgarian-Ottoman wars were fought between the disintegrating Bulgarian Empire and the new emerging Turkic power, the Ottoman Turks in the second half the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century. The war ended with the collapse of the once powerful Bulgarian Empire in 1422. The...

During the 16th and 17th centuries the Ottoman authorities began a process of forcible Islamisation of the region to compensate for the losses against the Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

powers in the Mediterranean. As a result many Bulgarian adopted the Islam and those who refused were killed.date=June 2008 A large number of churches and monasteries were completely destroyed and reduced to ruins. The towns and the villages in the Western Rhodopes took active part in the April Uprising

April Uprising

The April Uprising was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876, which indirectly resulted in the re-establishment of Bulgaria as an autonomous nation in 1878...

in 1876. When the uprising was crushed the Ottomans slaughtered around 5,000 people in Batak alone

Batak massacre

Batak massacre refers to the massacre of Bulgarians in Batak by Ottoman irregular troops in 1876 at the beginning of the April Uprising. The number of victims ranges from 3,000 to 5,000, depending on the source.- The Massacre :...

. Thousands more perished in Bratsigovo, Perushtitsa and other rebel villages which are also burnt and looted.

The northern Rhodopes were liberated in 1878 but remained in the autonomous state Eastern Rumelia

Eastern Rumelia

Eastern Rumelia or Eastern Roumelia was an administratively autonomous province in the Ottoman Empire and Principality of Bulgaria from 1878 to 1908. It was under full Bulgarian control from 1885 on, when it willingly united with the tributary Principality of Bulgaria after a bloodless revolution...

until its unification with the Principality of Bulgaria

Principality of Bulgaria

The Principality of Bulgaria was a self-governing entity created as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. The preliminary treaty of San Stefano between the Russian Empire and the Porte , on March 3, had originally proposed a significantly larger Bulgarian territory: its...

. The other part of the Rhodopes was annexed as a result of the First Balkan War

First Balkan War

The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...

(1912–1913) but after the Second Balkan War

Second Balkan War

The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 29 June 1913. Bulgaria had a prewar agreement about the division of region of Macedonia...

(1913) and the First World War (1914–1918) the southern slopes of the mountain was occupied by Greece and the Bulgarian population of the area was forced to flee to Bulgaria.

People

The sparsely populated area of the Rhodopes has been a place of ethnic and religious diversity for hundreds of years. Apart from the Eastern Orthodox

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...

Bulgarians

The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...

and Greeks

Greeks

The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

, the mountains are also home to a number of Muslim

Islam

Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

communities, including the Muslim Bulgarians, locally called Pomaks

Pomaks

Pomaks is a term used for a Slavic Muslim population native to some parts of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Pomaks speak Bulgarian as their native language, also referred to in Greece and Turkey as Pomak language, and some are fluent in Turkish,...

, that predominate in the western parts and a large concentration of Bulgarian Turks, particularly in the Eastern Rhodopes. The mountains are also one of the regions associated with the Sarakatsani

Sarakatsani

The Sarakatsani are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds inhabiting chiefly Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Historically centered around the Pindus mountains, they have been currently urbanised to a significant degree...

, a nomadic Greek people that traditionally roamed between Northern Thrace

Northern Thrace

North Thrace or Northern Thrace constitutes the northern and the largest part of the historical region of Thrace...

and the Aegean coast

Aegean Sea

The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...

Economy

Services, tourism, industry and agriculture dominate the economy of the Rhodopes region.

Livestock breeding, forestry and tobacco are the most important agricultural activities. Due to the large Muslim population the number of pigs is relatively low but there are many sheep which are traditional for the Rhodopes. Tobacco is grown in the Eastern Rhodopes and forms a large part of the total national production.

The industrial sector is well-developed. One of the largest industries in the area is mining. There are around 80 mines for lead

Lead

Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...

and zinc

Zinc

Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...

whose reserves are among the largest in Europe. They are situated mainly in central parts of the mountain and along the border with Greece as well as the to the east. Kardzhali Province

Kardzhali Province

Kardzhali Province is a province of southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece with the Greek prefectures of Xanthi, Rhodope and Evros to the south and east. Kardzhali Province area is 3209.1 km². Its main city is Kardzhali.-History:...

is rich in non-metalliferrous minerals and gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

. There are also small reserves of chromite

Chromite

Chromite is an iron chromium oxide: FeCr2O4. It is an oxide mineral belonging to the spinel group. Magnesium can substitute for iron in variable amounts as it forms a solid solution with magnesiochromite ; substitution of aluminium occurs leading to hercynite .-Occurrence:Chromite is found in...

and iron

Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...

ore as well as significant impurities of rare metals in the lead and zinc ores. There are several flotation factories which enrich the ores before it is sent to the large lead and zinc refineries in Kardzhali

Kardzhali

Kardzhali or Kurdzhali is a town in Bulgaria, capital of Kardzhali Province in the Eastern Rhodopes. Near the town is the noted Kardzhali Dam.-Geography:...

and Plovdiv

Plovdiv

Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...

. Machinery is developed in Smolyan, Kardzhali, Devin, Bratsigovo, Ivailovgrad and others; there is a pharmaceutical plant in Pestera. Some of the centers of textile

Textile

A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...

industry include Zlatograd, Smolyan, Madan, Laki. Timber industry is developed mainly in the western parts where there are some of the most important forest massifs in the Balkan Peninsula. The Phodopes are one of the main hydro-power generation regions of the country with a number of major HPPs such as "Batak", "Peshtera", "Aleko", "Studen Kladenets", "Kardzhali", "Vacha" and others.

Nowadays tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

is an important industry with even growing significance. Pamporovo and Chepelare are famous winter resorts and during summer there are a number of resorts, camp sites and refuges on the shores of the dams or in the green valleys. The caves along the Greek border such as Yagodinska Cave, Uhlovitsa

Uhlovitsa

Uhlovitsa is the name of a cave in the Blue Pools Area in the Smolyan Province of the Rhodope Mountains, southern Bulgaria. The cave is close to the Mogilitsa village and 37 and 47 km away from Pamporovo and Chepelare respectively...

, Devil's Throat Cave

Devil's Throat Cave

Devil's Throat Cave, or Dyavolsko Garlo, is located in the western Rhodopes in Bulgaria, near its border to Greece. A popular tourist attraction, Devil's Throat branches from Trigrad Gorge.- Mythology :...

, Snezhanka

Snezhanka (cave)

Snezhanka is a cave located in the Rhodope Mountains, some 5 km away from the town of Peshtera, southern Bulgaria. In modern times it was discovered in 1961. Despite its low negotiability , some of the most beautiful cave formations in Bulgaria can be seen inside. The cave is relatively small...

(near Peshtera) and others are popular among speleologists with their spectacular forms and underground lakes and rivers. The ruins of castles, Thracian sites such as Perperikon

Perperikon

and Tatul, the villages in National Revival style and the monasteries are also visited by many Bulgarian and foreign tourists.

Honour

Rodopi Peak

Rodopi Peak is an ice-covered peak rising to approximately 500 m in Delchev Ridge, Tangra Mountains, eastern Livingston Islandin the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica....

on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands

South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...

, Antarctica is named after the Rhodope Mountains.

External links

The ancient city of Perperikon
Madan ore field at Mindat.org
Mindat.org
Mindat.org is a non-commercial online mineralogical database, claiming to be the largest mineral database and mineralogical reference website on the internet....

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.