Musala ( bg, Мусала ); from Arabic through

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...

: from '' Musalla'', "near God" or "place for prayer" is the highest peak in the

Rila Mountains Rila ( bg, Рила, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an elevation of 2,925 ...

, as well as in Bulgaria and the entire

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, standing at . With a topographic prominence of , Musala is also the 6th highest peak by topographic prominence in mainland Europe. Musala is also the 3rd most topographically isolated major peak in

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

. Musala is situated within the Rila National Park, which is noted for its rich flora, including species such as

Macedonian Pine ''Pinus peuce'' (Macedonian pine or Balkan pine) (Serbo-Croatian/ Macedonian: молика, molika; Bulgarian: бяла мура, Byala mura) is a species of pine native to the mountains of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, the e ...

and

Bulgarian Fir ''Abies borisii-regis'' (Bulgarian fir) is a species of fir native to the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula in Bulgaria, northern Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania and Serbia. It occurs at altitudes of 800–1,800 m, on mounta ...

in the forests on its middle slopes, and fauna; it is one of the easiest places in Europe to see the wallcreeper. All major mountain ranges of Bulgaria can be seen from the top; these include Vitosha to the northwest, Sredna Gora towards the northeast, the

Balkan Mountains The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border betw ...

along most of the northern horizon behind Vitosha and Sredna Gora, the

Rhodope Mountains The Rhodopes (; bg, Родопи, ; el, Ροδόπη, ''Rodopi''; tr, Rodoplar) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in ...

to the southeast, Pirin to the south, Osogovo and Ruy Mountain to the west, and of course, the rest of

Rila Rila ( bg, Рила, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Mountains, Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Mus ...

. A cosmic ray station was built on the peak in 1960 with cooperation from the Hungarian Academy of Science. The station conducted scientific experiments using a muon telescope. The station was destroyed by an electrical fire on October 29, 1983. With an average annual temperature of -2.3 °C Musala is the coldest place in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula. Temperatures stay below 0 °C for about 8 months each year. Due to this about 45% of the annual precipitation on Musala is snow, and snow cover lasts for about 200 days (more than six months). Three of the main rivers of Bulgaria, the

Iskar Iskar may refer to: ;Bulgaria * Iskar (river), a river in western Bulgaria * Iskar Reservoir, situated on the Iskar River * Iskar (town), a town in the Iskar Municipality of the Pleven Province * Iskar Municipality * Iskar, Sofia, one of 24 muni ...

, Maritsa and

Mesta The ''Mesta'' () was a powerful association protecting livestock owners and their animals in the Crown of Castile that was incorporated in the 13th century and was dissolved in 1836. Although best known for its organisation of the annual migrat ...

have their sources near Musala. The next highest peaks in the vicinity of Musala are Malka (Little) Musala () and

Irechek Irechek ( bg, Иречек ) is a village in Kavarna Municipality, Dobrich Province, northeastern Bulgaria, located about north of Kavarna. It lies to the west of Vranino, south of Vidno and to the northeast of Mogilishte Mogilishte ( bg, Мог� ...

().

Climate

Peak Musala has an alpine climate with long, cold winters and short, cool summers. Usually, through winter, the temperatures don't exceed the freezing point for months. Snow cover lasts for about 8–9 months. Through the summer, temperatures rarely go above 14-15C. The summer season only lasts for 2 months, and snowfalls are possible. For the period 1931–2013, the highest recorded temperature was , and the lowest - . The average annual temperature is , which makes the peak the coldest place in Bulgaria.

Namesakes

Musala Glacier on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Musala Peak.

Gallery

Image:BASA-131K-1-47-10-Musala, Rila.jpeg Image:Bulgaria - Rila - Musala april 2006.jpg, Hikers near the summit of Musala. The pyramid in the background is the Everest shelter Image:Pirinfrommusala.JPG, The Pirin Mountains can be seen from Musala Image:Maritsaorigin2.JPG, The origin of the Maritsa River seen from Musala Image:Musala.JPG, Musala as seen from Yastrebets. The chalet Musala and the Everest shelter can be seen as well.

References

External links

Musala – controllable web camera

Musala climb on youtube
* {{Highest points of Europe Geography of Southeastern Europe Highest points of countries Two-thousanders of Bulgaria Landforms of Sofia Province Samokov Municipality Mountains of Rila De-Stalinization

Climate

Namesakes

Gallery

See also

References

External links