Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
and
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. It is a tributary of the
Maritsa
Maritsa or Maritza ( ), also known as Evros ( ) and Meriç ( ), is a river that runs through the Balkans in Southeast Europe. With a length of ,
(or Evros). Its source lies in the Bulgarian
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) 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 Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak ...
near the village
Arda
Arda or ARDA may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Arda (Middle-earth), fictional world in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien
* Arda (band), a Russian heavy metal band
People
* Arda (name)
Places
*Arda (Maritsa), a river in Bulgaria and Greece
*A ...
, part of the municipality of
Smolyan
Smolyan () is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, town and ski resort in the south of Bulgaria near the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the Smolyan Province. The town is built along the narrow valley of t ...
. It flows eastward past
Rudozem
Rudozem ( ) is a town in southern Bulgaria, near the Greek border, located in the Rhodope Mountains, where the Elhovo and Chepino rivers flow into the Arda, and is part of Smolyan Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Rudoze ...
,
Kardzhali
Kardzhali ( , ''Kărdžali''; ), sometimes spelt Kardžali or Kurdzhali, is List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, a town in the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria, centre of Kardzhali Municipality and Kardzhali Province. The noted Kardzhali Reservoir is ...
and
Ivaylovgrad
Ivaylovgrad (, "city of Ivaylo", , Turkish :Ortaköy, "Middle Village") is a town in Haskovo Province in the south of Bulgaria set near the river Arda in the easternmost part of the Rhodope Mountains, and is the administrative centre of the h ...
and enters Greece in the northern part of the Evros regional unit. It flows into the Maritsa on the border of Greece and
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, between the Greek village
Kastanies
Kastanies (, meaning "chestnuts", which means "chestnut" too) is a town located in northern part of the regional unit of Evros, Greece, and is part of the municipal unit of Vyssa. It is situated at the border with Turkey.
Geography
Kastanies is ...
and the Turkish city
Edirne
Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
. In the Bulgarian section, there are three
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
and
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
s,
Kardzhali Dam
Kardzhali Reservoir () is an artificial lake and a hydroelectric dam in southern Bulgaria. It is the uppermost of the three major reservoirs of the Arda Hydropower Cascade, the others being Studen Kladenets and Ivaylovgrad. It is the second larg ...
Rhodopes
The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) 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 Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak ...
. The medieval Dyavolski most arch bridge crosses the river from
Ardino
Ardino (, formerly ) is a town in southern Bulgaria, in the Rhodope Mountains. It is located in Kardzhali Province and it is also close to Smolyan.
It is famous for its textile industry. It has a machine-building factory and a tobacco manufactu ...
.
The three floods of February 18, 2005, when the water level was at , March 1 and March 7, 2005, flooded the low-lying areas, especially the Kastanies area which turned into a lagoon. The merging of the waters of the Maritsa (Evros/Meriç) caused streets and buildings including homes to be flooded, leaving people stranded in their homes.
Arda Peak
Arda Peak (, ) is located in the east of Livingston Island, Antarctica. The peak rises to approximately 470 m and is located in the Friesland Ridge, Tangra Mountains, overlooking the lower course of Charity Glacier to the northwest and Tarnovo I ...
on
Livingston Island
Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetland Islands, South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands north of the ...
in the
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...
,
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
and the mineral
ardaite
Ardaite is a very rare sulfosalt mineral with chemical formula Pb19Sb13S35Cl7 in the monoclinic crystal system, named after the Arda River (Maritsa), Arda River, which passes through the type locality. It was discovered in 1978 and approved by th ...
are named after the Arda river.
Archeology and places of interest
The Arda valley and the valleys of its tributaries have been a preferred place for habitation since ancient times. A settlement from 6,000 BC was discovered during the construction works in the area of the town of Kardzhali. Many archeological sites were discovered in the region, including the famous Thracian cult complexes Perperek, known as
Perperikon
Perperikon (), also Perpericum, is an ancient Thracian city located in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains, 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 plac ...
for the last 20 years, as well as the sacred site of Tatul. To cross the ancient roads to the Aegean, several stone bridges were built on the river, impressive in size and architecture. One fully preserved bridge is the Devil's Bridge in the area of the village of Dyadovtsi (Ardino municipality). There are remnants of bridges in several places in the region: near the villages of Suhovo and Borovitsa, and another three have remained under the waters of the dams.
Gallery
File:Devils-bridge-Ardino1.jpg,
Devil's bridge
Devil's Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement in ancient architecture. Due to their unusu ...
near
Ardino
Ardino (, formerly ) is a town in southern Bulgaria, in the Rhodope Mountains. It is located in Kardzhali Province and it is also close to Smolyan.
It is famous for its textile industry. It has a machine-building factory and a tobacco manufactu ...
File:Arda Meanders.jpg, Arda's Meander in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
