Beglik Tash (, ) is a prehistoric rock
sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...
situated on the
southern Black Sea coast of
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 ...
, a few kilometers north of the city of
Primorsko
Primorsko ( ) is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, the capital of the municipality of the same name, and part of Burgas Province. A well-known resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, it is located 52 km south of Burgas and ...
. It was re-used by the
Thracian
The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...
tribes in the Iron Age.
At the end of the 19th century, the Czech-Bulgarian historian and archaeologist
Karel Škorpil produced the first scientific account of the sanctuary, which was then known as Apostol Tash. In 2002, Bulgarian archaeologists started excavations under the supervision of Tsonia Drazheva.
Etymology
The meaning of Beglik Tash is probably related to the "beglik," which is the tax on sheep collected by Ottoman authorities until 1913, and a Turkish word to describe an area made of large stones, "taşlar" – a natural rock-formation consisting of megaliths of hardened magma that erupted from a
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...
era volcano.
Description
Most of the megaliths have traces of carvings for the purposes of Thracian rituals. There are also the remains of a
labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...
that visitors can pass through. A Thracian sun-clock is formed from huge stones. There is also a 150-ton rock that rests on the ground in only two places, and a "womb-cave".
Archaeologists have found ceramic artefacts from the
Early Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progr ...
(10th–6th century BC),
classical antiquity
Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural History of Europe, European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the inter ...
, and the Middle Ages, as well as a man-made stone altar at the end of the natural cave which proves that it was used as a place of worship. Every day at noon, a ray of sunlight enters the narrow entrance of the cave, and projects itself on the back of cave. According to the Bulgarian archaeologist
Alexander Fol some of the Thracian womb-caves had the property of letting the sunlight in only at certain times of the day, a natural phenomenon seen by the Thracians as acts of symbolic fertilization of the Earth womb or the Mother Goddess by the sun phallus of the Sun God.
The site is an open-air museum maintained by the
Burgas
Burgas (, ), sometimes transliterated as Bourgas, is the second largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in the region of Northern Thrace and the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, fourth-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, Plovdiv, an ...
Historical Society. It is visited annually by 40,000 tourists.
Archaeology in Bulgaria: ''ibid''
/ref> Beglik Tash is located in the vicinity of two other Thracian sites: the city of Ranuli and the fortress of Pharmakida in the Strandzha Mountains.
Gallery
File:Beglik Tash - P1020607.JPG, A general view
File:Beglik Tash P1020638.JPG, A part of the complex
File:Begliktash BG General Plan.jpg, Begliktash BG General Plan
See also
*Thrace
Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
*Thracians
The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...
*Heros (mythology)
The Thracian horseman (also "Thracian Rider" or "Thracian Heroes") is a recurring motif depicted in reliefs of the Hellenistic and Roman periods in the Balkans—mainly Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly and Moesia—roughly from the 3rd century BC to ...
Notes
External links
Pictures of Bulgaria – Beglik Tash
Thracian sanctuary Beglik Tash
Archaeology in Bulgaria, 14 March 2016: Ancient Thrace shrine Begli Tash near Bulgaria's Black Sea resort Primorsko attracts over 40,000 visitors annually
{{European megaliths
Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
Geography of Thrace
Prehistoric sites in Bulgaria
Buildings and structures in Burgas Province
Megalithic monuments in Europe
Rock formations of Bulgaria
Landforms of Burgas Province
History of Burgas Province