Dzhengal () is a peak in the

Pirin The Pirin Mountains ( ) are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with the highest peak, Vihren, at an altitude of . The range extends about from the north-west to the south-east and is about wide, spanning a territory of . To the north ...

mountain range, south-western

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 ...

. It is located in the

Pirin National Park Pirin National Park (), originally named Vihren National Park, covering the larger part of the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria, spanning an area of . It is one of the three national parks in the country, the others being Rila National ...

, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Geography

Dzhengal is situated on one of the external ridges of the mountain, the Polezhan Ridge, between the Dzhengal Gate saddle and the summit of

Momin Dvor Momin Dvor ( ) is a 2,723 m high peak in the Pirin mountain range, south-western Bulgaria. It is located in the northern part of Pirin on its main ridge between the summits of Kralev Dvor (2,680 m) and Dzhengal (2,730 m). Momin D ...

(2,723 m). It is flanked by the cirques Valyavishki to the west hosting the Valyavishki Lakes and Papagyolski to the east hosting the Popovi Lakes, both of the

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 ...

river basin. Dzhengal towers to the west of

Popovo Lake Popovo Lake () is a glacial lake situated in the northern section of the Pirin mountain range, south-western Bulgaria. It is one of the eleven Popovi Lakes. The lake and its surroundings are among the most popular places for summer tourism in Pir ...

, the largest glacial lake in the mountain range. Its height is 2,730 m, which places it among the highest summits in Pirin. The summit is built up of granite blocks covered in lichens and mosses. Dzhengal may be climbed from several points. One of easiest track starts from the

Samodivski Lakes The Samodivski Lakes () is a small group of lakes in Pirin, southwestern Bulgaria, part of the larger group of Popovski lakes. They are situated very close to each other in a small cirque to the south west of the Popovo Lake between the peak Dzheng ...

and ascends towards Momin Dvor. Another route begins at Tevno Ezero shelter at the Malokamenishki Lakes, ascends to a saddle to the southeast of the summit of Valyavishki Chukar (2,664 m) and reaches Dzhengal from the south. The other ways are more difficult and require fine preparation and experience. The western slopes have 120 m high vertical cliffs with tracks for experience mountain climbers. It is considered to be among Pirin's most beautiful summits.

Name

According to the most popular version, the name derives from the Turkish word ''dzhangal'' which means sheep without lamb. When the herds were sheared, those sheep were marked with pendants. If the peak is viewed from the Bezbog refuge it looks like there is a pendant attached to it. Another legend says that the peak is named after the son of God

Perun In Slavic paganism, Slavic mythology, Perun () is the highest god of the Pantheon (religion), pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, ir ...

, Dzhengal. When the evil god Bes (Bez) decided to kidnap Perun's daughter while she was playing around the

, her brother guessed his intention and, after a fierce fight, defeated Bez and covered him with stones on the summit of Bezbog (2,645 m). In Bulgarian Bezbog means ''God Bez'' or ''without God''. It has had several other names — ''Golets'', meaning "bare" and ''Samodivski Vrah'', meaning "the summit of the samodiva", legendary woodland fairies or nymphs of the Bulgarian folklore.

Gallery

File:IMG_2469_Dzangal.jpg File:Pirin - Golyamo Valyavishko ezero, Djangal - IMG 3887.jpg File:Връх Джангала - panoramio.jpg File:Джангала-Самодивски връх - panoramio (1).jpg

Citations

References

* * {{cite book , ref={{harvid, Dushkov, 1972 , title = Пирин. Туристически речник , trans-title = Pirin. Tourist Dictionary , last1 = Душков (Dushkov) , first1 = Добри (Dobri) , year = 1972 , language = Bulgarian , publisher = Наука и култура (Nauka i kultura) , location = София (

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

) , isbn = Mountains of Pirin Landforms of Blagoevgrad Province Two-thousanders of Bulgaria

Geography

Name

Gallery

See also

Citations

References