Musala summit – Rila mountain

Rila is the highest mountain on the Balkan peninsula and the sixth highest in Europe, after Kavkaz, The Alps, Siera Nevada, The Perinea and Etna. Three of Bulgaria’s largest rivers – Iskar, Maritza, and Mesta, take their source from the mountain. In the eastern part of Rila is located the Musala summit (2925 m) – the highest not only in Bulgaria, but also on the Balkans. The name of the summit is of Turkish origin and means “the road to God”. The snow cover here stays for about 8 months, and the temperate is higher than 0°C only 4 months a year. The first written evidence about the climbing of the summit is related with king Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great.