The Byala Skala area

The area Byala Skala (The White Rock) is located near the town of Velingrad. The Thracian tribes settled the region more than 5000 years ago. The rock itself is more than 220 metres long, 20 metres wide and its sheer cliffs are more than 50 metres high. The size and the location of the rock are the main factors to be used as a natural fortress, requiring minimum fortifications. More interesting is the sanctuary in the upper part of the Byala Skala. Except the finds of Thracian and Roman coins, a lot of pottery from the Bronze and the Iron Age was found there as well. There is a stone path leading to the sanctuary, hewed into the rock. It is 1 meter wide and 32 meter long. The path is very well preserved, because during the centuries, when the fortress and the sanctuary were not used, it was covered by earth and stones. Another interesting thing in the region is the legendary flower Rodopski silivryak (Haberlea Rhodopensis). It has the remarkable quality – anabiosis. This means that the flower has the ability to revive and to bloom, even if it was faded several years.