Touring Ancient Perperikon

The organised trip to the ancient complex of Perperikon started on a very early Saturday morning in front of the Vassil Levski National Stadium. Little did we know that it would turn into a wild run to Kurdzhali, across Kurdzhali and out of Kurdzhali, the town near Perperikon. The tour was organised by a tourist agency in Sofia and I must grant them that they have done a fine job as the bus was comfortable, in spite of the fact that all the way to Plovdiv the heating did not work and we froze to death and there was some misunderstanding regarding the seat of my companion. On our four-hour ride to Perperikon the guide did a nice job of telling us about the places through which we passed. Frankly, I learned things I did not know before; even though I am quite familiar with the history and geography of Bulgaria. Perperikon itself is a steep hill 15 km north-east of the town of Kurdzhali in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains and the trek to its top could be quite challenging for older people. The steep last part of the official route through the gate of the fortress is paved with huge eroded flagstones, which on the way up have to be climbed and on the way down are very slippery. One has to be really cautious as I found out the hard way by landing on my bottom. Later we found out that there was another route winding through the forest growing on the sides of the hill, which, even though less spectacular and somewhat longer, is easier. As it can be expected for a fine October weekend, Perperikon has drawn at least five buses of tourists from near and far as well as many cars, some with Sofia plates. Once we gathered around the local guide who awaited us near the gate to the ancient temple we had to strain our ears to hear her as many inconsiderate people were screaming their heads off all around us. After the lecture we were left on our own to walk about the huge complex and feel a bit like explorers ourselves. After two hours in the almost summer heat we got down only to find out that two women from the group got lost somewhere and we had to wait for them. This caused some serious grumbling on the part of the group, which apparently was not content with what they have already seen on Perperikon and was very eager to visit the Kurdzhali regional historic museum, where allegedly there were astonishing things. My companion and I, who only wanted to see Perperikon to begin with, did not quite understand the big fuss and planned a trip to a restaurant and a bathroom instead. There is neither in the immediate vicinity of Perperikon, except for an enterprising local woman who was selling beer, soft drinks and dodgy kebapcheta and sausages from the trunk of her car. Little did we know that our planned and much anticipated visit to a restaurant would be postponed indefinitely as our guide said that apart from the museum, we must also visit the religious centre of Father Boyan Saruev and a recently restored church in Kurdzhali. The worst news was that the museum would be the last point in our trip. At first, my companion and I received the news quite calmly but, as time went by and the prospect of having lunch, even at this late stage, was not getting closer, we were getting mutinous and did not care neither about the religious centre, nor about the church, whose history, I am sure is very interesting but on a full belly. The situation deteriorated seriously when it turned out that the fabled museum closes at five pm and we might not be able to get there in time. The news caused discontent on the part of the majority of old women who really wanted to see it. "We have paid for this and we want to see it," they were saying. The prospect of missing the museum worried us more than anyone else because we were afraid that we might not be able to eat anything before we get back to Sofia, which meant miserable starvation until at least 10 pm. On top of that, the guide of the church who was supposed to expect us thought that we were going to arrive on the following day and was almost literally dragged out of her home by our guide to show us around. And the clock was ticking on ... While waiting in the churchyard the animosity of the group was already apparent and our poor guide was ready to burst in tears. Everybody was looking at their watches and were discussing what should have been done and how fast the driver must go in order to get us to the museum on time. But, to cut the story short - we managed to eat, printsessi (toast) at a coffee shop. It was all they had to offer. After having our somewhat rushed meal, we went back to the bus where it turned out that the regional historical museum is interesting but not that much and not seeing it was not a great loss. Our way back to Sofia was a hectic rushing to and fro with a fast ride without stopping. Apparently everybody was getting hungry and probably realised that when covering such a big distance in one day, the itinerary should be more relaxed. After all it was meant to be a relaxing excursion, not a mad rush. FROM THE PAST According to the archaeologists Perperikon (the name allegedly comes from the Byzantine golden coin, perpera) has been first worshiped as a sacred place in the Neolithic age, six millennia BCE and was first populated in the Eneolithic age four millennia BCE. In the Bronze age, 18-12 century BCE, Perperikon was at its first heyday and by the end of the age it has become a major place of worship. In later ages, it was inhabited by the Thracian tribe of the Bessians and recently the archaeological expedition of Nikolai Ovcharov has found serious proof that at Perpeikon was the legendary temple of Dionysus. It has been described by many ancient historians as a place of prophesies almost as famous as the Delphic Oracle. According to legends in this temple Alexander the Great found out that he would conquer the world and Octavian August's father found out that his son would become the first emperor of Rome. The famous altar at which the prophesies were made by pouring wine in a blazing fire and divining on the smoke can still be seen as a large rusty brown circle in the stone. Legends have it that if one stands in the circle and makes a wish, it would come true. Perperikon was studied by archaeologists in the late 1960s but then were known only the much older parts when the complex was a medieval regional centre and Episcopal seat. From that period is dated the octagonal tower whose remains loom over the hill and the valley at its bottom. Over the centuries the complex has had considerable influence over the area and has been either in Bulgarian or Byzantine hands mainly because of the gold and silver mines in its vicinity. In the 16th century the Bulgarian tsar Ivan Alexander who won a battle against the Byzantine army and made Perperikon a regional centre by appointing a governor. During the Ottoman conquest of the end of that century Perperikon has been conquered, destroyed and doomed to oblivion.