A few days ago I spent a great weekend in the ancient Sakar Mountains.
Sakar is a dome-shaped mountain located in Southeastern Bulgaria, near the borders with Turkey and Greece.
Many remains of fortresses, dolmens and ancient sanctuaries remain in the mountain. I am happy that I was able to see some of them.
On Saturday, with 
Our first visit was the 10th century rock church located about 2 km southwest of Matochina village.
The area in which it is located is Drilled Stone.
The rock church is called "Holy Spirit" and is a holy place of worship even today.
The church was carved into the limestone rock by hermit monks.
On the east side of the church there are 3 niches, which may have served for placing icons.
It is shaped like a rectangular room with a vault.
To the left of the entrance to the cliff, you can see carved stone steps that lead to the ridge of the hill. Several rock-hewn graves were found there.
View from above.
We continued our journey to village Matochina to visit the Bukelon fortress.
The fortress is located on a high hill at the northern end of the village. Of it, the nearly 18-meter defensive tower is the most preserved, which represents an impressive sight among the surroundings. It is located at the southern end of the hill.
The fortress is in the shape of a cross, with its shorter part facing east and the longer part facing west.
Numerous reconstructions have been carried out over the centuries.
In 1205, in this place, the troops of King Kaloyan defeated the army of the Crusader Knights. Then they capture emperor Baldwin. Legend has it that the emperor spent his first night as a prisoner in this fortress before being taken to Tarnovo.
The area around the tower is beautiful with great views from up high. A panorama opens to the Sakar and Strandzha mountains, to the Turkish border and the plain of the city of Edirne, to the Tundzha river valley.
We were about to travel to the village of Mihalich to visit an impressive medieval church, which is the only one in Bulgaria with a unique triconchal shape.
The church is located under a stony terrace in the locality "Aipando" (St. Panteleimon).
Above the very entrance of the church, the rock is shaped to resemble a row of columns.
It was carved out of limestone rock by hermit monks. It is entered through an archway, after which 14 stone steps follow down to the interior.
The walls are roughly shaped and upon entering it, the interior space is perceived as a cross.
At the bottom is an altar with a wall built of slab stones.
Our journey to these ancient and authentic Bulgarian places is over for the day. Getting there was slow as the roads in the area are unmaintained and very broken.
On the way back, we stopped by the villages Studena and Shtit.
In village Studena, we visited a buffalo farm, where we got to know the local producer and from which we bought great homemade products.
In the village of Shtit, we dined on traditional Bulgarian feasts in the pleasant atmosphere of the local inn.
The day was so interesting and filled with many exciting feelings about our past and history.
Тhank you for stopping by!