Iskar Gorge
Iskar River is one of the longest rivers in Bulgaria. The river starts in the area of Musala Mountain in the Rila Mountains, and unlike most other rivers in Bulgaria, it flows north—there is no other river in the country that behaves so unusually. Along the way, it forms a series of valleys and gorges that constitute a prominent geographical landmark. In its upper section, it carves a beautiful alpine canyon with hiking trails in the heart of the Rila Mountains (called Beli Iskar), then fills the largest artificial lake in Bulgaria (Lake Iskar), and continues through a scenic gorge separating the Vitosha Mountain massif from the Stara Planina Mountains. The river passes unnoticed through the Sofia plain and then enters a beautiful, winding canyon about 70 km long that cuts through the Balkan Mountains, known as the “Iskar Gorge.” It eventually emerges into fertile plains and hills south of the Danube.
The Iskar River is the only river that cuts through the Balkan Mountains, probably because geologically it is older than them. As a result, the gorge it has carved in the mountains has served since prehistoric times as a natural passage between northern and southern Bulgaria. Today, both a road and a railway line pass through it. Along the gorge are beautiful natural sites, caves, springs, restaurants, bridges, and also some interesting monasteries.
From the middle of the Iskar Gorge, a winding road leads up to the historic Seven Altars Monastery. Here, in the heart of the Balkan Mountains, according to legend, the betrayed Bulgarian King Peter II from the 11th century—the grandson of Tsar Samuel, who rebelled against the Byzantines and succeeded until betrayed by an ally—was buried. Peter’s brother, disillusioned with mankind, became a monk and founded the monastery in an isolated and hard-to-reach forest location. He brought Peter’s bones there so his soul might find peace. Be that as it may, there are seven beautiful altars and monastery buildings on site (mainly from the 18th–19th centuries) in true Bulgarian style. From the monastery, hiking trails lead into the surrounding mountains.
Continuing down the valley brings you to one of the most beautiful sites in Bulgaria—the Cherepish Monastery—located in a dramatic setting between cliffs and by the river. The place was a center of literature and education, especially in the 16th to 18th centuries, and was one of the most important sites for the spread of Bulgarian culture in northern Bulgaria. The revolutionary Vasil Levski used to stay here. He succeeded in awakening the spirit of the Bulgarian people by traveling through villages, meeting people, and establishing underground revolutionary committees in preparation for the day of liberation. He was supported by the monastic network and preferred the solitude of monasteries—meeting people discreetly and remaining safe from betrayal (which, in the end, still came). Part of the monastery’s rooms (including Levski’s room) are built directly above the flowing water.
Not far from Cherepish Monastery, in the northern foothills of the Balkan Range, is another monastery where Levski stayed—the Etropole Monastery of the Holy Trinity—located near waterfalls and beautiful nature trails.
About 40 km west of the Iskar Gorge, at the foot of several Balkan Mountain peaks, lies the fourth-largest monastery in Bulgaria and the largest in the Western Balkans: Klisurski Monastery. It was founded in the 13th century, during the Second Bulgarian Empire. It’s important to remember that monasteries in the Balkans, especially in Bulgaria, were always built in the most beautiful natural locations, based on the belief that God can be best felt in such places. The landscape around Klisurski Monastery can convince even the most ardent atheist that God exists.
In general, when visiting monasteries in the Balkans, there is a special sensation: the feeling that the paintings, architecture, iconostasis screens, and perhaps even the prayers and thoughts left behind, immediately transport the visitor into another reality. This “spiritual” sensation is especially powerful in the hidden valleys of the Balkan Mountains. It is as though the Balkan range serves as the backbone of Bulgaria, and as such, it connects with the spirit—just as the human spirit is said to reside in the spine. Apparently, there are hidden energetic links between the Balkan Mountains and the spiritual events that took place in the Land of Israel 2,000 years ago. Something in the Slavic mentality deeply resonates with Christian motifs of suffering, atonement, repentance—and simultaneously, brotherhood and a sense of hidden reality, the lifting of the veil. All of this merges beautifully with the synchronous nature of the region.
