The Deaf Stones
Deaf Stones – (Gluhite Kamani)
This is the easternmost megalithic site in the Rhodope Mountains, and one of the most beautiful among them, known as “The Deaf Stones.” It features hundreds of trapezoidal niches engraved and carved into giant rocks tens of meters high, stairways leading to the tops of the rocks, a pool carved into the stone, and a kind of tomb with a rock bed. But all of this pales in comparison to the awe-inspiring combination of the massive rocks with the surrounding forest and the ancient grandeur of the place.
In sites like this, the rocks seem to tower—rising above the trees like ancient figures. Archaeologists attribute the site to the Thracians, and they certainly sanctified and used it, but its sacredness likely predates them by far. There are many other places where such rock-cut niches appear, and this is one of the great mysteries of megalithic culture: who carved them? For what reason? The niches are usually about a meter wide, over a meter high, and half a meter or more deep.
deaf stones niches bulgaria
The groups of trapezoidal niches range from several dozen to over a hundred, and they are located on impossibly steep cliff faces—yet positioned to be visible from afar. They somewhat resemble old computer punch cards. No one knows how the people who carved them (whoever they were) managed to reach those places or how they did the carving.
It is possible that the phenomenon of trapezoidal niches carved into the rock is related to unknown ancient cultures. One of the places where there is a large collection of such trapezoids is near the village of Lubnitsa. It consists of an extensive complex where, in addition to the trapezoids, there are rock-hewn stairways to the top of the rocks, tombs, a mausoleum, and more. Another group of trapezoids can be found on the way to the Utroba Cave (the “Vagina Cave”), and in other places such as Ardino, near Kardzhali.
The “Deaf Stones” site is the easternmost location where these trapezoids appear—and one of the most impressive among them.
deaf stones view
deaf stones Bulgaria
