Archaeology

 Archaeological explorations in the Perelik Ridge of Rhodope Mountain indicate that it was inhabited still in the Paleolithic epoch. A part of one of the branches of the central trans- Rhodope road is localized at the foot of Perelik (2191m) and it connects Marichina valley and Mediterranean Thrakia still in the late bronze era (ХVІ-ХІІ) This road is one of the main tourist attractions in the region. It makes possible to the guests of STC Perelik to visit some of the villages, fortresses, sanctuaries, temples and necropolis, found by the archaeologists.
Before it reaches the resort of Pamporovo the Central trans-Rhodope road goes westwards through the village lines Stoikite- Stikal, Solishta- Gela. The archaeologists found in the area the settlements of the ancient Thracians that are of the so called „scattered” kind. There are already registered and partly explored materials from it which are to be seen on the slant slopes, flanked in the north by the Golyamata river (feeder of the river Vucha) and in the south by the Perelik ridge.
The earliest time when the foots of Perelik have been inhabited refers back to the late Bronze epoch (ХVІ-ХІІ b.c.).
Evidences for that are the finds in the exploited necropolis in the neighborhood Zaevite, near  the Gela village. An evidence for settled life is the Thracian fortress in the Gradishte area, southwestwards from the village of Gela, which was used as an asylum in the time of war  in the Iron epoch (ХІ-І b.c .). Evidences for a persistent form of inhabitation of the Gela- Stoikite region are the exploited necropolises near the village Gela (VІ b.c. – ІV a.c.), the archaeological complex (a sanctuary- “St.Elenka” a necropolis and a village in the area Stoichensko pavle) (V – ІІ b.c), the fortress Turlata near the village Stikal (VІ-ХІV ) etc.
The Thracian fortress Turlata near the village Gela is situated in the area of Gradishte which has given its name. In the west there is preserved a wall of 90m length. In the east there isn`t built a fortress wall because it is taken advantage of the inaccessibility of the rocky ridge. At some places the wall is preserved up to 2,20m height.
The Thracian sanctuaries near the village of Gela are the places where according to their believes and views the terrestrial- human world at one side and the celestial- divine world at the other  come into contact. From these places they are directing their prayers to the gods, make immolations, leave gifts. For that reason the Thracian sanctuaries are situated on “the top of the earth”. Regarding this it is not difficult to understand why in their main part the sanctuaries are situated on the Perelik-summit, on Turlata- south from Stikal, on Soliiski summit, in the north  of Solishta and St. Vrach, in the south of Stoikite.

Smolyan, 16th of October, 2007
Nikola Damyanov