Rhodope Mountains

mountain range in southeastern Balkans

river in Bulgaria and Greece

Perperikon (), also Perpericum, is an ancient Thracian city located in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains, 15 km northeast of the present-day town of Kardzhali, Bulgaria on a 470 m high rocky hill, which is thought to have been a sacred place. The village of Gorna krepost ("Upper Fortress") is located at the foot of the hill and the gold-bearing Perpereshka River flows nearby. Perperikon is the largest megalith ensemble site in the Balkans. In the Middle Ages Perperikon served as a fortress.

river in Bulgaria and Greece

Stavropigal monastery in Bulgaria

regional unit in Thrace, Greece

Pamporovo (, pronunciation: /pam'porovo/) is a popular ski resort in Smolyan Province, southern Bulgaria. It is set amongst Norway spruce forests and is primarily visited during the winter for skiing and snowboarding. It is also a popular tourist place in summer. The hub of Pamporovo comprises a number of hotels and bars. It is a family-friendly resort and suited for complete beginners and intermediates.

right|thumb|250px|The Sanctuary Hill right|thumb|250px|The stone sarcophagus of an important Thracian ruler in Tatul right|thumb|250px|Another view

medieval fortress in the Bulgarian Rhodope Mountains above Asenovgrad

highest peak in the Rhodope Mountains

Babyak () is a village in the Belitsa Municipality in Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria, situated 15 km southwest of Belitsa in the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains and dispersed in several neighborhoods. As of 2010 it had a population of 781 people.

State in southern Bulgaria from 1878 to 1886

{| align="right" valign="top" || right|thumb|120px|A picturesque niche with corallites || right|thumb|120px|The Icefall |} Uhlovitsa () is a show cave in the Blue Pools Area (Bulgarian: Mестността „Сините вирове“, or Mestnostta "Sinite virove") in the Smolyan Province of the Rhodope Mountains, southern Bulgaria. The cave is close to Mogilitsa village and 37 and 47 km away from Pamporovo and Chepelare respectively. About 3000 tourists visit the cave every year.

Bogutevo is a village in South Bulgaria. It is part of Chepelare Municipality in Smolyan Province. The village can be reached via the country road 86 and is situated around 75 km south of Plovdiv and 25 km north of Smolyan.

Momchil (, , ;  – 7 July 1345) was a 14th-century Bulgarian brigand and local ruler. Initially a member of a bandit gang in the borderlands of Bulgaria, Byzantium and Serbia, Momchil was recruited by the Byzantines as a mercenary. Through his opportunistic involvement in the Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347, where he played the various sides against each other, he became ruler of a large area in the Rhodopes and western Thrace.

gorge in Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria

Roman province

river in Bulgaria

daughter of Hebrus in Greek mythology

terrestrial ecoregion in southeastern Europe

gorge in Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria

dam in Smolyan Province, Pazardzhik Province

Lilkovo is a mountain village in southern Bulgaria. It is one of the highest settlements in Bulgaria. It is also one of the largest villages by land area in the Rhodope Mountains.

1988 film by Ludmil Staikov

Belintash (, pronounced as Belantash and Belǎntash in some local Bulgarian dialects) is a small plateau in the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria bearing traces of human activity. It is assumed that this is a cult site of the ancient Thracian, though the very essence and purpose are not yet fully understood. There are also suggestions that the sanctuary was dedicated to the god Sabazios (Ancient Greek: Σαβάζιος) built and operated by the independent Thracian tribe Bessi. The upper platform of the plateau is marked with carved round holes, trails, niches and steps that some researches interpret as s

Tsepina () or Tzepaina () was a castle and town in the western Rhodope mountains, southern Bulgaria, now in ruins. It is from the Dorkovo village in the north-eastern part of the Chepino Valley. Tsepina is above sea level.

rock formation in Bulgaria

ancient rock writing in Bulgaria

cave in Bulgaria

Patatnik or patetnik () is a Bulgarian potato dish characteristic of the Rhodope Mountains in the country's central south. Patatnik is made of grated potatoes, onions, salt and a type of very mild mint called gyosum in Bulgarian, all mixed and cooked on a slow fire. Some restaurants add sirene (white cheese) or eggs, but this is not traditional; some people also use savory and peppers.

lake

The Krumovitsa () is a river in the eastern Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria. The river valley is formed by the Krumovitsa River and the Djushun River together with the surrounding low mountain slopes.

reservoir in Kardzhali, Bulgaria

reservoir in Bulgaria

monastery in Bulgaria

Makaza (, ), previously also known as Balkan Toresi, is a mountain pass in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains, connecting southernmost central Bulgaria with north-easternmost Greece and thus the regions of Northern and Western Thrace. The Makaza pass forms part of Pan-European Corridor IX, connecting Helsinki in Finland with the Greek port of Alexandroupolis on the Aegean Sea. The international border between Bulgaria and Greece lies at the highest point of the pass, at above sea level.

Lyutitsa () is one of the largest and best preserved castles in the easternmost part of the Eastern Rhodopes, located 3.5 hours' walk south-west of Ivaylovgrad, in southernmost Bulgaria. It is also known as the "Marble City" because its walls are made of white marble.

dam north-west of Ivaylovgrad, Haskovo Province, Bulgaria

Ustra () is a medieval fortress in the eastern Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria. It is among the highest and best preserved fortifications in the mountain range. The fortress was controlled by the Byzantine and the Bulgarian Empires until the region was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the second half of the 14th century.

cave in Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria

Sanjak of the Ottoman Empire

mountain pass in Smolyan Province, Bulgaria

Papikio () is a mountain in Rhodope, Greece. Christian ascetics and monks lived on the mountain during the Byzantine period. Today, Byzantine monastery ruins can be found on the mountain.

reservoir in Haskovo oblast, Bulgaria

lake in Bulgaria

reservoir in Pazardzhik Province, Bulgaria

cave in Bulgaria

mountain pass in Bulgaria

valley in Pazardzhik Province, Bulgaria

reservoir in Kardzhali oblast, Bulgaria