Perperikon (also known as Hyperperakion or Perperakion) is located in the Eastern part of the Rhodopi mountain range, about 15km away from the town of Kurdzhali. Perperikon perches some 470m above sea level, with the village of Gorna Krepost lying beneath it. Nearby the village, the gold-bearing river of Perperishka has long watered a fertile land of total area of some 30-40km2. This generous land has attracted inhabitants for many centuries, which explains the numerous archeological finds of ancient remains in the region.
No doubt, the most imposing of these is Perperikon – a medieval fortress built in the place of an ancient Thracian sanctuary, related to the cult towards the Thracian equivalence of the Greek god of wine and feasts, Dionysius (known as Zagrey among the Thracians). According to some of the explorers of the site, this grandiose religious centre was built some 3,500 years ago and was used for ritual sacrifices of animals and people, as well as for religious orgies of young men and women worshipping Zagrey.
The remains of the later medieval Perperikon reveal 15 graves carved in rocks, as well as the foundations of fortress walls and parts of an octagonal tower, built of big rectangular stones. Noteworthy, the complex also preserves the remains of a water reservoir, carved in a monolithic rock. This is 6m deep and of total area of 60m, representing one of the biggest artificial water reservoirs in the Rhodopi region. The stones of Perperikon also uncover graffiti paintings of human bodies and various geometrical figures, which are connected with the religious beliefs of another ancient tribe, the Protobulgarians.
