The Pyramids in Stob
The Stob pyramids are located near the village of Stob, in the western approaches of the Rila mountain. These are stone andearth formations, 30-40 m deep. The average height of the pyramids is between 7 and 10 meters, some individual pyramids reach height of 12 meters. The sediments are coloured rusty- brown, reddish and dark yellow and, because of their location, the pyramids are especially beautiful at sunset or at moonlight. Many of the formations are crowned with rock "hats" - large stone blocks sizing 120 by 80 cm. In 1964 they were declared as a natural landmark.
Most of the formations are of pyramidal type, but there can be find conical shapes, too. Under the influence of wind, rain and snow, the form of the pyramids changes, some of them vanish, the stone hats fall and new pyramids are born.
The pyramids are separated in two distinct groups, called by the people with many different names - Kulite (The Towers), Chukite ("The Rocky peaks), Samodivskite komini ("The Samodivas chimneys", the samodivas are mythical female creatures living in the forests), Neviastata ("The Bride") etc. The most famous group is called Svatovete (The In-laws").
According to the legend, many years ago a wedding procession from the nearby village of Kolibite took a young girl from the Stob village as a bride. The custom in those days was that the bride must be chosen and bought by the relatives of the goom for him to marry her. Also the young couple must not know each other, so the girl had her face veiled. When the wedding procession passed by the southern slope of bride reveling her. Outraged by the sinful act of the groom s best man tried to kiss her. Outraged by the sinful act of the best man, the in-laws turned to stone and stayed like this forever - magnificent with their stone hats... There is also a legend about the in-laws turned to stone and stayed like this forever - magnificent with their stone hats.
There is also a legend about the doomed love between a Bulgarian girl and a Turkish boy. They could never marry because of their different religions. Desperate, the girl threw herself off the rock and on this spot a pyramid formed which was called Neviastata ('The bride").
A mighty stone tower once existed on this site. The tower was of great importance to the local towns and hamlets and despite their beauty the site where the pyramids now stand was then known as Kulata (“The Tower”). In 1904 a strong earthquake cracked and it crumbled.
There is a well kept eco-trail leading to the pyramids. Its length is 1100 m. At the beginning is the church St. Procopius and as you walk along the path you will pass through the place where in the past was the church. It is marked with a large cross. A few rocks are preserved and there is a model showing how it looked before it was demolished. From the church to the top of the pyramids it takes about 40 minutes of walking, at the end of which opens a very beautiful view.
It is about 58 km from Kyustendil to the pyramids.
View Larger Map
Do you know that:
- the film “The Knight of the White Lady” was shot in Kyustendil.
- Pautalia was among the most flourishing cities in Ancient Times.
- Kyustendil was the last of the big Bulgarian towns to fall under Ottoman rule.