Harman Kaya is a Thracian rock-hewn sanctuary. Harman kaya is one of the places that are not so popular yet. Had it been well enough researched, and had it been widely advertised in places like Perperikon and Tatul, Harman kaya is in no way inferior to these time-honored competitors for attention. We visited it during our Eastern Rhodope sightseeing tour.

We headed to Harman Kaya on the day we visited Perperikon and Tatul, and on our way back from them, despite the rapidly changing weather, we decided that anyway we were in this area, it would be a sin to miss this Thracian sanctuary.

Harman Kaya is located in the southeast direction towards Kardzhali. The distance from the city is about 32 km, and according to Google it takes 40 minutes. It is located 20 km from Momchilgrad.

However, we got there after our visit to Tatul. From there, following the GPS, we reached the village of Raven and from there we made a sharp right turn to the village of Bivolyane, near which the Harman Kaya sanctuary is located. From the main asphalt road, according to the navigation, we turned right and took a dirt road. If we managed to get some distance with our relatively low car, then with most light cars it is possible.

With the cars, we reached some distance, maybe about 300-400 meters after the fork. A slight hesitation began to creep in as to whether we should risk heading for the goal. Still, it was raining lightly, the sky was hanging over our heads, and we had two babies and two small children. We decided that Arina and I would go find him and take pictures, and that the fathers would stay with the children, so that in the event of a storm they would be by the cars.

More about Harman Kaya and its meaning and purpose according to scholars. Harman kaya is one of those internal and undeservedly UNpopular places (unfortunately) that contribute a lot of information about Thracian culture. Here you can clearly see the remains of one of the largest Thracian cities in Bulgaria. The ceramic material found here gives archaeologists and historians reason to date it between the 6th and 1st centuries BC. A tomb was also discovered near this cult place, which unfortunately we did not find.

The Harman Kaya sanctuary is located in the area of the same name, located about 2 km northeast of the village of Bivolyane. It is a rock-hewn sanctuary situated around a small cave that rises above a river valley on a rock-fortified plateau. Early archaeological assemblages of rock fragments date back to the Late Neolithic.

Scattered throughout the territory around the sanctuary are rock-cut structures, round and trapezoidal niches, tombstones, burial facilities, altars, basins, steps, concentric circles, which were probably a reference point for the time.

The sanctuary itself is a system of artificially aligned rock platforms with approximate diameters of 15 and 10 meters. Concentric semicircles are cut on them. On these rock platforms are carved troughs arranged in concentric circles. They are crossed by grooves. It is in this complex system that scientists see the ancient astronomical observatory for observations of celestial bodies. The researchers explain that, even in prehistoric times, such devices played an extremely important role in people's ideas about life.

Harman Kaya is geographically located right between Tatul and Perperikon. It is obvious that there was some connection between them, but the experts have yet to prove whether they were part of a common complex. And Harman kaya as a cult place was served by a certain caste of priests, and pilgrims were admitted only on certain holidays, in this case, related to important astronomical phenomena.

Harman kaya is one of the wonders around Momchilgrad, along with the grave of Orpheus above the village of Tatul. Only one kilometer from Harman Kaya is the religious complex Elmal Baba Teke, which is divided into 2 parts - male and female. There are 6 nameless graves in the male section, and only one grave in the female section. It is believed that this place has healing power and it is customary for sick and childless women to come here during a holiday. After spending the night they believed they would receive healing. The Dambala spring, whose water springs from the rocks, is charged with similar power. Every year on the night of May 5-6, thousands of Christian and Muslim believers climb the mythical peak for health and healing. These are just a few interesting places that can also be visited when you come here. Plan your time well to be able to see each of these mystical places.

The rock sanctuary Harman Kaya is located in the "Harman Kaya" area, 2 km northeast of Gusak hamlet of village of Bivolyane and 2 5 km east of the village of Dolna Chobanka (Momchilgrad municipality). The sanctuary is located on high plateau, around a natural cave with a depth of 7 meters, which was also part of a the cult site. The cave was accessible through a cleft between the rocks, closed by a door, whose threshold and grooves are still visible in the rock.

Into the vertical rock to the cave entrance, are carved niches and trapezoidal sacrificial altars. There are also two platform. The first has an oval shape with a diameter of about 10 meters, tilted slightly to the north and having six concentric semi-circle at a distance 0.3 to 1.4 meters each from other. In the rock on the western edge of the platform is carved a throne, oriented in east-northeast direction. The second site is nearly circular with a diameter of about 15 meters and has 1 concentric semi-circle with a slight slope to the south. At the northern end of this platform was carved other throne, facing northeast.