Chepino Valley
Encyclopedia
The Chepino Valley or Chepino (Чепино) is the largest valley in the Rhodope Mountains
in southern Bulgaria
. It is situated along the course of the Chepino River near the Batak Mountain in the northwestern part of the Rhodopes. Located at around 750 m above sea level, it is between 4 and 7 km wide and 18 km long. The bottom of the Chepino Valley is comparatively flat, although hills can also be met. The valley's fault structure is the reason for the frequent earthquakes in the area, as well as for the high number of mineral spring
s, numbering more than 80 and making the Chepino Valley an important tourist destination in the Rhodopes.
Due to tis geographic location, the valley has a considerably milder climate than that in other parts of Bulgaria. The slopes that surround the valley are covered with venerable coniferous forests, mainly of spruce
. The second highest peak of the Rhodopes, Golyama Syutkya, is located nearby, and an important city in the valley is Velingrad
.
The valley takes its name from the medieval Bulgarian fortress of Tsepina
, the capital of Despot Slav's domain in the 13th century, which was excavated near the village of Dorkovo
.
In the early 17th century, the Eastern Orthodox Bulgarian
inhabitants of the valley were forcibly Islamized
by the Ottoman
authorities of the time, and thus today the population is mixed, with both Orthodox Bulgarians and Pomaks
(Muslim Bulgarians) inhabiting the valley.
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. Its highest peak, Golyam Perelik , is the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain...
in southern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. It is situated along the course of the Chepino River near the Batak Mountain in the northwestern part of the Rhodopes. Located at around 750 m above sea level, it is between 4 and 7 km wide and 18 km long. The bottom of the Chepino Valley is comparatively flat, although hills can also be met. The valley's fault structure is the reason for the frequent earthquakes in the area, as well as for the high number of mineral spring
Mineral spring
Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce water containing minerals, or other dissolved substances, that alter its taste or give it a purported therapeutic value...
s, numbering more than 80 and making the Chepino Valley an important tourist destination in the Rhodopes.
Due to tis geographic location, the valley has a considerably milder climate than that in other parts of Bulgaria. The slopes that surround the valley are covered with venerable coniferous forests, mainly of spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
. The second highest peak of the Rhodopes, Golyama Syutkya, is located nearby, and an important city in the valley is Velingrad
Velingrad
Velingrad is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of Chepino Valley, part of the Rhodope Mountains. It is the administrative center of the homonymous Velingrad Municipality and one of the most popular Bulgarian balneological resorts...
.
The valley takes its name from the medieval Bulgarian fortress of Tsepina
Tsepina
Tsepina was a castle and town in the western Rhodope mountains, southern Bulgaria, now in ruins. It is located at 6 km from the Dorkovo village in the north-eastern part of the Chepinska valley....
, the capital of Despot Slav's domain in the 13th century, which was excavated near the village of Dorkovo
Dorkovo
Dorkovo is a village in the Rakitovo municipality, Pazardzhik Province, western Bulgaria. The population of the village is 2,955.-Geography:Dorkovo is situated in the western Rhodope Mountains on the two banks of the river Matnitsa in the north-eastern parts of the Chepino Valley...
.
In the early 17th century, the Eastern Orthodox Bulgarian
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
inhabitants of the valley were forcibly Islamized
Islamization
Islamization or Islamification has been used to describe the process of a society's conversion to the religion of Islam...
by the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
authorities of the time, and thus today the population is mixed, with both Orthodox Bulgarians and Pomaks
Pomaks
Pomaks is a term used for a Slavic Muslim population native to some parts of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Pomaks speak Bulgarian as their native language, also referred to in Greece and Turkey as Pomak language, and some are fluent in Turkish,...
(Muslim Bulgarians) inhabiting the valley.