Dorkovo
Encyclopedia
Dorkovo is a village
in the Rakitovo
municipality, Pazardzhik Province
, western Bulgaria
. The population of the village is 2,955.
on the two banks of the river Matnitsa in the north-eastern parts of the Chepino Valley
. It is located at the southern foothills of the Karkariya ridge which is part of the Batak Mountain.
The closest settlement is the small town of Kostandovo
at only 3 km to the south. Further in southern direction is situated the municipal centre Rakitovo
, while Velingrad
the largest town in the area is at 14 km to the south-west.
of the village is called St St Cyril and Methodius and was established in 1919 and initially used the edifice of a local cafe. The chitalishte was officially inaugurated in 1927 and moved to its own building in 1928. It was demolished on 3 August 1958 and a new two-storey edifice was constructed by December 1962. It has a cinema saloon with 300 seats, dressing rooms, rehearsal saloon and a modernised library. There are three amateur groups to the chitalishte.
, gaida
, davul
, goblet drum
and tambura
.
is situated to the north-west of the village and can be accessed by a 6-km asphalt road. It was constructed on the cone-like peak of the same name at an altitude of 1,136 m. The fortress was seized by the Byzantine Empire
in the 11th century but was liberated by the Bulgarian Empire
during the rule of Kaloyan
who appointed Despot Alexius Slav
as a governor of the Rhodopes but after Kaloyan's death in 1207 Slav became de facto an independent local ruler.
Between 1246 and 1254 Tsepina was occupied by the Nicaeans but was recovered by Emperor Michael II Asen
. In 1373 the fortress was captured by the Ottoman Turks
in the course of the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars
and destroyed.
site in the vicinities of Dorkovo. In the locality of Ilin Kladenets have been discovered fossils from mastodon
s dating to the Early Pliocene, more than 4 million years ago, making them the oldest fossils of that species in Europe
.
The site was discovered in the 1970s during search for mineral resources. The first scientific expedition was organised in 1984 followed by an international one in 1985 in cooperation with Collège de France
which discovered parts of mastodon skeletons.
The site was declared a natural landmark on 31 January 1990.
Some fossil bird
bones about 5-4.5 million years old have also been found here. Balcanas pliocaenica, a waterfowl
described from fragmentary remains, may be a distinct and extinct lineage, the first record of the still-living Common Shelduck
(Tadorna tadorna), or from a more ancestral shelduck
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Rakitovo
Rakitovo
Rakitovo is a town in the Pazardzhik Province, Bulgaria. As of 2005 the population is 8 952. It is located in the northern part of the Rhodopi mountains at 12 km to the east of Velingrad and 7 km to the southwest of the Batak Dam. There is timber industry in the town. People from the...
municipality, Pazardzhik Province
Pazardzhik Province
Pazardzhik Province is a province in Southern Bulgaria, named after its administrative and industrial centre - the town of Pazardzhik. It embraces a territory of 4,456.9 km² that is divided into 11 municipalities with a total population of 290,614 inhabitants, as of December 2009.-History:The...
, western 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...
. The population of the village is 2,955.
Geography
Dorkovo is situated in the western Rhodope MountainsRhodope 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...
on the two banks of the river Matnitsa in the north-eastern parts of the Chepino Valley
Chepino Valley
The Chepino Valley or Chepino 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...
. It is located at the southern foothills of the Karkariya ridge which is part of the Batak Mountain.
The closest settlement is the small town of Kostandovo
Kostandovo
Kostandovo is a small town in the Pazardzhik Province, southern Bulgaria. As of 2010 it has 4 342 inhabitants. It gained its town status in 2005. It is located in the Rhodope Mountains close to the Batak Dam and the town of Rakitovo....
at only 3 km to the south. Further in southern direction is situated the municipal centre Rakitovo
Rakitovo
Rakitovo is a town in the Pazardzhik Province, Bulgaria. As of 2005 the population is 8 952. It is located in the northern part of the Rhodopi mountains at 12 km to the east of Velingrad and 7 km to the southwest of the Batak Dam. There is timber industry in the town. People from the...
, while 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 largest town in the area is at 14 km to the south-west.
Chitalishte
The chitalishteChitalishte
A chitalishte is a typical Bulgarian public institution and building which fulfils several functions at once, such as a community centre, library and a theatre. It is also used as an educational institution, where people of all ages can enroll in foreign language, dance, music and other courses....
of the village is called St St Cyril and Methodius and was established in 1919 and initially used the edifice of a local cafe. The chitalishte was officially inaugurated in 1927 and moved to its own building in 1928. It was demolished on 3 August 1958 and a new two-storey edifice was constructed by December 1962. It has a cinema saloon with 300 seats, dressing rooms, rehearsal saloon and a modernised library. There are three amateur groups to the chitalishte.
Ovcharska Pesen Ensemble
The Ovcharska Pesen (Shepherd's Song) folklore ensemble to the chitalishte was founded in 1971. It consist of an orchestra, dancing group, male and female singing groups. The number of people varies between 45 and 120. The ensemble uses traditional Bulgarian musical instruments from the Rhodopi region - kavalKaval
The kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout Azerbaijan, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, southern Serbia , northern Greece , Romania , and Armenia...
, gaida
Gaida
The gaida is a musical instrument, aerophone, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag.The gaida, and its variations, is a traditional musical instrument for entire Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East....
, davul
Davul
The davul or tupan is a large double-headed drum that is played with sticks. It has many names depending on the country and region.-Names:Some names of davuls include:*tupan *davul...
, goblet drum
Goblet drum
The goblet drum is a hand drum with a goblet shape used mostly in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe....
and tambura
Baglama
thumb|180px|Cura and bağlamaThe bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia....
.
Tsepina fortress
The medieval fortress of TsepinaTsepina
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....
is situated to the north-west of the village and can be accessed by a 6-km asphalt road. It was constructed on the cone-like peak of the same name at an altitude of 1,136 m. The fortress was seized by the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
in the 11th century but was liberated by the Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
during the rule of Kaloyan
Kaloyan of Bulgaria
Kaloyan the Romanslayer , Ivan II , ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1197-1207. He is the third and youngest brother of Peter IV and Ivan Asen I who managed to restore the Bulgarian Empire...
who appointed Despot Alexius Slav
Despot Alexius Slav
Alexius Slav was a Bulgarian noble of the 12th and 13th century and a descendant of the Asen dynasty, a nephew of the first three Asen brothers...
as a governor of the Rhodopes but after Kaloyan's death in 1207 Slav became de facto an independent local ruler.
Between 1246 and 1254 Tsepina was occupied by the Nicaeans but was recovered by Emperor Michael II Asen
Michael Asen I of Bulgaria
Michael II Asen of Bulgaria , ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from 1246 to 1256. He was the son of Ivan Asen II and his third wife Irene Komnene of Epirus , daughter of Theodore I Ducas of the Despotate of Epirus...
. In 1373 the fortress was captured by the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
in the course of the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars
Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars
The Bulgarian-Ottoman wars were fought between the disintegrating Bulgarian Empire and the new emerging Turkic power, the Ottoman Turks in the second half the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century. The war ended with the collapse of the once powerful Bulgarian Empire in 1422. The...
and destroyed.
Paleontological site
There is a paleontologicalPaleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
site in the vicinities of Dorkovo. In the locality of Ilin Kladenets have been discovered fossils from mastodon
Mastodon
Mastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...
s dating to the Early Pliocene, more than 4 million years ago, making them the oldest fossils of that species in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The site was discovered in the 1970s during search for mineral resources. The first scientific expedition was organised in 1984 followed by an international one in 1985 in cooperation with Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
which discovered parts of mastodon skeletons.
The site was declared a natural landmark on 31 January 1990.
Some fossil bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
bones about 5-4.5 million years old have also been found here. Balcanas pliocaenica, a waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
described from fragmentary remains, may be a distinct and extinct lineage, the first record of the still-living Common Shelduck
Common Shelduck
The Common Shelduck is a waterfowl species shelduck genus Tadorna. It is widespread and common in Eurasia, mainly breeding in temperate and wintering in subtropical regions; in winter, it can also be found in the Maghreb...
(Tadorna tadorna), or from a more ancestral shelduck
Shelduck
The shelducks, genus Tadorna, are a group of large birds in the Tadorninae subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family that includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl such as the geese and swans....
.