Sheitan dere gorge

Overview

Sheitan Dere (widely translated from Turkish "Devil's River") is a canyon along the Arda River located just below the wall of the dam Studen Kladenets (Kardzhali District), about 2 km from the village of Rabovo.

The formed gorge is crowned by the steep cliffs, frozen menacingly over the canyon, composed of a prismatically cracked Latite stream, which is of volcanic origin and is the result of lava frozen in this place from the northern periphery of the nearby long extinct volcano St. Elijah. On the other side of the Studen Kladenets dam there was another volcano (called Studen Kladenets). The waters of the Arda River have carried away various sediments and looser rocks over the centuries, but the firmly fused, extremely hard rocks of the canyon are more difficult to erode. As a result of the active volcanic activity, craters were formed, which were later partially formed and carved by the running water. Large mineral veins with quartz and chalcedony inclusions were formed in the area.

Arda River has carved the so-called abrasive wells in the rock bed of the canyon, which the locals call "sharapani". According to geologists, these peculiar cauldrons are formed by small vortices of water and small pebbles during periods of high water. Falling into the already carved depressions formed in the softer part of the rocks, the fast water mass began to swirl the small stones, and they in turn with their sharp edges continued to dig the soft rock and thus formed the so-called. "Sharapani". The size of the wells varies - from very small with a diameter of 0.20 m and a depth of 0.10 m., To those with very large sizes - diameter up to 8 m and depth up to 15 m.

Deep holes and gorges along the canyon are observed for about 1 km and their depth varies from 3 to 25 m. According to local legends, whoever fell into them never came out of there - neither alive nor dead. A mysterious force drew him to the dark underworld, from which there is no return. Legend has it that the place was created by "Sheitan" (from Turkish - the devil). Folk memory has preserved the memory of a kind of initiation ritual, in which only the truly brave could jump over the waters of Arda in this place without falling into the dangerous waters and being dragged into the underworld.