Светилище Гарванов камък, Thracian megalith sanctuary near Starosel, Bulgaria
Garvanov Kamak Sanctuary is a rock sanctuary on a peak west of Starosel. According to archaeologist Georgi Kitov, it belonged to the ancient Thracian cult centre of Starosel, a irregular area about 10 km across that also includes Uyov Kamik, Momini Gherdi, Peychova Mogila and Kozi Gramadi. The site has not been archaeologically excavated, but ceramic fragments are visible around the rocks.
According to the Bulgarian archaeologist Georgi Kitov, the sanctuary on Garvanov Kamak peak belonged to the ancient Thracian cult centre of Starosel, an irregular area about 10 km across that also took in Uyov Kamik, Momini Gardi, Peychova Mogila and the sanctuary on Kozhi Gramadi. In the Late Iron Age a settlement district of roughly 30 km² surrounded today's village, bounded to the south by Garvanov Kamak and Roshavata Mogila. The site itself has not been excavated.
Local accounts hold that before 1990 the army used the summit for target practice and that it was shelled from a range near the local reservoir. No official source, such as the Ministry of Defence or the Council of Ministers, confirms this. There are no traces of artillery explosions on the summit, but there are signs of destructive work; it is likely that a single blast was set off in the early 1980s and a rumour of an artillery target was deliberately spread.
Access to the sanctuary involves a roughly 30-minute walk on a sandy path from Starosel village. It helps to gather information about the route beforehand since directional signs are not available on site.
The site has never been excavated by archaeologists, so the pottery fragments seen around the rocks are surface finds only. Local accounts hold that the army used the summit for target practice before 1990, but no official source confirms this; there are traces of a single blast, probably in the early 1980s.
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