Shuda grada, Megalithic sanctuary in Sitovo, Bulgaria.
Shuda grada is an unexcavated hilltop site 1.74 km north of Sitovo, in Rhodope Municipality. It is thought to hold a Thracian fortress and rock sanctuary, possibly built by the Bessi, with no official archaeological study. A small chapel of Sveti Nikola stands on the site, and the Sitovo inscription lies 1 km away.
No scientific excavation has dated the site's cultural layers. Based on nearby settlements and cult sites, the fortress and sanctuary are thought to have been built in the Bronze Age and to have lasted through late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The fortress is hypothetically attributed to the Thracian Bessi, who lived in this part of the Rhodopes. The Sitovo inscription, found about 1 km away and studied since its discovery in 1928, may be contemporary with the site.
Residents of Sitovo call the site "Shuda grada", meaning "impregnable fortress", though no scientific interpretation of the name exists. Bulgarian Muslims from the Brezovitsa quarter of nearby Lilkovo knew it as "Taturest kamak". Villagers built two small chapels in the area, dedicated to Saint Nicholas and Saint Spas, and visit them on major Christian holidays to light candles.
The site lies 1.74 km north of Sitovo's centre, with the Sitovo inscription about 1 km away. In June 2013 volunteers built a wooden stair to ease access to the St Nicholas chapel on the fortress. No facilities exist; the area is exposed to treasure-hunter damage, so report any disturbance.
The site has been repeatedly targeted by treasure hunters, drawn by legends of a Roman mint inside the fortress. In August 2014 a report on the village of Sitovo's official page described damage to the large stone slab bearing a so-called star map. Villagers have reported people with metal detectors in the area.
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