Description of the attraction
A unique rock formation, a natural landmark The stone (petrified) wedding is located in the vicinity of the village of Zimzelen, not far from the Bulgarian city of Kardzhali, about 4 kilometers from it to the east. Together with the Stone Mushrooms, which are located near the village of Beli-Plast, the Stone Wedding is part of the so-called Kurdzhali pyramids located in the eastern Rhodope Mountains on the Chukata and Kayadzhik hills.
This group of bizarre rock formations, with a height of about half a meter to 10 meters, covers an area of five hectares. According to experts, the Stone Wedding began to form about forty million years ago as a result of volcanic activity, during which rhyolite tuffs arose. Then this area was a shallow warm sea. Later, after the seawater left the coast, the rocks began to be exposed to the sun, wind, rain and temperature changes, which created their present shape. An unusual color, mainly pink-white and white-blue, gives the rocks various minerals that make up the rock.
The name of this unique natural monument, which looks like a crowd of people, is associated with a legend. In ancient times, a young man lived in the village of Simselen who fell in love with a young girl who always hid her face, leaving only her beautiful eyes open. The girl lived in a neighboring village, and the groom's father took it upon himself to marry the bride. He bought it from the family for a pot of gold. On the way to Zimzelen, a sudden wind tore off the veil from the bride's face, the whole procession was amazed at the girl's beauty, and the groom's father envied his son. The forces of nature, as punishment for impure thoughts, turned the whole company to stone. The groom, the only surviving man, was inconsolable and prayed for reunification with his bride, after which he was also turned to stone. At the same time, to this day, the Stone Wedding stands in the water, which, according to legend, represents the still not dried up tears of the groom.
You can get to the rocks on foot from Kardzhali along a convenient road with signs that lead to the Stone Wedding itself.
