Kardzhali is a town in the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria, centre of Kardzhali Municipality and Kardzhali Province. The noted Kardzhali Dam is located nearby.
Culture and tourism
Mosque and tombe of the founder of the modern city of Kırcali is situated in the old city near the marketplace.History Museum of Kardzhali (Pomerantsev, Moorish Revival, 1910s)
The Thracian town of Perperikon is located near the city on a rock high above the valley. It is interesting for the fact that it is cut in the rock.
The monastery from 11th century is located in the Vesselchane Quarter of the town. It was renovated in 2000 and a new bell tower was built.
The town clock is unique in Bulgaria because it sounds Bulgarian revolutionary songs every hour.
The Kardzhali Museum of History has one of the most extensive exhibitions in Southern Bulgaria. This includes pre-historic tools and ceramics from the Thracian cities of Perperikon and Tatul, Christian icons and ethnographic exhibits. It is located in the old konak (the Turkish town-hall built around 1870) with its period exterior architecture.
There are many open-air restaurants, offering a variety of drinks and cocktails in summer time on the dam. It is a popular place among fans of water sports and fishing.
The town has two drama theaters — “Dimitar Dimov” and “Kadrie Lyatifova”, a puppet theater and a museum of history medrese, as well as an art gallery.
5 km (3 mi) from Kardzhali, near the village of Zimzelen, is a small badlands, where a series of white pillars have eroded out of the volcanic tuff which are referred to as the “Kardzhali Pyramids”. Ensembles have been given names based on resemblances. One is known as “The Mushrooms” and another as the “Stone Wedding”.
Kardzhali Point on Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Kardzhali.
Longdistance hiking path the Sultans Trail passes Kardzhali dam, city center and many villages.
Dams
The town is situated on the north and south banks of river Arda and it is bordered to the west by Kardzhali Dam, and by Studen Kladenets Dam to the east. At maximum capacity, the waters of the Studen Kladenets Dam extend to the foot of the old Veselchane bridge. The concrete wall of the Kurdzhali Dam is located about two kilometers (1.2 miles) upstream from that bridge. The banks of the river running through the town have been adjusted by the recently completed Water Mirror reservoir, creating an environment for water sports and recreational activities.[16]
In the 1970s, the reservoir of the Kurdzhali Dam was artificially seeded with sheatfish. Today, specimens that reach 100 kg (220 lb) can be found. In the last years 45,000 carp were introduced into the dam as well. Most recently it was artificially seeded with European perch. The fish were taken from the Ovčarica (Ovcharitsa) dam.
