Pobiti Kamani: bulgaria's ancient and enigmatic petrified forest
Pobiti Kamani is a unique geological phenomenon that is perhaps unmatched anywhere else on our planet. The name literally translates as 'stone planted in the earth', but traditionally it is the 'stone forest'.
About 18 km inland from Varna, Bulgaria, not far from the capital of Sofia, is the site of Pobiti Kamani, a truly unique natural rock formation. The 'stone forest', as it is called by locals, consists of numerous groups of unusual stone columns, most of which reach a height of between 5 and 7 meters with a thickness ranging from 0.3 to 3 meters in diameter.
The curious stone pillars cover a total area of almost 7 km2, with smaller groups of columns a little further away from the center. Certainly, the rocks found in the heart of the 'forest' are the most important, which alone cover a surface of almost a kilometer. The strangest thing is that these columns are hollow and their interior is filled with sand. Furthermore, in addition to the columns visible on the ground, there are some placed in the ground, which reach a depth equal to that of a three-story building.
Although the site has attracted the attention of numerous scientists and geologists from around the world, a truly shared theory on its origin has not yet been developed. Basically, there are two theories being examined by researchers, one which hypothesizes a formation of an organic nature and the other which hypothesizes a mineral origin.
According to the first, the formations are the result of coral activity, while the second explains the phenomenon with the erosion of rocks, the formation of sand and limestone concretions of the Eocene age.
History and legend
Since the times of the First Bulgarian Empire, the 'stone forest' has been considered a sacred place, imbued with powerful supernatural forces. The arrangement of the columns appears anything but random, with some of them aligned in rows that almost make one think of the columns of a Greek temple or an acropolis.
The hollow shape of these pillars appears to be so deliberate as to suggest a purpose or design of some kind, so much so that early settlers in the area attributed their creation to an ancient people of powerful men. Clearly, these ideas fueled the numerous legends that have arisen over time to explain the origin of Pobiti Kamani.
One of them tells of ancient giants employed in the construction of the city of Pliska, the capital of the Bulgarian Kingdom between 681 and 893 AD. The giants transported the massive stones from a distant quarry to the city, until the ruler of Bulgaria declared the city completes, ordering the workers to cease their work. The giants simply knocked the large rocks off their backs, forming what is now known as the 'stone forests'.
Another legend has it that the stone pillars are what remains of the colonnade of the ancient temple of Poseidon of the disappeared culture of Atlantis, of which some vestiges are said to be immersed in the waters of the nearby Black Sea.
Although official science says otherwise, when you arrive on the site you have the impression of being in front of the remains of an ancient temple, with columns regularly spaced and equipped with supports to fix transverse wooden beams. Apparently human faces appear in some of the rocks that delimit the area, so much so that the local inhabitants have often given them names. One of the most famous is 'the soldier' who stands guard over Pobiti Kamani.
Locals, however, are firmly convinced that the 'forest' is a powerful source of energy and, regardless of one's opinion on such beliefs, there is no doubt that Pobiti Kamani is a breathtaking place to visit, imbued with a certain supernatural atmosphere.
In 1937, the site obtained the status of a protected environment, being one of a kind. The surrounding area is largely uninhabited and attracts rich wildlife, including 21 species of birds and more than 240 varieties of plants, with some extremely rare specimens.
