Mount Chepan (Bulgarian: Чепън) is a mountain located in western Bulgaria, part of the Balkan Mountains.[1]
Mount Chepan | |
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Чепън (Bulgarian) | |
Mount Chepan, viewed from the Dragoman Marsh | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,205.8 m (3,956 ft) |
Coordinates | 42°57′28.8″N 23°0′24.12″E / 42.958000°N 23.0067000°E |
Geography | |
Parent range | Balkan Mountains |
Geography
editMount Chepan stretches about 20 km in length and varies in width from 2.5 to 5.5 km, covering an area of around 80 km2. Its highest peak, Petrov crast, stands at 1205.6 meters. The mountain is surrounded by the Nišava River to the north and Mala Mountain to the east, with Dragoman marsh and Ponor Mountain to the south. The Dragoman–Godech road demarcates it from the west.[1]
Close to the town of Dragoman, it is also near the Kalotina–Dimitrovgrad border checkpoint, linking Bulgaria with Serbia via the international road E80 and a railway line.[1]
Flora
editIn 2014, a study identified 344 species of medicinal plants, which belong to 237 genera and 83 families.[1]
Archaeology
editA Thracian sanctuary dedicated to the worship either Sabazios, the Thracian horseman, or possibly both, was located on Mount Chepan.[2] An altar dating back to the early decades of the 3rd century AD was discovered in this sanctuary. Presently, it is on display at the Archaeological Institute and Museum in Sofia.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Zahariev, Dimcho (2015-12-01). "The medicinal plants of Chepan Mountain (Western Bulgaria)". Acta Scientifica Naturalis. 2 (1): 31–38. Bibcode:2015AcSN....2...31Z. doi:10.1515/asn-2015-0004. ISSN 2367-5144.
- ^ Vitas, Nadežda Gavrilović (2021). Ex Asia et Syria: Oriental Religions in the Roman Central Balkans. Archaeopress. p. 82. doi:10.2307/j.ctv1gt94hj.11. JSTOR j.ctv1gt94hj.
- ^ Tacheva-Hitova, Margarita (1983-01-01), "The Cult of Sabazios", Eastern Cults in Moesia Inferior and Thracia (5th Century B.C.-4th Century A.D.), Brill, p. 169, doi:10.1163/9789004295735_004, ISBN 978-90-04-29573-5, retrieved 2024-04-07