Gyovren ( bg, Гьоврен; tr, Gövren) is a village under the municipality of
Devin in the
Smolyan Province
Smolyan Province ( bg, Област Смолян, ''Oblast Smolyan''; former name Smolyan okrug) is a province in Southern-central Bulgaria, located in the Rhodope Mountains, neighbouring Greece to the south. It is named after its administrative ...
in the southern part of
Bulgaria.
Geography
Gyovren is located in the
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes (; bg, Родопи, ; el, Ροδόπη, ''Rodopi''; tr, Rodoplar) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in ...
on the northern slope of the
Trigrad plateau, not far from the Bulgaria–
Greece border. It is located 20 km south of the town of Devin between the villages of Teshel and Trigrad and 143 km from the national capital
Sofia. It is a typical high-mountain village situated on a steep rocky relief. West of the village flows the Trigrad River and there lies the
Trigrad Gorge. Along the road at the foot of the village is a
mosque which was historically significant in the founding of the village.
Culture
The
population of Gyovren is mainly ethnic
Turks. The village celebrates many old traditions and holidays such as
Ramazan Bayrami
, nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast
, observedby = Muslims
, type = Islamic
, longtype = Islamic
, significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan
, date ...
,
Kurban Bayram
Eid al-Adha () is the second and the larger of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam (the other being Eid al-Fitr). It honours the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to Allah' ...
, Ashure and Aderlez.
Attractions
The mountains surrounding Gyovren are full of rich natural wildlife. The natural reserve, "Kazanite", is home to pine and spruce trees from over 80–100 years ago. Local wildlife in the reserve include
deer, wild
goats, and wild
pigs. There are also a few dairy farms, "mandras," in the mountains where
sheep milk, white cheese ("
sirene
Sirene ( sq, djathë i bardhë; bg, сирене ; mk, сирење; sr, сир, italics=no/) also known as "white brine sirene" ( bg, бяло саламурено сирене, links=no) is a type of brined cheese made in the Balkans (So ...
"),
kashkaval, and
butter are processed manually during the summer months using centuries-old techniques.
Gyovren is also located between the
Devil's Throat Cave and Yagodinska Cave.
There are also a number of guest houses located in the village and open for tourists throughout the year.
Gallery
Image:Gyvorenschool.jpg, School in Gyovren
Image:Gyovrensunrise.jpg
Image:Gyovrendusk.jpg
Image:GyovrenDevinBulgaria.jpg
References
{{Commons category, Gyovren
Gyovren at Guide BulgariaA video about a mixed couple from Gyovren
Villages in Smolyan Province