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Musala ( bg, Мусала ); from
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
through
Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...
: from ''
Musalla A musalla ( ar-at, مصلى, muṣallá) is a space apart from a mosque, mainly used for prayer in Islam.''The Encyclopaedia of Islam''. New Edition. Brill, Leiden. Vol. 7, pg. 658; ''al-mausūʿa al-fiqhiyya.'' Kuwait 1998. Vol. 38, pg 29 ...
'', "near God" or "place for prayer" is the highest peak in the
Rila Mountains Rila ( bg, Рила, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila– Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an elevation of 2, ...
, as well as in
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
and the entire
Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
, standing at . With a topographic prominence of , Musala is also the 6th highest peak by
topographic prominence In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...
in mainland Europe. Musala is also the 3rd most topographically isolated major peak in
Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...
. Musala is situated within the Rila National Park, which is noted for its rich
flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. ...
, including species such as Macedonian Pine and
Bulgarian Fir ''Abies borisii-regis'' (Bulgarian fir) is a species of fir native to the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula in Bulgaria, northern Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania and Serbia. It occurs at altitudes of 800–1,800 m, on mounta ...
in the forests on its middle slopes, and
fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is '' flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. ...
; it is one of the easiest places in Europe to see the wallcreeper. All major mountain ranges of Bulgaria can be seen from the top; these include Vitosha to the northwest, Sredna Gora towards the northeast, the
Balkan Mountains The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border bet ...
along most of the northern horizon behind Vitosha and Sredna Gora, 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 ...
to the southeast, Pirin to the south,
Osogovo Osogovo ( Bulgarian/Macedonian: ), or Osogovska Planina or Osogovski Planini (Осоговска Планина or Осоговски Планини), is a mountain range and ski resort between the south-western part of Bulgaria (Kyustendil Provi ...
and Ruy Mountain to the west, and of course, the rest of
Rila Rila ( bg, Рила, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila– Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an elevation of 2, ...
. A cosmic ray station was built on the peak in 1960 with cooperation from the Hungarian Academy of Science. The station conducted scientific experiments using a muon telescope. The station was destroyed by an electrical fire on October 29, 1983. With an average annual temperature of -2.3 °C Musala is the coldest place in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula. Temperatures stay below 0 °C for about 8 months each year. Due to this about 45% of the annual precipitation on Musala is snow, and snow cover lasts for about 200 days (more than six months). Three of the main rivers of Bulgaria, the Iskar, Maritsa and
Mesta The ''Mesta'' () was a powerful association protecting livestock owners and their animals in the Crown of Castile that was incorporated in the 13th century and was dissolved in 1836. Although best known for its organisation of the annual migra ...
have their sources near Musala. The next highest peaks in the vicinity of Musala are Malka (Little) Musala () and
Irechek Irechek ( bg, Иречек ) is a village in Kavarna Municipality, Dobrich Province, northeastern Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is si ...
().


Climate

Peak Musala has an alpine climate with long, cold winters and short, cool summers. Usually, through winter, the temperatures don't exceed the freezing point for months. Snow cover lasts for about 8–9 months. Through the summer, temperatures rarely go above 14-15C. The summer season only lasts for 2 months, and snowfalls are possible. For the period 1931–2013, the highest recorded temperature was , and the lowest - . The average annual temperature is , which makes the peak the coldest place in Bulgaria.


Namesakes

Musala Glacier Musala Glacier ( bg, ледник Мусала, lednik Musala, ) on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is situated northeast of Targovishte Glacier, east-northeast of Zheravna Glacier and southeast of Fuerza Aérea ...
on Greenwich Island in the
South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1 ...
,
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
is named after Musala Peak.


Gallery

Image:BASA-131K-1-47-10-Musala, Rila.jpeg Image:Bulgaria - Rila - Musala april 2006.jpg, Hikers near the summit of Musala. The pyramid in the background is the Everest shelter Image:Pirinfrommusala.JPG, The Pirin Mountains can be seen from Musala Image:Maritsaorigin2.JPG, The origin of the Maritsa River seen from Musala Image:Musala.JPG, Musala as seen from Yastrebets. The chalet Musala and the Everest shelter can be seen as well.


See also

*
Rila Rila ( bg, Рила, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila– Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an elevation of 2, ...
*
Malyovitsa Malyovitsa ( bg, Мальовица ) is a peak in the northwestern part of the Rila Mountain in southwestern Bulgaria. It is 2,729 m high and is one of the most popular tourist regions in the mountain. Its northern and eastern slopes are ste ...
* Rila National Park *
List of mountains in Bulgaria Mountains constitute a significant part of Bulgaria and are dominant in the southwest and central parts. Bulgaria's highest mountains are Rila (highest peak Musala, 2925 m; the highest in the Balkans) and Pirin (highest peak Vihren, 2914 m). Th ...
*
Geography of Bulgaria Bulgaria is a country situated in Southeast Europe that occupies the eastern quarter of the Balkan peninsula, being the largest country within its geographic boundaries. It is bordering Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the we ...
*
List of mountains of the Balkans Top 20 highest ultra prominent mountains in mainland Balkans This is a list of the top 20 highest ultra prominent mountains in mainland Balkan Peninsula. Triglav peak (2,864 m, prominence 2,059 m) in the Slovenian Julian Alps is geograph ...
* List of European ultra-prominent peaks *
List of the highest European ultra-prominent peaks This is a list of all the mountains in Europe with ultra-prominent peaks with topographic prominence greater than . The column "Col" denotes the highest elevation to which one must descend from a peak in order to reach peaks with higher elevation ...
* Most isolated major summits of Europe * List of mountain ranges *
List of World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries which are signatories to the U ...


References

*


External links


Musala – controllable web camera

Musala climb on youtube
* {{Highest points of Europe Geography of Southeastern Europe Highest points of countries Two-thousanders of Bulgaria Landforms of Sofia Province Samokov Municipality Mountains of Rila De-Stalinization