Prohodna ( bg, Проходна) is a

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

cave in north central

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 Macedon ...

, located in the

Iskar Gorge The Iskar Gorge is a gorge passing through the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) in Bulgaria. It is the chief pass through the Balkans, which otherwise cross northern Bulgaria in a solid line. The pass connects the capital of Sofia with other major ...

near the village of

Karlukovo Karlukovo ( bg, Карлуково ) is a village in Lukovit Municipality, Lovech Province, northwestern Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. I ...

Lukovit Municipality Lukovit Municipality ( bg, Община Луковит) is a municipality ('' obshtina'') in Lovech Province, Central-North Bulgaria, located from the Fore-Balkan area to the southern parts of Danubian Plain. It is named after its administrative ...

, Lovech Province. The cave is known for the two eye-like holes in its ceiling, known as God's eyes. Prohodna is the best known attraction in the Karlukovo Gorge (part of the Geological Park Iskar-Panega), one of the largest karst regions in Bulgaria and a popular location for speleology. Formed during the

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...

, Prohodna is long, which makes it the longest cave passage in Bulgaria. The cave has two entrances which lie opposite one another, known respectively as the Small Entrance and the Big Entrance. The former is high and the latter reaches in height. The cave owes its name, which literally means ''Thoroughfare Cave'' or ''Passage Cave'', to this feature. The size of the Big Entrance of Prohodna makes it suitable for bungee jumping, and it is among the popular spots in Bulgaria for that activity. There are traces of prehistoric habitation in the Prohodna cave, which testify that humans lived in the cave during the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

and

Chalcolithic The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...

. Prohodna is most notable for the two equal-sized holes in the ceiling of its middle chamber. The holes, formed through

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

, let in light into the cave. The formation is popularly known as ''God's eyes''. The phenomenon was featured in the 1988 Bulgarian film '' Time of Violence''; in the scene, a priest named Aligorko prays below the Eyes. The cave lies from Karlukovo, near the Karlukovo–

Lukovit Lukovit ( bg, Луковит ) is a town in northern Bulgaria, part of Lovech Province. It is situated on both banks of the Zlatna Panega between the Danubian Plain and the foot of Stara Planina. As of December 2009, the town has a population ...

road. It is also accessible from Rumyantsevo, and there is a parking lot near the Small Entrance. Near Prohodna is the much longer cave Temnata Dupka, and a pathway from the Big Entrance of Prohodna leads to the Petar Tranteev National Caving House, one of the

100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria is a Bulgarian national movement established in 1966 to promote tourism among Bulgaria's most significant cultural, historic, and natural landmarks. As part of this program, sites of cultural and historical signific ...

References

External links

Prohodna cave (Eyes of god) - Pictures

The eyes of God, Prohodna Caves
''Random-Times.com'' {{coord, 43, 10, 33, N, 24, 04, 23, E, type:landmark_region:BG, display=title Landforms of Lovech Province Caves of Bulgaria