Rozhen is a mountain pass (saddle) in southern Bulgaria in the central part of the Perelik-Prespa division of the Western Rhodopes in the

Smolyan Municipality Smolyan ( bg, Смолян) List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, is a town and ski resort in the south of Bulgaria near the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Smolyan Province. The town is built ...

, Smolyan District. The pass is long, and the altitude of the saddle is . It connects the valley of the

Chepelarska Reka The Chepelare (, Chepelarska reka, also called Chaya, Чая and Asenitsa, Асеница) is a river in Bulgaria that takes its source from Rozhen Peak (around 1,500 m above sea level) in the Rhodopes. The river's length is about 82 km and tw ...

(right tributary of the Maritsa) in the northwest with the valley of the Byala Reka (left tributary of the

Luda Reka The Erythropotamos ( el, Ερυθροπόταμος, meaning "red river") or Luda reka ( bg, Луда река, meaning "mad river") is a river in southern Bulgaria (Haskovo Province) and northeastern Greece ( Evros regional unit). Its Turkish na ...

and part of the

Arda Arda or ARDA may refer to: Places *Arda (Maritsa), a river in Bulgaria and Greece * Arda (Italy), a river in Italy *Arda (Douro), a river in Portugal * Arda, Bulgaria, a village in southern Bulgaria * Arda, County Fermanagh, a townland in County ...

basin) in the southeast. It starts at 1350 m above sea level. west of the village of Progled, at the junction for the Pamporovo resort, and heads southeast, up the slope of the Pereliksko-Prespa division of the Western Rhodopes. After 3.2 km, it climbs to the saddle at 1436 m above sea level, from where a dark and many-turning descent along the south-eastern slope of the ridge begins. After , it descends to the village of Sokolovtsi, where it ends at above sea level. The saddle is occupied by extensive meadows and pastures, surrounded by flat ridges overgrown with coniferous vegetation. From a geomorphological point of view, it is of karst origin; its base is made of marbleized limestone, and it is a drainless marble karst valley. The powerful Western Rhodope Hills, Chernatitsa and Radyuva Planina, diverge from it in the northwest and north directions. Since ancient times, the saddle has been an important passage between the Upper Thracian lowland and the valley of the

Arda River Arda or ARDA may refer to: Places * Arda (Maritsa), a river in Bulgaria and Greece *Arda (Italy), a river in Italy *Arda (Douro), a river in Portugal *Arda, Bulgaria, a village in southern Bulgaria * Arda, County Fermanagh, a townland in County F ...

and the

White Sea The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is su ...

. Now a section of (from km 85.9 to km 97.1) of the second-class Republic Road II-86 Plovdiv-

Smolyan Smolyan ( bg, Смолян) List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, is a town and ski resort in the south of Bulgaria near the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Smolyan Province. The town is built ...

- Rudozem border crossing passes through the pass (the last part of the project). To the left of the saddle, from the northeast comes the last section of the third-class Republican road III-861 from Yugovsko Hanche, the city of

Laki Laki () or Lakagígar (, ''Craters of Laki'') is a volcanic fissure in the western part of Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland, not far from the volcanic fissure of Eldgjá and the small village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. The fissure is properly r ...

, and the village of . Due to the important transport and economic importance of the pass, the road through it is maintained year-round for the passage of motor vehicles. On the meadows of the saddle in the past, folklore assemblies were regularly held, which have been resumed for several years (the last edition was held in July 2016). The largest Bulgarian observatory was built on Sveti Duh peak, north of the saddle. It has several telescopes, the largest of which has a diameter of .

Miscellaneous

Rozhensky Prohod is the name given to a street in the " Strelbishte" district in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

References

{{reflist Mountain passes of Bulgaria Rhodope Mountains