Sinanitsa ( bg, Синаница ) is a marble peak in the northern part of the

Pirin Mountains , photo=Pirin-mountains-Bansko.jpg , photo_caption=Pirin scenery in winter , country= Bulgaria, , parent= , geology= granite, gneiss, marble, limestone , area_km2=2585 , range_coordinates = , length_km=80 , length_orientation= north-s ...

of southwestern

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 ...

. high, Sinanitsa gives its name to the Sinanitsa Lateral Ridge, one of the four best pronounced lateral ridges in Pirin. Sinanitsa is also known as Chukata ( ), Varovita Chuka ( ) or The Split Peak (, ''Raztsepenia vrah'' ), the latter because of its unusual south face. Though it gives its name to the entire ridge due to its characteristic shape, the "enchantingly beautiful" Sinanitsa is in fact lower than the ridge's highest point, Gergiytsa, which measures metres and lies to the northwest. Sinanitsa is commonly regarded as one of the most beautiful peaks in Pirin and Bulgaria. On clear days, the summit is easily visible from the town of

Sandanski Sandanski ( bg, Сандански ; el, Σαντάνσκι, formerly known as Sveti Vrach, bg, Свети Врач, until 1947) is a town and a recreation centre in south-western Bulgaria, part of Blagoevgrad Province. Named after the Bulga ...

. The etymology of Sinanitsa's name is debated. It stems either from the Bulgarian word for "blue" (син, ''sin''), due to the peak appearing in that colour from a distance, or from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, 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 ...

word ''sinan'' (سنان). The latter would describe it as a "spearhead" peak, referencing its sharp contours. Sinanica

The

Sinanishko Lake The Sinanishko Lake () is a glacial lake in the Pirin mountain range, southwestern Bulgaria, situated about 700 m to the north–northeast of the summit of Sinanitsa (2,516 m) in the small Sinanitsa cirque at an altitude of 2,181 ...

lies in the eponymous

cirque A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...

to the north-northwest of Sinanitsa, at . The Sinanitsa River, a tributary of the Vlahinska River that subsequently flows into the Struma, originates from the lake's underground waters. The Sinanitsa Gate is a steep and rocky col on the ridge connecting the Sinanitsa cirque with the Spano Pole cirque to the southeast. The Sinanitsa Hut is situated by the shores of the lake, within direct view of the summit. The summit can be reached in approximately an hour from the hut. Sinanitsa's steep eastern face is a popular destination for

alpine climbing {{unreferenced, date=March 2019 Alpine climbing (german: Alpinklettern) is a branch of climbing in which the primary aim is very often to reach the summit of a mountain. In order to do this high rock faces or pinnacles requiring several lengths of ...

. The route follows a vertical wall around high, with a climbing grade of 4b. It was first scaled by Andrey Todorov and Vasil Nastev on 12 July 1949; the first winter ascent was accomplished on 27 April 1955 by Encho Petkov and Yordan Machirski.

References

{{Kresna Mountains of Pirin Landforms of Blagoevgrad Province Two-thousanders of Bulgaria