Matka ( mk, Матка, meaning ''womb'', sq, Matkë, Kanioni i Matkës) is a canyon located west of central

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

. Covering roughly 5,000

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre i ...

s,macedonia.co.uk
/ref> Matka is one of the most popular outdoor destinations in North Macedonia and is home to several medieval monasteries. The Matka Lake within the Matka Canyon is the oldest artificial lake in the country.

Geology

There are ten caves at Matka Canyon, with the shortest in length being 20 metres (65.6 feet) and the longest being 176 metres (577.4 feet). The canyon also features two vertical pits, both roughly extending 35 metres (114.8 feet) in depth.

Vrelo Cave

Located on the right bank of the

Treska Treska ( mk, Треска, ) is a river in the western part of North Macedonia, a right tributary to Vardar. It is long, and its basin is 2350 km2.''Opća enciklopedija Jugoslavenskog leksikografskog zavoda - Zagreb, 1982. (2. izdanje)'' ...

River, Vrelo Cave was listed as one of the top 77 natural sites in the world in the

New7Wonders of Nature New 7 Wonders of Nature (2007–2011) was an initiative started in 2007 to create a list of seven natural wonders chosen by people through a global poll. It was the second in a series of Internet-based polls led by Swiss-born Canadian Bernard Web ...

project. Vrelo Cave has many stalactites including a large one in the middle of the cave known as the "Pine Cone" due to its shape. There are two lakes at the end of the cave, with one larger than the other. The smaller lake is 8 metres (26.2 feet) at its longest length and 14.92 metres (48.9 feet) in depth at its deepest point. The larger lake is 35 metres (114.8 feet) at its longest length, and 18 metres (59 feet) at its deepest point. Though the exact depth of the cave is unknown, some speculate that it could be the deepest underwater cave in the world.

Biology

Matka Canyon is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, some of which are unique to the area. Roughly 20% of the plant life found at Matka is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

and only found here. The canyon is also home to 77 indigenous species of butterfly. The canyon is also home to the most venomous snake in south Europe, the horned viper. Exploring Macedonia
The canyon's caves are home to large populations of bats.

Attractions

Due in large part to its proximity to Skopje, Matka Canyon is a popular destination for citizens and tourists. The canyon is one of

's foremost areas for alpine hiking. The climbing season begins around

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samue ...

and ends in November. Kayaking on the

River is a popular activity, as are fishing, hunting, and swimming.

Monasteries

The canyon area is home to several historic churches and monasteries. St. Andrew's Monastery, founded around 1388 by

Prince Marko Marko Mrnjavčević ( sr-cyr, Марко Мрњавчевић, ; – 17 May 1395) was the ''de jure'' Serbian king from 1371 to 1395, while he was the ''de facto'' ruler of territory in western Macedonia centered on the town of Prilep. He ...

's brother Andrew, is situated in the gorge of the

River. Matka Monastery, or Monastery of the Holy Mother of God, built in the 14th century,Exploring Macedonia
is located on the left bank of the Treska. According to an inscription on the church, someone named Milica found the church in poor condition and without a roof in 1497. She replaced the roof, added new frescoes, built a portico and created a vineyard. St. Nicholas Monastery is located on a cliff above the canyon and St. Andrew's Monastery. The date of construction of the church is unknown. The first mention of it was in the 17th century, during Ottoman rule. The iconstasis of the church was painted in 1645, while the western side was frescoed in 1630. The monastery was deserted in the 18th century. An archmonk found the church roofless in 1816 and attempted to revive it, though it was again deserted in 1897. The monastery offers a unique view high above the canyon.

Gallery

File:Canyon Matka.jpg, Rock climbers File:Treska river.jpg, Kayakers File:Matka Canyon 01.jpg, Lake Matka File:Matka 1919.png, Matka in 1919 File:Matka Canyon 7.jpg, Looking into the canyon File:Manastir_Bogorodica_Matka.jpg, Matka Monastery File:Matka-Lake.jpg, Rock walls towering above the water File:Matka Canyon 6.jpg, Matka and nearby mountains File:St Nicholas of Shishevo - Matka (2).JPG, St. Nicholas Monastery complex from above File:2013-10-07 Matka dam 8731.jpg, Matka dam File:Matka Lake - Macedonia.jpg, View over Matka Lake, Macedonia

References

{{coord, 41, 56, 24, N, 21, 18, 00, E, source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Landforms of North Macedonia Canyons and gorges of North Macedonia Caves of North Macedonia