Mount Chepan () is a mountain located in western

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, part of the

Balkan Mountains The Balkan mountain range is located in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. It then runs f ...

Geography

Mount Chepan stretches about 20 km in length and varies in width from 2.5 to 5.5 km, covering an area of around 80 km². Its highest peak, Petrov crast, stands at 1205.6 meters. The mountain is surrounded by the

Nišava River The Nišava or Nishava ( Bulgarian and sr-Cyrl, Нишава, ) is a river in Bulgaria and Serbia, a right tributary, and with a length of also the longest one, of the South Morava. Course Bulgaria The Nišava originates in western Bul ...

to the north and Mala Mountain to the east, with Dragoman marsh and Ponor Mountain to the south. The

Dragoman A dragoman was an Interpreter (communication), interpreter, translator, and official guide between Turkish language, Turkish-, Arabic language, Arabic-, and Persian language, Persian-speaking countries and polity, polities of the Middle East and ...

–

Godech Godech ( ) is a town located in the Sofia Province, of Bulgaria. The town is founded in a valley on the far west of Stara Planina, where the Nishava River passes. The settlement is about 20 km east of the Serbian border and has its highes ...

road demarcates it from the west. Close to the town of Dragoman, it is also near the

Kalotina Kalotina ( ) is a village in the Dragoman Municipality, Sofia Province, in westernmost central Bulgaria. As of 2010, it has 270 inhabitants and the mayor is Lidia Bozhilova. The village is located at the border with Serbia, 55 km to the north ...

– Dimitrovgrad border checkpoint, linking Bulgaria with

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

via the international road E80 and a railway line.

Flora

In 2014, a study identified 344 species of

medicinal plants Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including Plant defense against h ...

, which belong to 237 genera and 83 families.

Archaeology

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

sanctuary dedicated to the worship either

Sabazios Sabazios (, ''Savázios''; alternatively, ''Sabadios'') is a deity originating in Asia Minor. He is the horseman and sky father god of the Phrygians and Thracians. Sabazios gained prominence across the Roman Empire, particularly favored in the ...

, the

Thracian horseman The Thracian horseman (also "Thracian Rider" or "Thracian Heroes") is a recurring Motif (visual arts), motif depicted in reliefs of the Hellenistic period, Hellenistic and Roman Empire, Roman periods in the Balkans—mainly Thrace, Macedonia (reg ...

, or possibly both, was located on Mount Chepan. An

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

dating back to the early decades of the 3rd century AD was discovered in this sanctuary. Presently, it is on display at the Archaeological Institute and Museum in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

.{{Citation , last=Tacheva-Hitova , first=Margarita , title=The Cult of Sabazios , date=1983-01-01 , work=Eastern Cults in Moesia Inferior and Thracia (5th Century B.C.-4th Century A.D.) , pages=169 , url=https://brill.com/display/book/9789004295735/B9789004295735-s004.xml , access-date=2024-04-07 , publisher=Brill , language=en , doi=10.1163/9789004295735_004 , isbn=978-90-04-29573-5, url-access=subscription

References

Landforms of Sofia Province Balkan mountains Thracian sites