The Stone Wedding – A Legend of Love – near Kardzhali

The name of the phenomenon comes from the fact that rock formations resemble people gathered in one place. The legend tells that a young lad from the village of Zimzelen fell in love with a girl from a neighboring village. During the wedding, on the way to the village of Zimzelen, suddenly a wind blew and took off the veil from the bride. At that moment the father-in-law envied his son and the guests were silent. Natural forces petrified all because of the unclean thoughts of the father-in-law. Only the bridegroom remained alive, and through in bitter tears he asked the wind to petrified him. The natural forces fulfilled his request, and as a result, the Stone Wedding phenomenon still stands next to a puddle, which is considered to be the tears of the unfortunate bridegroom.

The Natural Landmark The Stone Wedding (Petrified Wedding) is located about 4 km east of the town of Kardzhali near the village of Zimzelen. It is one of the most interesting rock formations of the so – Kardzhali Pyramids located along the Kayadjik and Chukata hills in the Eastern Rhodopes. The rock formations reach a height of 10 meters and are situated on an area of 50 decares.
According to scientific hypotheses, Stone Wedding began its formation 40 million years ago as a result of underwater volcanic activity from which the rocks of rheolite tufts were formed. Later, after the sea retreated, the rocks were exposed to rain, wind and sun, and these elements shaped their present forms. Different minerals in the rock are also responsible for the variety of colors and shades.

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