Scientific documentation, photogrammetry, and cataloging of rock drawings, incised signs, solar symbols, and early medieval inscriptions in the Iskar Gorge and Northwestern Bulgaria.
Select one of the main rock complexes for more information.
Abundance of inscriptions, early letters, overlapping graffiti (palimpsests), and zoomorphic rock figures.
To Tsarevets →
Unique petroglyphs above the Skaklya waterfall. Discovered by "Pod Raba" Caving Club.
To Zasele →
Prehistoric and early historic rock carvings with parallels in Mediterranean rock art (Graziosi).
To Oslen Krivodol →
The rock cult complex "The Crosses" near Breze village featuring Christian crosses and solar niches.
To Breze →Rock graffiti, inscriptions, and symbolic systems near Tsarevets village, Mezdra municipality
The rock drawings near Tsarevets village represent one of the richest palimpsest rock archives in Bulgaria. Hundreds of graffiti items have been documented across the rock massifs, spanning a wide chronological range from Prehistory to the Bulgarian National Revival.
Of special scientific interest are the categories Inscriptions, Letters (including Cyrillic and unknown runic symbols), as well as Overlaps (palimpsests), which allow determining relative chronology through stroke superposition.
Rock drawings and petroglyphs in the region of Zasele village, Svoge municipality
The petroglyphs near Zasele village (located in the scenic area above the Vazov Eco-trail and Skaklya Waterfall) are subject to detailed study by a team from the Bulgarian Archaeological Society "Ivan Venedikov".
The rock carvings include anthropomorphic figures, horsemen, solar discs, and geometric compositions carved into natural sandstone and limestone blocks. Analysis shows the use of pecking and deep incising, characteristic of sacred sites in the Iskar Gorge.
Rock art near Oslen Krivodol village, Mezdra municipality
The rock complex near Oslen Krivodol reveals unique motifs with parallels in classic studies of Mediterranean rock art (such as the famous research by Paolo Graziosi on the Badisco cave).
The drawings and symbols combine solar elements, cupules (cup-marks), and linear incisions that served for astronomical and cult observations in antiquity.
Rock sanctuary, incised crosses, and ritual niches near Breze village, Svoge municipality
In the lands of Breze village lies the remarkable site known as "The Crosses". Dozens of Christian equal-armed and Calvary crosses are depicted on monumental rock deposits, combined with older pagan solar symbols.
The site demonstrates continuity of sacred tradition – from prehistoric veneration of the rock face to medieval and 19th-century votive practices.
Documentation methodology, epigraphic analysis, and research publications
The following scientific reports and articles are available in the archive collection: