Buzovgrad Megalith – Gate of the Mother Goddess

Near the village of Buzovgrad lies the megalith known as the Gate of the Mother Goddess.

Declared a natural landmark in 2013, the site is an ancient sanctuary approximately 4,000 years old, dating back to the late Chalcolithic (Eneolithic) and the beginning of the Bronze Age.

The megalith is a rock complex that forms an opening about 1.8 meters high, along with a throne, altar, and more. The opening is positioned so that during the summer solstice (June 21), the setting sun’s rays pass through it.

The Thracians believed that sunrise symbolized birth and sunset symbolized death. For this reason, it is thought that the Gate of the Mother Goddess symbolized the gateway to the afterlife.

In a broader perspective, the hill on which the megalith is located forms part of a symbolic triangle that also includes the capital of the Thracian Odrysian tribe, Seuthopolis, and the tomb of Golyama Kosmatka.

It is believed that, besides its cult function, the site also served as a watchtower and was used to maintain the Thracian calendar.