Perperikon. The ancient sanctuary Perperikon is a huge rock massif in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains, which is believed to have arisen about 8,000 years ago. The stone monument rises 15 kilometers from Kardzhali, near the Perpereshta River, from which it is said that ancient people mined gold. For the first time, the archaeological complex was described by Prof. Ivan Velkov in 1930, but the place gained publicity as a result of the research of Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov. During the Late Bronze Age, Perperikon became a grandiose sanctuary. Many facts lead us to think that it was precisely in Perperikon that the famous sanctuary of the god Dionysus was located. Perperikon, together with that of Apollo in Delphi, are the two most significant oracles in antiquity. Perperikon consists of four parts: a powerful fortress - the Acropolis, a Palace-sanctuary, which is immediately below the Acropolis from the southeast, and northern and southern suburbs. Many temples and buildings were built on the hills. Wide streets were carved out, along which every visitor could walk. On the sides of each street, houses were preserved, carved into the rock itself. In the eastern part of the Acropolis, a huge Basilica was carved out. The Basilica was most likely an ancient temple, and during the time of Christianity it became a church. From the basilica to the interior of the Acropolis, a covered colonnade, a portico, leads, the columns of which have survived to this day. From the data of ancient and medieval authors, it is known that such porticoes were built only in large cities and significant cult complexes.