Belintash information

Belintash

Белинташ
A view from Belintash
Shown within Bulgaria
Location	Asenovgrad, Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria
Coordinates	41°51′00″N 24°58′6″E / 41.85000°N 24.96833°E / 41.85000; 24.96833
Type	Rock sanctuary
Area	2.3 ha
Site notes
Public access	free

Belintash (Bulgarian: Белинташ, pronounced as Belantash and Belǎntash in some local Bulgarian dialects) is a small plateau in the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria bearing traces of human activity. It is assumed that this is a cult site of the ancient Thracian^{[citation needed]}, though the very essence and purpose are not yet fully understood. There are also suggestions that the sanctuary was dedicated to the god Sabazios (Ancient Greek: Σαβάζιος) built and operated by the independent Thracian tribe Bessi^{[citation needed]}. The upper platform of the plateau is marked with carved round holes, trails, niches and steps that some researches interpret as stellar map^{[citation needed]}. It is claimed by some Bulgarian media that in 2006, anonymous tourists had discovered the so-called "Inscription of Belintash" - a petroglyph carved into the rocks, which according to some theorists, confirm that the Thracians had their own alphabet that pre-dates Greek alphabet^{[citation needed]}. However, the authenticity of the petroglyph has not yet been confirmed or denied by archaeologists working on the site of Belintash.