News and Articles related to Town of Kurdjali
Current date: 2010-02-09 10:12

ING Bulgaria providing support for website of Perperikon

It could become a major attraction: the ancient "Holy City of Perperikon" in the south of Bulgaria. ING Bulgaria is providing support in the form of a website.

In the Eastern Rhodope, near the town of Kurdzhali, a bare rock rises. Legend has it that in the remote past, the peak was called `the rock home of the Sun God.` Ancient historians claim that somewhere here, high in the mountains stood the shrine of the Thracian God Dionysus. The site where two major prophecies were made that were to leave a mark on world history.

This excerpt comes from a promotional DVD produced by ING on one of the most valuable archaeological sites in Bulgaria, the ancient city of Perperikon. To help promote Bulgaria`s cultural and environmental legacy, ING also sponsors the website for this archaeological treasure, launched four years ago.

"When we started the project in 2003, I would get questions like: What is Perperikon? Is it a new jazz club in town?," says Rayna Tzvetkova, Manager Corporate Communications at ING Wholesale Banking in Bulgaria. But anyone who has stood at the top of the mountain will remember the name forever. In March 2007 a feature in the leading Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad compared Perperikon to Machu Picchu in Peru.

ING helped build the website to alert people worldwide to the Perperikon site and to attract donors, as a great deal of work still has to be done. According to archeologists, so far only 10% of the complex has been unearthed.

The website has now had more than two million hits from around the world. Even more significantly, in the summer months some 150,000 people now make the climb up to Perperikon. "It`s become a little easier now, because a road has been built," Tzvetkova explains, "It`s no longer only archeologists that you find there. But it`s not yet a touristy place. Entrance is still free - for now!"