Pobitite Kamani

Some 18 km to the west of the city of Varna, along the two sides of the Sofia-Varna road, the magnificent natural rock formations Pobitite Kamani (Rammed Stones) display their uniqueness and are the only such rocks in Bulgaria. They are considered extremely rare natural forms on our planet. The stones were formed by erosion about 50 million years ago. Hundreds of stone columns rise above the white sands of the hemi-desert locality around the town of Beloslav, the villages Slanchevo, Banovo, and Strashimirovo on an area of nearly 70 square km. The are of different height (5 to 7 m) and width (0,3 to 3 m) and section (circular, elliptical, G-shaped).

All of them are stuck in the sand without any firm base underneath; they are hollow and filled with sand. Some of these peculiar stones have shapes that resemble vases, branched roots, gigantic thrones, cones, imposing columns from ancient palaces. The majority of the Pobitite Kamani are organized into levels with a cumulative height of 5m. There are many hypotheses about the origin of the stones. Generally, they belong to two major groups: organic origin and inorganic origin. The first group likens the Pobitite Kamani to coral organisms, the fossilized lagoon forest, etc. In relation to this hypothesis, some scientists believe in this place once there was a sea. According the second hypothesis, the origin of the magnificent stones can be explained with the prismatic weathering of the rocks and the formation of sand-limestone concretions. In 1937, the Pobitite Kamani were declared natural landmark in order to be saved from the invasions of treasure-hunters and constructors.