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Obrochishte village

See it on the map Bulgarian properties in Dobrich Region - Obrochishte

Obrochishte is a village in north-eastern Bulgaria, part of Balchik municipality, Dobrich region. It is located 33 km away from the town of Dobrich, 31 km away from the city of Varna, 5 km away from Albena resort and 13 km away from Golden Sands resort.

general information

The village is situated on the bottom of a former deep bay, which now forms the picturesque valley of Batova river. Its coast-line was outlined by the rocky ridge on which nowadays is set the village of Lyahovo.
The population numbers to 2500 people. Altitude - 135 m. The relief is hilly and the climate is temperate-continental, influenced by the proximity of the Black Sea - the winter is mild, and the summer is cool.
The former name of Obrochishte (by 1942) used to be Tekke, which in Turkish means a Muslim's ritual home with rooms where dervish-priests are praying. The word "obrochishte" means a religious sanctuary where vows are being given and rites are being carried out.

 

infrastructure

 

In the village there is a school, which is attended by children from the nearby towns and villages, a community center, a kindergarten, a post-office, a mayor's office, an Orthodox church built in 1880, a stadium, many shops, doctor's and dentists' offices, a pharmacy. Near the village there is a mine where manganese is being derived. Short distance away from the village there is a dam-lake stocked with fish which provides excellent conditions for fishing lovers.
The local people are occupied predominantly in farming and stock-breeding. Cultural and rural tourism are being developed in the village. A great number of the people are commuting to the Black Sea resorts of Albena and Golden Sands.

landmarks and events

  • The monastery in Obrochishte is known  as "St. Athanasius" among the Christians and as "Ak Yasala Baba" among the Muslims. It was constructed in the 16 century and comprises two heptahedron buildings with a different size. The first one is "tyurbe" or the mausoleum - it is painted with oriental and baroque ornaments. This is where the relics of the saint are laid (the Christians believe that they belong to St. Athanasius and the Muslims believe that they belong to Ak Yazala Baba). The second building is an imaret (a shelter) -  a huge fireplace is built in it with a tall heptahedron chimney. The pilgrims used to find refuge there. During the time of the Ottoman domination in Bulgaria unlike the other mosques, people from religions other than Muslim were allowed in the monastery. Everyone was allowed to show their respect to the relics of the saint and to get hope to cure a disease or to solve other kinds of problems. The legend has it that once in the village there was a man who fell in love with a Muslim girl and ran away with her. After being chased for a long time he finally got caught and killed. As per the legend it is his body that lies in the mausoleum. There are many speculations as of whose relics are buried there, but it is only important that regardless of their religion all people believe that tucking their hand into a hole in the temple will help them get a blast of positive energy.
  • Between May 15th and 18th  a Religious Singing International Festival named after St. Athanasius the Great is being held annually in Teketo area near the village. It gathers believers from three religions: Orthodox, Muslim and Catholic. Head of the festival is Todor Atanasiev -  a famous Bulgarian director. Traditionally, in the past,  the day the  saint-patron of the temple was celebrated  special rites  for good health used to be performed . Afterwards everyone would go to the monastery where the believers (both Muslims and Christians) would leave one of their belongings or would spend the night near the tomb of the saint. They believed that this ritual will keep the good health of the healthy and will take the pain away from the suffering.

Sources: www.bgvakancia.com, www.wikipedia.org
Pictures: Mirela

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