For him the mountain is freedom; a journey back to the roots, to something lost in the way and also a chance to achieve peace of mind. Above all though the mountain is about discovery, Hristo Todev contends. By profession he is an economic analyst. Twenty years ago however he became keen on alpinism and since then has made the mountain his pastime.

With his camera he captures the beautiful natural scenery that he comes across during his countless journeys and shares photos with many people. The shots are various: breathtaking, thrilling or romantic, showing the mountain in either an icy or colorful garments, in the hues of late autumn or fresh with the lush greenery of rejuvenated nature; conveying the scents of the forest and the coziness of mountain villages.

The mountain fascinates Hristo Todev with its pristine nooks that human beings rarely visit. He says such places can be found even in very popular mountains like Rila. But Hristo’s greatest passion is the Rhodope Mountain. He teamed up with photographer and traveler Nikolay Genov for a unique photo album Rhodopes: The Sacred Mountain. In some parts of the Eastern Rhodopes one can roam for kilometers, all day long, without spotting a living soul.

“There is a place in the Eastern Rhodopes that I always revisit. This is the vicinity of Sara Kaya, a 50-m rock with a cave as if carved by a human hand. There are several neighborhoods with only two residents – Uncle Shaban from Mumdjidam and Gyulbiyaz from Murga. It’s a place where only hunters come to visit from time to time. This is a pristine area stretching between the villages of Bezvodno and Tri Mogili and Borovitsa Dam. There are no trails, only bear tracks can be seen. It is a veritable adventure to get there”, Hristo says and goes back to his memories:

„Once we were wandering there in the autumn fog. We went through Murga on our way to Uncle Shaban and we had a chat with Gyulbiyaz. She saw us off. Only the house was visible in the fog. All of a sudden the sun broke the fog. Gyulbiyaz started singing. She sang a Rhodope song – with Turkish lyrics but with quite a familiar melody, and then she started playing the shepherd’s flute. We stopped and could not go. It was a moment that cannot be repeated.”

In connection with his passion for mountains and alpine climbing, 14 years ago Hristo Todev began classifying and mapping the trapezoidal niches cut into the rocks, which he came across in the Eastern Rhodopes.

„Wherever I go I always take pictures to be able to enumerate the niches, rocks, to look for some kind of logic, to try to solve the secret of these mysterious shrines. I gradually became aware that they are numerous. I exchange information with friends who are keen on these phenomena. Over the past ten years quite a few people have become fascinated with the mystery of the complexes hewn into the rocks and with the shrines across Bulgaria. There is an exchange between professionals and between amateurs too. A side view always counts and can contribute to solving a mystery”, Hristo argues.

Many people take photos of mountains but photos taken by alpinists are quite different and much more expressive. The secret – according to Hristo Todev:

„Some photos that make you dizzy require quite some risk or adrenalin – you have to go to a place where not everybody would go, and select a viewing point.”

Where foreign lands are concerned, Hristo Todev dreams of Pakistan, the Trango Towers and the Baltoro Glacier. With friends he loves to climb the Dolomites in Northern Italy, as well as Prokletije in Albania – one of the last surviving pristine mountains with inaccessible peaks in Europe.

English Daniela Konstantinova