Karnobat Valley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karnobat Valley | |
|---|---|
 A view of the valley at Lozarevo | |
 Interactive map of Karnobat Valley | |
| Coordinates: 42°43′52″N 26°52′46″E / 42.73111°N 26.87944°E | |
| Location | Bulgaria |
| Area | |
| • Total | 320 km2 (120 sq mi) |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 45 km (28 mi) |
| • Width | 7 km (4.3 mi) |
Karnobat Valley (Bulgarian: Карнобатска котловина) is situated in eastern Bulgaria and is the tenth of the eleven Sub-Balkan valleys in direction west–east. It is named after the town of Karnobat, its main settlement.
The valley is enclosed between the Stidovo and Karnobat divisions of the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Terzijski Ridge of the Balkan Mountains to the southwest and the Hisar Heights to the southeast. To the south it connects with the Sliven Valley through the river Mochuritsa, a left tributary of the Tundzha; and to the east a low saddle in the area of the village of Chernograd forms the divide with the Aytos Valley.[1][2]
The valley spans a territory of 320 km2. It reaches a length of 45 km from northwest to southeast; its width varies between 1 and 7 km. The average altitude is 180 m, with inclination in southern, southeastern and southwestern direction. It is divided in two areas — the higher Sungurlare field to the northwest and the lower and partially swampy Karnobat field to the east.[2]
The bottom of the Karnobat Valley is filled with river and Tertiary sandy-clay sediments. Its lowest sections along the Mochuritsa are marshy. The surrounding mountain slopes are made up of Upper Cretaceous sediments and pyroclastic rocks. It is drained by the Mochuritsa and its tributaries. The valley lies in the transitional zone between the temperate continental climatic zone and the continental Mediterranean zone. The soils are alluvial in the river valleys, and cinnamon, smolnitsi and rendzina in the peripheral parts.[1][2]
At the southern entrance of the valley, between the Terziyski Ridge and the Hisar Heights, lie the ruins of the medieval stronghold Markeli, which played a major role in the early Byzantine–Bulgarian wars. It was the site of two major battles between the two empires, one in 756 and another in 792.[3]
