Baklitza from the Rhodope Mountains Decorates the Buckingham Palace

Standart Daily

A baklitza (traditional woodcarved wine vessel) adorns a showcase with unique pieces of art at the Buckingham Palace. About a month ago Lyuben Ushev - a producer of the wonder-working potion, the so-called Mursala tea, gave it to the royal family.
Lyuben Ushev is the first Bulgarian who has a plantation of Mursala tea (Sidericus Scardica) also known as "the Bulgarian Viagra." In May he won the Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice in the UK. At the awarding ceremony he made a donation - two baklitza made of juniper wood. The royal family liked one of them so much they wished to take it to the palace.

The unique pieces were made by Mincho Minchev from the Rhodopean village of Mogilitza and the carvings, featuring pipe players were done by Chavdar Dostov - a master from the town of Smolyan. Dostov's works adorn the apartment of Deputy PM Emel Etem and the home of ex-minister of agriculture Nihat Kabil. Other works of Dostov can be seen at the exposition of crafts from the Rhodope Mountains region as part of annual Salon of Arts in the National Palace of Culture. The visitors buy out like hot cakes the handmade carpets of Stefka Doycheva, Krasimira Belcheva and Penka Stavreva. Pipes and leather bags decorated with blue beads are among the most liked traditional craft works. The National Revenue Agency announced that it would like to buy some of the works of the talented craftsmen.