Arda
  The village of Arda is situated 36 km to the south of Smolian along the upper part of the Arda River from where its name originates. It lies at 1000 m above the sea level and has about 600 inhabitants. At Ilinden (a religious holiday celebrated on the 2nd of August) an all-village fair takes place; an event at which hundreds people come from all parts of the country.    
           
         
   
  During the summer people can enjoy hiking, cycling or horse riding at the spring of the Arda River, the old Thracian sanctuary near the village and the view of the cone-shaped peak Kom. Its history dates back in the Antiquity when the main Thracian thoroughfare passed through it; the underground church and the monastery at the peak were built and demolished by the Ottoman invaders at the Ilinden Fair but the legend dating from the Middle Ages remains.
 
do you know that

One can enjoy a beautiful
view from the top of Kom:
to the north - Golyam
Perelik, Snezhanka, Rozhen
and Haydushki Polyani;
to the south - to the
Aegean Sea and the island
of Thasos which can
be seen when the weather
is clear.
 
Very close to the spring
you can find the small
village of Lagut - the
birthplace of the singer
with the cosmic voice -
Valya Balkanska.
 

In the region are
revived crafts like the
loom, woodcarving and
metal processing.
 

In the past, when the
building of a new house
began and before the
first stone was laid,
they put a bottle of
chrism in one of the
corner and coins were
thrown all over the place.
They did it "bless" the
house and to "attract
luck and money
to the house".

 
 
Mogilitza
  The village of Mogilitza is situated 28 km south of Smolian. About 560 people live in its houses, perched picturesquely along the left bank of the Arda River and the nearby hamlets. The average altitude is 950 m. The inhabitants celebrate "Predoy" in the second week of June and demonstrate all the traditional rites connected with the main means of livelihood in the region - stock-breeding.  
   
 
Mogilitza is a desirable place for tourism due to the popular Agushevi konatzi situated in the center of the village. The numerous caves in the region, the beautiful nature and the historical heritage from Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the National Revival are equally attractive.  
 
Smilyan
  The village of Smilyan is situates along the upper stream of the Arda River 13 km south of Smolyan and has population of 2000 people. The average altitude is 850 m. The settlement is famous for its religious tolerance: the church is only a few yards away from the mosque, people celebrate their religious holidays together; for example the church patron's day - Spasovden - turns into an all-village fair and people from all over the country come to attend it.    
   
 
In the past and today the main occupations of the population have been the agriculture and the stock-breeding. Potatoes, maize and the famous Smilyan beans are grown traditionally. Goats and sheep are bred and skilful female hands weave beautiful fleecy rugs and goat's hair rugs from the got wool and embroider traditional slippers.