On September 14 and 15, Chepelare celebrated the 55th anniversary of its proclamation as a city with a rich cultural program.

The highlight was the presentation "Morocco - Culture and Traditions". During the two days at Olimpiyski Square in the city, the Moroccan embassy showed the residents and guests the beauty of its country. A bazaar including traditional Moroccan handycrafts and a presentation of the famous Moroccan tea ceremony with sweets was organized in three tents located near the new Chepelare stage. Posters around revealed footage of the most beautiful cities and traditions of the Kingdom. And the cherry on the cake was the fashion show with Moroccan kaftans and takshitas presented by the beautiful girls of Chepelare on September 14th.

Before that, on the stage, the mayor of the city Mrs. Slavka Chakarova thanked specifically H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Republic of Bulgaria, who accepted the invitation to present the culture and traditions of her country on this important day for the city. Her Excellency, in turn, congratulated the Chepelare citizens on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the city. She wished Mrs. Slavka Chakarova even more and greater success in managing the city and thanked her for the opportunity to present Morocco's culture precisely at this momentous event. And she told the big audience about the ancient history and culture of the Kingdom. Attendees greatly applauded Her Excellency’sspeech, as well as the catwalk on the stage of the beautiful girls who presented Moroccan kaftans and takshitas in a particularly artistic and elegant way. Then, the residents and guests of the city overwhelmed the Moroccan guests and the ambassador by questions and comments related to Morocco, many of them wished to take pictures with them. A sip of Moroccan tea and exoticism lifted everyone's spirits.

A dinner for the participants in the program and guests followed at the restaurant Pepelanovskia Konak. There, everyone enjoyed the famous Moroccan couscous offered by the ambassador, as well as the specialties of the Rhodope cuisine offered by the mayor.

Otherwise, the program lasted two days

and included a variety of events. On September 14, the 75th anniversary of the birth of one of the most famous folk singers, performers of Rhodopean songs – Boyka Prisadova, was celebrated at the community hall "Rhodopean spark 1880". There was also a discussion on the theme "From ancient times to the present day", dedicated to the history of the town of Chepelare.

On the morning of September 15, the fun Treasure Hunt game was organized in the courtyard of Vasil Dechev School for the youngest residents. In the evening at Olimpiyski Square, the mayor of the city Mrs. Slavka Chakarova congratulated her fellow citizens and guests and presented the latest achievements to Chepelare. The screening of the new documentary "Knowing and Remembering - Chepelare through the Ages" followed. The children's theater group of the Community hall "Rhodopean spark 1880" presented theatrical sketches - "Chepelarski Shlenitsi". The festive program continued with a concert of Hristo Kidikov and Tonika Domini and ended with the fireworks "Light under the stars over Chepelare".

Numerous guests honored Chepelare’s anniversary. Apart from H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Republic of Bulgaria, were attending: H. E. Mr. Zdravko Begovic, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bosnia and Herzegovina, H. E. Mr. Stefan Gorda, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Moldova and his wife, Mr. Hüseyin Ergani, Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Plovdiv, a delegation of the sister city of Chepelare, Marmara, Republic of Turkey, headed by its Mayor – Mr. Süleyman Aksoy, a delegation from the Municipality of Kumanovo, Republic of North Macedonia, headed by the President of its Municipal Council - Mrs. Atina Murgashanska, Mr. Vladimir Gerbelov, Deputy Regional Governor of Smolyan District, Mrs. Ekaterina Dafovska, our only Olympic champion in winter sports and Honorary Citizen of Chepelare, Mrs. Ekaterina Pavlova, Editor-in-Chief of "Diplomatic Spectrum", Commissioner Simeon Tsarvulanov, Director of the Regional Fire security and Fire Protection Directorate of Smolyan, Mr. Alexander Kadiev - Director of Smolyan Client Energy Center and Chepelare Client Energy Center of EVN Bulgaria, many artists, athletes and  journalists. Prominent Chepelare citizens were also present: Mrs. Natalia Kavardjieva, Deputy Mayor, Mrs. Katya Staykova, Secretary of the Municipality, Mr. Angel Nikolov, Chairman of the community hall "Rhodopean spark 1880" and many others.

Photos: "Diplomatic Spectrum"

Above: Mrs. Slavka Chakarova, Mayor of Chepelare Municipality and H. E. Ms. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Republic of Bulgaria, with girls from Chepelare dressed in kaftans and takshitas.

Below: Photos 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Moments from the folklore program and Moroccan fashion show on September 14th. Photo5. The Group for Authentic Folklore at the community hall with Mrs. Ekaterina Pavlova, Editor-in-Chief of "Diplomatic Spectrum", H. E. Ms. Zakia El Midaoui, Mrs. Slavka Chakarova, H. E. Mr. Stefan Gorda, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Moldova, and his wife, between them - Angel Nikolov, Chairman of the community hall "Rhodopean spark 1880". Photos 6, 7 and 8. Moments of the festive program on September 15th. Photos 9, 10, 11, 12. Moments of H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui program in Chepelare: at the Ski Museum, at the Museum of the Rhodope karst, at the Chepelare Memorial of local people who died in the wars