Ardino

Ardino (Bulgarian: Ардино, formerly Turkish: Eğridere) is a town in Southern Bulgaria, in the Rhodope Mountains. It is located in Kardzhali Province and it is also close to the town of Smolyan.

It is famous for its textile industry. It has a machine-building factory and a tobacco manufacturing industry. Tourist attractions include the Belite Brezi, the Eagle rocks and the Dyavolski most (Devil's bridge). Under Ottoman rule, Ardino, then known in Turkish as Eğridere, was a kaza centre in the Sanjak of Gümülcine in the Adrianople Vilayet before the Balkan Wars. Ardino received its name in 1934 and was declared as a town in 1960. Ardino is the birthplace of Sabahattin Ali, Turkish novelist, poet and journalist.