A photo exhibition of the unique inaccessible prehistoric images from the walls of the Magura Cave in north-western Bulgaria, has been put on display at the cave's entrance.

Many of the paintings, which have been inaccessible to visitors for many years, can now be seen as part of a new photography exhibition.

The exhibit will be on display in a hall in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the cave, Mihail Mihaylov, head of the Belogradchik Historical Museum, stated.

The Magura Cave, located near the town of Belogradchik is one of Bulgaria's biggest caves. The oldest traces of its inhabitants in the cave date back 8 000 years BC.

The drawings, which number over 750, are located at 375 metres under the ground and, in order to preserve them, access to them has been limited. The images are multi-layered and date to various periods, from the Epipaleolithic, through to the Neolithic and Eneolithic, to the beginning of the early Bronze Age.

The drawings contain images of dancing female figures, dancing and hunting men, masked people, a rich diversity of animals and plants, suns, stars and labor tools. Through these drawings, prehistoric people preserved information about religious calendars and the holidays by putting down their symbolic images, Mihaylov explained.