The natural monument “Markovi Kuli” is located in the central area of the Republic of Northern Macedonia, on an area of 3,548 hectares. Relief is part of a low mountain branch of Babuna Mountain, which extends between 660 meters above sea level. and 1422 m.n.v. It consists of two rows of imposing heaps with the highest peaks Zlatovrv (1,422 m), Lipa (1,392 m) and Edinak (1,313 m). The western row consists of the mounds Markovi Kuli (945 m), Zelenik (993 m) and Zagradski Steni (1,153 m), while the eastern is formed by the mounds Kukul (978 m), Glajca (1,033 m) and Edinak (1,303 m). The two massifs merge to the north. It is named after the southernmost hill Markovi Kuli with the highest point of Chardak (945 m). This characteristic mountain range was clearly bordered on almost all sides by the valley of Stara Reka in the north, Prilepska Reka in the south and Prilepsko Pole in the west and southwest.
Markovi Kuli Fortress is a symbol of the city of Prilep. They were built during the time of the powerful Macedonian kings and their dominant defense system makes them unique in the Balkans. They were named after the last king, the most famous and sung in folk epic King Marko, the protector of the oppressed and oppressed, who ruled until 1395. The Mark Towers are one of the five largest fortresses in the Balkans. On the slopes of Markovi Kuli, just above Varos, there is a beautiful masterpiece of nature, the petroglyph “Elephant”. Our ancestors recognized the petrified bodies of the characters from legends and legends in the steps and blocks, they saw the footsteps of Marko and his horse Sharec in the footsteps and cups, and the faults were a testimony to his strength and anger, when in front of his sword “diplenica” could not to obstruct a stone, let alone a man.
There is no doubt that the development of culture in the area of the Markovi Kuli protected area was significantly influenced by the playfulness of the environment, the ambience and the landscapes. The unusual shapes of the rocks have always stimulated the imagination of people who recognized various animals or objects in the lifeless mass of stone. This in turn resulted in the creation of the toponyms, Turtle, Leo, Wolf, Bird, Baba, Nakovalna and the like. A peculiar feature of the area is the ostenic at the foot of the hill Markovi Kuli, near Varos, which is better known as Elephant or Stork. The suggestive shapes of the rock masses and the inability to comprehend the long-lasting geological processes left the people of the past astonished in front of the extraterrestrial landscape of Markovi Kuli. Therefore, the unusual shapes were often explained by the presence and action of King Mark, after whom this whole area is named.