The town of Yakoruda is located
in South-West Bulgaria in Balgoevgard province. It is the seat of the municipality which is the north-easternmost
in the Balgovegrad district. The town lies in the
Rhodope Mountains, along the
Mesta River, 26 km west of the town
of Velingrad. Yakoruda was proclaimed a town on 9 September
1964, having previously been officially classified as a village. A plurality
of the residents are Muslim Bulgarians (Pomaks), the rest being for the most
part Eastern Orthodox. Yakoruda has a mosque and a church and
the two religious communities coexist in concord.