The Melnik Earth Pyramids (Bulgarian: Мелнишки пирамиди) are rock formations, known as hoodoos, situated at the foothills of the Pirin mountain range in south-western Bulgaria.

[1][2][3] Administratively, they are situated on the lands of Bulgaria's smallest town Melnik and the villages of Karlanovo, Rozhen and Gorna Sushitsa, all of them in Sandanski Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province.

[4] Geologically, the earth pyramids are part of the Sandanski or Struma Graben, built up by Neogene deposits bordering the older rocks of the Pirin Horst.

The sediments were deposited 5 to 3 million years ago when the graben valley surrounded by the mountain ranges of Pirin, Belasitsa, Ograzhden and Maleshevo used to be a lake.

[1] The lower Neogene layer is over 100 m deep and is composed by lightly soldered grey to yellowish sands and gravels made up mainly of quartz grains and clay strata.

[1] The principle factors for the formation of the Melnik Earth Pyramids are the suitable sedimentary rocks and erosion due to rainfall and bedrock wear from the Melnishka River and its tributaries, and to lesser extend – wind abrasion.

On the other hand, the clays in the uppermost sections harden as a result of multiple wetting and sun burning and form a 1–2 cm thick layer that significantly delays the washout.

[1] The combination of light Neogene sandstone and red Quaternary conglomerates creates not only pleasing yellowish and reddish colour gamut, but also determines the extremely diverse forms of the pyramids.

[10] Other than the landforms themselves, the town of Melnik has been designated an architectural reserve and is among the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria with well preserved national revival houses, several churches and ruins of a medieval fortress.

[1][12] Rozhen Monastery, the largest one in the region, was established in the early 13th century during the Second Bulgarian Empire, and is nestled among the earth pyramids a few kilometres to the north-east of Melnik.