Its prime location on the Balkan Peninsula between Europe and Asia, resulted in Bulgaria having a storied history and many different ruling empires. The land that is now called Bulgaria has been inhabited since at least 6000 BCE. Only a few leftovers from these early civilizations have survived, but seeing the ruins of Bulgaria’s first empires helped us to better understand the long history of this country.
The first ones to put their mark on this land were the Thracians in the Bronze Age. They were known to be skilled warriors and horsemen. Although they were mostly tribal, the separate tribes joined forces to fight against common enemies. They even became allies with Troy and fought in the Trojan War. It is said that the Greeks used the word Thracian to connote wild, barbarians.
At the opposite end of the spectrum from barbarian, the Thracians were also skilled at wine making. Thracians even worshipped Zagreus, the god of wine, and used wine in many of their rituals. In fact, they passed on their wine making knowledge through the ages to the current generation so that Bulgaria has excellent wines to this date. Before making this statement we had to be sure so we sampled several wines during our stay.
These barbarians also have a few illustrious citizens such as poet and musician Orpheus, Gladiator Spartacus, even Byzantine Emperor Justinian. Eventually the Thracians were absorbed by the Byzantines.
Kazanlak
There aren’t many Thracian sites left in Bulgaria but we did find a few of their tombs. Driving though the countryside near Kazanlak we saw dozens of Thracian tumuli (burial mounds) across the land. This royal necropolis is dated from the end of 4th century BCE. Its estimated that there are over 60,000 Thracian tombs across Bulgaria.
The tomb of Sleuthes III is one of the largest tombs and today it is open as a museum. Its name is Golyama Kosmatka, which is the name of the temple that was originally on this site in the 5th century BCE. Inside the tomb, a long stone hallway leads to a round, monolithic chamber. Today its empty, but gold jewelry, a crown, bronze vessels, golden wine goblets and armour were found in the tomb. A few replica items were on display. When it was discovered researchers said there were no human remains in the tomb other than a few teeth from a child.
Large stone doors remain open today, but after the funeral they would have been closed and the hallway filled with stones and dirt.
Researchers found a bronze bust of Sleuthes III buried in the ground outside the entrance of the tumuli. Today a replica stands in front of the tomb and the original is in a museum in Sofia. Although this is a replica, it is so detailed that it is difficult to believe that the sculpture found was created in the Bronze Age.
The original 3rs century BCE Kazanlak Tomb in the city of Kazanlak is closed to visitors, but a replica was built beside it. Once inside the replica tomb you walk down a similar hallway to the one we saw in Sleuthes III’s tomb. In this museum though, the walls of the hall are painted in bright colours. At the end of the hallway the small, round tomb is also decorated. Its dome ceiling is covered in murals of horses, chariots and musicians. Seeing how these tombs may have originally looked was fascinating. The original Kazanlak Tumulus was found by accident in 1944 by soldiers looking for air raid protection.
Kazanlak is a large producer of rose oil and throughout the city are wonderful rose gardens. Our arrival in the autum meant that there were very few roses left, but we managed to find a few.
On the outskirts of Kazanlak is a much different site. The 19th century Shipka Monastery looks like a gingerbread house. Its outer walls are painted in colourful peach below a green and white checkered steeple. At the top of the steeple and golden domes are double-barred orthodox crosses.
Inside, the pillars are embellished with colourful frescos that reach up to the domed ceiling. A priest was chanting in low tones giving the sanctuary a very haunting atmosphere.
The church is dedicated to Russian and Bulgarian soldiers who died in the Battle of Shipka Pass during the Russo-Turkish. There is a crypt in the church’s basement with graves of some of these soldiers.
Pliska
Driving though Bulgaria we were able to see a large variety of natural landscapes. Our route took us from the flat prairies to rolling hills and eventually through the rugged mountains. On the way to Pliska we went by hillsides covered in wonderful rocky pinnacles.
From the 5th to 7th centuries, tribes of Slavs and Bulgars settled in Bulgaria. The Bulgars were originally nomadic and they were known as skilled horsemen and fierce warriors. The nomadic Bulgars eventually united with the more organized Slavs. Together, under Bulgar leader Asparukh they overcame the ruling Byzantine Empire. They established the first court in Pliska and The First Bulgarian Empire was born.
Pliska was a fortified citadel for nearly 200 years. Today however, the former capital is mostly in ruin. There are only a few sections of the original limestone wall. From what is left though, you see the large cut stones that were used to make remarkably strong walls.
Inside the walls are the foundations of a large city including a palace, churches, temples and an archbishop residence. On top of these foundations, the buildings would have been made of wood and were burned down during an attack by the Byzantines in the 800s.
A kilometer away from the citadel are the ruins of the 9-11th centuries Great Basilica of Pliska. Some of the original walls are still standing and others have been rebuilt to give a better idea of how grand this church must have been. It was built on top of the remains of a pagan temple and turned into a church, monastery and Archbishop residence.
Veliki Preslav
Driving through the Bulgarian farming communities we saw quite a few horse and buggies travelling down the highways. We drove past the two men pictured below outside of Veliki Preslav. They were waving to us as we drove by so we felt obligated to take their picture.
In the 9th century, Bulgarian leader Boris I moved the capital from Pliska to Veliki Preslav but it was under Simeon I (9th-10th centuries) that the town morphed into a beautiful city. Simeon I was educated in Istanbul where he developed a love of arts and architecture. It was this experience that influenced the buildings in Veliki Preslav.
Simeon The Great, as he was also called, significantly expanded the Bulgarian territory. Tsar Simeon built an Empire that ran from the Black, across to the Adriatic and down to the Agean Seas. As with all empires this one crumbled in the early 1000s AD. Today, this once wealthy capital can only show us its partial walls and columns that once shaped its palaces and cathedrals.
Perhaps the best example is the Round Church that is found just outside of the city walls. Built in 907 AD, the church was richly decorated with carved marble and ceramics. It was apparently unlike any other church of its day.
Another impressive feature of this city are the thick walls that once surrounded the citadel. We stood atop one section of it to truly appreciate its size. In places the stone walls were over 3 meters thick. It was difficult to imagine how these massive stones were brought down from the mountains, several kilometres away.
In the 9th century, missionary brothers Cyrius and Methodius arrived in Bulgaria and are credited with developing the first Bulgarian alphabet called Glagolitic Alphabet. They developed this alphabet so that it would be easier to spread Christianity. The alphabet allowed priests and nobles to read the Bible in their own language. This was a large factor in the spread of Christianity throughout the land. During the reign of Bulgarian Emperor Simeon I, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was created.
The Glagolitic Alphabet eventually was dropped for the easier to read Cyrillic, which is still used in Bulgaria today. Not far from Veliki Preslav is Cyrius and Methodius Church, built almost 1,000 years after these Greek brothers were in Bulgaria.
How to Visit Bulgaria’s First Empires
Getting to many of the small, mountain communities in Bulgaria is not as easy by public transportation so renting a car is often a better option. We didn’t see any tour groups in this part of Bulgaria. Visitors from almost any country outside of the EU need to show a physical copy of their international driver’s permit. A digital copy is not enough. Car rental agencies are very strict with this rule.
There are a few hotels and guesthouses in the small cities in this area. It would also be possible to visit them all on day trips from Veliko Tarnovo. We found a nice guesthouse and good dinner in Veliki Preslav.
Tip – There is not a lot of English spoken in Bulgaria and they use the Cyrillic Alphabet. It would be wise to have your destinations written in Cyrillic before leaving your hotel. Google Lens is very helpful to translate written material such as menus.
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Coming Next – Veliko Tarnovo – Bulgaria’s Second Empire
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