For more of the beautiful native routes, visit www.drumivdumi.com
With the assistance of Eli Ivanova
Madara - "Bulgarian Troy"!… With these mysterious words the movie began, which I had the opportunity to see in the museum under the Madara Horseman. I knew a lot about Madara and Troy, but at Prima Vista I couldn't connect them. So I dug into Google and found out „
Troy is popular with the general public, including myself, mostly with the Trojan War, and with the pretty Elena, chanted in Omiri's Iliad. However, it turns out that the ancient city of Troy existed for over 3000 years. Archaeological excavations there reveal 9 cultural strata, the oldest of which dates back to 3 thousands of years BC and the last to the first century. Archaeologists find there the remains of many different peoples and eras.
And our Madara is not inferior to Troy, even the opposite. The area is full of antiquities and remains of all ages and many cultures and peoples. The archaeological monuments found there date from the 4th millennium BC until the 15th century. During the September holidays on Bulgarian Independence Day, I had the opportunity to spend 4 wonderful days in Madara with sightseeing in the surrounding area. We saw a lot of interesting things with the group we were with. But as always, there is still a lot left, so there will certainly be a second round. In this article, I describe the most interesting places in Madara and the surrounding area that impressed me. I have dedicated a separate blog article to some of them.
Madara Horseman
This is one of the most famous and emblematic Bulgarian landmarks - a unique rock relief carved in the Madara Rocks, associated with the Early Middle Ages and the Bulgarian Can Tervel.
Madara Rocks to the Madara Rider
The Ecopath around the Madara Horseman
A very pleasant walk that starts from the highway to the left of the Madara Horseman. The trail climbs up the plateau, reaches the Madara Fortress and ends down the stone steps in the rocks. The length of the route is 6 km and it takes about an hour and a half.
Views of the plateau and the Madara Fortress
Madara Fortress
The Madara fortress was built in the 4th c. Later, when it came within the boundaries of the First Bulgarian State, the fortress was used, together with other fortresses on the surrounding plateaus, to protect the capital Pliska.
Madara Fortress
Daul Tash
Daul Tash is the great stone of a pagan shrine associated with the god Tangra. It is located at the foot of the Madara Rocks, at the end of the eco-trail mentioned above.
Madara - Daul Tash
Roman villa
Just over Madara, somewhere between the horseman and the village, are the remains of an ancient Roman villa. The remains are impressive and their scale shows that the villa belonged to a wealthy man. It is a pity that the villa has not been officially studied. Therefore, the treasure hunters must have been pleased.
Roman villa near Madara
Veliki Preslav
The Second Bulgarian Capital! A beautiful and majestic city, one of the most significant in Europe of its time. Unfortunately, this is a long-gone grandeur that we can only imagine, judging by the scarce remains.
Veliki Preslav
A little over 20 years ago, we visited Pliska and Preslav. And then, in the dawn of democracy, destruction and neglect reigned in both places. It's completely different now. The state has some idea about the development of tourism and the restoration of historical monuments. European money is pouring in. Judging by the scale of the restoration, the main resources are being utilized in Pliska, and it is unknown why Preslav remains somewhat aloof, although he was more brilliant than Pliska.
Pliska
The first Bulgarian capital, the first Bulgarian state on the Balkan Peninsula! A remarkable medieval town and a particularly popular tourist attraction lately.
The old capital Pliska
It is interesting to spend a man in the restored parts of the museum and the Great Basilica, near the fortress. The renovations continue, so it will be even more interesting.
The Great Basilica in Pliska
Letters Court
This is the latest landmark of Pliska, which is a composition of the 30 letters of our alphabet, made of some Armenian stone. There is also a picture gallery in the Palace of Letters with paintings presenting scenes from the baptism of the Bulgarians.
The Pliska Yard in Pliska
The Letters Court is actually part of a luxury hotel complex with many amenities and a picturesque artificial waterfall garden. For a final, these are the places in the Madara area that we have visited that I recommend you to visit too! In addition to the places I visited, I had the pleasure of tasting a traditional Madara Mango - lamb liver with bulgur instead of rice. It was great! Also to mention the guest house we stayed in, St. George - a cozy, cozy, with many amenities, a nice garden, barbecue and magnificent views of the Madara Rocks. The perfect place for a good company like ours!
St. George Guest House in Madara
