Pliska

In the middle of the plains north of the mountains is the archaeological site of Pliska, which was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire until the time of Simeon I (late 9th century), who moved the capital to Preslav. Pliska was a huge city in ancient terms (23 square kilometers); some estimate that close to half a million people lived in it.

The visit to the place is impressive: you can see extensive remains of urban planning, a huge and magnificent 100-meter-long basilica cathedral structure whose remains are currently being restored, as well as a partially restored walled inner city, including the entrance gate. This is the place of the palace—the center of power in the empire. The inner city was a kind of “Forbidden City,” like ancient Peking (Beijing, today). In the heart of the inner city, there is an important museum with a model of the basilica and the story of the city’s history. Next to it are excavations of palaces, churches, and various buildings.

Not far from there is a complex with a large courtyard where the letters of the Cyrillic alphabet are displayed, along with the meaning of each letter and its origins. The yard is called the Yard of the Cyrillic Alphabet and is dedicated to the people who developed the alphabet—St. Cyril and Methodius, followed by St. Nahum and Clement. Next to the courtyard is a building with several halls where the letters are displayed in several other forms. In addition to this, there is a gallery of historical paintings describing the history of the Bulgarian kingdom and the adoption of Christianity, and a wax museum where the main kings who reigned in Pliska during the two hundred years it was the capital of the Bulgarian Empire are displaye

pliska remains Bulgaria