Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari

To the north of the Balkan Mountains, there is an area of sloping hills extending for about 100 km to the Danube River. In this area lived the Getae Thracians – Dacian tribes. One of their centers was the sacred burial site of Sveshtari in northeastern Bulgaria, where ancient mounds were found and an important temple-tomb that was declared a World Heritage Site because it is unique and different in shape from the other Thracian tomb-temples.

What is special about the Sveshtari temple is the rectangular shape of the inner chamber, in contrast to the round shape of the other temple-tombs. In addition, the walls of the room are integrated with one-of-a-kind sculptures of ten women holding up the ceiling. They stand with their hands raised, in positions that combine plant motifs, in a way reminiscent of the column capitals of the caryatids in Greek temples (the Erechtheion on the Acropolis of Athens).

Not far from the Sveshtari Tomb-Temple is an important Sufi Muslim site called Tekke Demir Baba, located inside a hidden and magical gorge that can be reached by stairs. There is a holy spring, the saint’s tomb, a meeting place, and a mosque that was built in later periods. The building has a conical dome and is built in the Seljuk style. The complex is surrounded by an outer wall with huge Cyclopean stones, which are probably very ancient, from the time of the Thracians, and on them are mysterious geometric signs.

sveshtari museum bulgaria