[VivaBulgaria]

I would like to post something for the forgotten (and almost totally ruined) cultural centres of Early Medieval Europe, the first two capitals of the Bulgarian Empire Pliska and Preslav.

Pliska was capital between 681 and 893. With a territory of 27 km2 it was by far the largest city in the continent by area. It consisted of an Inner and Outer City. The Inner city was surrounded by a thick stone wall built up of large stone blocks - that technique was brought in Europe by the Bulgarians. There were to palaces (small and big), the building of the 6 great boyars (the most important nobles), two pagan temples. The city had sewerage (long before London or Paris), the palaces had modern (for their time) baths and according to recent research (which still have to be proved) the Bulgarians built a dam in the mountains to the south of Pliska which supplied the capital with fresh water. The palaces had a floor heating system. The Outer city was surrounded by a 7 m deep moat filled with water and a wooden palisade. With the conversion to Christianity in 864 tens of churches and monasteries were constructed in the city. The most imposing of them was the Grand Basilica in the Outer city which was 99 m long and 30 m wide and an area of 2950 m2 - the largest church in Europe at the time. It was part of an enormous monastery complex which included a school, two baths, dwellings and even marble toilets. According to most historians it was the country's leading learning and educational centre built by Boris I to further develop and spread the newly invented Bulgarian (Slavic) alphabet.

Plan of Pliska:
http://bulgariancastles.com/bulgariancastl...ska_plan-09.gif

Preslav was chosen for capital by Boris I during the Counsel of Preslav in 893 in order to tear off with Bulgaria's pagan past (following the revolt of his eldest son against Christianity). Boris I now gave the crown to his third son Simeon I the Great (893-927) - perhaps the most ambitious Bulgarian ruler who decided to turn his capital as rival of Constantinople in splendour and wealth. Preslav was smaller in area (3,5 km2) and again had an Inner and Outer city both surrounded with stone walls of white monolith stones. Like Pliska, Preslav too had sewerage and good water supply. The imposing Throne room in the palace had beautiful marble columns and was richly decorated. Here is a description of the contemporary writer Ioan Exarch (roughly translated): "... And when he [the poor man] enters the palace [of Simeon] and when he seen the high palaces and churches richly decorated with stone and timber, and from the inside with marble and copper, silver and gold - he just does not know with what should he compare them as he has not seen in his land anything but huts. The poor begins to lose his mind and to awe at them." Of the numerous churches in the city two were the most important - the Palace church and the Round (Golden) church. Both were lavishly decorated with mosaics and tile of the famous Preslav ceramics. The Golden church had an unusual architectural design and its dome was covered with gold. The capital and the surrounding monasteries were the center of the Preslav literary school, considered by some historians as the second university in Europe (along with the other Bulgarian literary school at Ohrid) after the University of Constantinople.

Link to the museum of Preslav:
http://www.museum-preslav.com/engl/colect.html

[Melisende]

Thanks for that!!!

It certainly is an interesting yet forgotten part of history.

[VivaBulgaria]

I will post here an interesting article for the ancient Bulgarian architecture in the area of Pliska, Preslav and Madara. The Term "Proto-Bulgarian Empire" used there means the First Bulgarian Empire (which you all must know is modern Bulgaria , as its official name was according to the Byzantine historians "Bulgaria"); the term "Proto-Bulgarians" means Bulgars ;-)

Temples in Pliska, Preslav and Madara