Plovdiv

Plovdiv started out as a Thracian settlement over eight thousand years ago.

The origins of the Thracian people are still unsure, some believe they came from as far a field as Iran while others relate them to the ancient Slavic tribes.

The reason why Plovdiv was chosen as a settlement, one that thrived once it was established, is because of the natural formations that offered perfect living conditions for our ancient ancestors.

Plovdiv sits in the shadows of the Rhodope Mountains, a mountain range that offers an abndance of fauna and wildlife that the ancient Thracians could use for eating.

Plovdiv is also disected by the great Maritsa river , a river that is wide but not deep. The Maritsa river offered the Thracian people a place to gather fish and also gave the lands in the city great farming soil.

Over time the Thracian people built a huge civilisation in Plovdiv and started to trade surplus food and crafts through the eastern trade routes for other foods and items that could not be found in the Plovdiv area.

After several thousand years of Thracian settlements, Plovdiv, like many parts of the Balkans, succumbed to the power of Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great.

Alexander actually named Plovdiv, Philippopolis, which means the city of Philip after his father.

Philippopolis was an extremely important city in Alexanders empire as it was a major trading place on the trade routes through to the east.

Plovdiv was soon lost to Alexander the Greats Empire and fell under the rule of the Romans.

The Romans renamed Plovdiv from Philippopolis to Thrimontium which means the city of three hills, although Plovdiv actually has seven.

The Romans believed Plovdiv to be an even more important city than Alexander as Plovdiv became a major cross road in the Roman Empire.

Within Thrimontium the Romans spent alot of time building two theatres, both of which are still standing today. One of these theatres was large enough to sit 7,000 people from the city.

Lucian of Samosata, a well known writer from the age of the Roman Empire was noted as saying that Plovdiv was the largest and most beautiful of all cities on Earth.

Post Roman rule Plovdiv was in its lost years where information is not easily found on what happened there although evidence shows that the feared Attila the Hun did come to Plovdiv and wreake havoc, even damaging the large Roman theatre that stands today.

The first time that Bulgarians stepped foot in to Bulgaria was in the 6th century under the reign of Khan Kubrat. These Bulgarians were known as the Bulgars and are believed to have originated from present day Afghanistan.

The Bulgars found the city of Plovdiv and settled there, flourishing for a few hundred years until the Byzantine Empire came charging in to the city and taking over control in the 10th century.

The Byzantine Empire ruled the land for two hundred years before the Bulgarians claimed their land again.

In the 13th century the famous Ivan Asen battled hard against the Byzantine Empire and managed to return the city of Plovdiv back to Bulgarian rule, this lasted for three hundred years.

In this three hundred years the Bulgarian people grew in stature and managed to build their own small Empire in the Balkan region....this was before the Ottoman Empire started eyeing their lands.

During the 15th century the Turkish Ottoman Empire took over the lands of Bulgaria, including Plovdiv. This rule lasted until late in the nineteenth century when Bulgaria finally threw off the shackles of external rule and managed to rule its own lands again.

Plovdiv today stands as an administrative centre in Bulgaria, as well as one of the most important cities since six thousand years before the birth of Christ.

For those who visit present day Plovdiv they can enjoy beautiful gardens, wonderful restaurants, cafes and bars as well as over two hundred archaeological and historical monuments dating back to Thracian times.

For anyone who enjoys to travel, Plovdiv certainly is a place to visit.