Pliska - the first Bulgarian Capital

Pliska was the first Capital (after 681-893) of the
First Bulgarian Kingdom. Its ruins lie 3 km north
of today's village of Pliska (prev. name Aboba). Its
name was mentioned in many resources most si-
gnificant of which are the Bulgarian apocryphal chronicle from XI
c. AD as the town of Plyuska founded by Asparuh Khan, the By-
zantine authors George Cedrin,
John Zonara, Anna Komnina as
Pliskusa. The town had area of
23 km2 and was surrounded by
21 km long defensive line built up
of moat and rampart. The Inner
town had area of 0.5 km2 rectan-
gular shape and had 2.6 m thick
and about 12 m high fortress
walls, cylindrical towers at each
corner, and two other towers at
each wall.		 Monasteries
Treasures
Thracian tombs
World's oldest gold
The Madara horseman
Old Bulgarian Capitals
  l Pliska
     Veliki Preslav
     Ohrid
     Veliko Turnovo
Museum towns
Old fortresses
In the Inner town there was situated the Big
palice (Khan Kroum's palice) which has it's
own defensive walls and towers and the so
called Palice centre which formed the third de-
fensive line of the town. With its great size and
advanced fortification system Pliska was a re-
a remarkable state centre in the early medieval
ages.

Khan Kroum's palice
(restoration by Y. Popov)

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