Under Khan Kroum

We do not know precisely when the first capital, Pliska, was founded. Under Khan Kroum (803-814) and Khan Omourtag (816- 831) it already had the aspect and plan of which we can form an opinion, more or less, from the ruins discovered. Actually, only an insignificant part of Pliska has been studied.The extensive terrain it occupied — about 23 square kilometres — still hides many secrets and surprises. But there can be no doubt whatever that the history of the first Bulgarian capital of Pliska began as a settlement far earlier than the time when the proto-Bulgarian settled in these parts.

Plain of Pliska

Pliska lies in a wide plain, which reaches as far as the first foot hills of the Preslav section of the Balkan Range to the south, and as far as the slight hills of the Loudogorie to the north and north-east. The ruins of old forts and lesser fortifications are still apparent at many places on the surrounding heights, and traces of settlements, dating back to pre-Roman and Roman times are to be found in the foothills. An important road crosses the Plain of Pliska, leading from the interior to the shores of the Black Sea; the passes of the Eastern Balkan Range are also quite near, linking the Danube with the lands to the south of the Balkan Range.

Pliska was built on a very curious plan, quite unusual for the town- planning of the older settlements known in these regions. A deep and broad moat with an earthen embankment on the inner side, reaching a height of ten metres, and which may have been topped by a wooden palisade private tour istanbul, surrounded the city in the form of a lengthened trapeze, lying in a north-south direction, its long sides 7 km. long and its short ones 3.9 km. on the northern side and 2.7 km. on the southern side. There fortified earthworks defended a series of settlements, scattered over the extensive area. They formed the separate districts of Pliska, situated at a certain distance from each other. These were the districts of the common population of farmers, stockbreeders and craftsmen.

Thatched huts and dwellings of the dugout type predominated here, at least in the earlier period. But in the course of time larger dwellings, as well as buildings of various workshops, such as potteries, smithies and so on, made their appearance. After the adoption of Christianty in 865, churches began to be built as well. Each district acquired its church, which stood out among the other buildings with its more solid structure and its size. Large monasteries were also built. So far the ruins of over 20 churches have been excavated. A large part of them are of the basilica type.

The district, inhabited by the ruler and the bolyars (nobles), lay in the centre of Pliska. It covered an area of about half a square kilometre, in the form of a trapeze, the sides of which had a total length of 2870 metres. A heavily-built stone fortress, made of big, well-hewn stone blocks, separated the palace of the Khan, the bolyars’ houses and public buildings from the rest of the city. Although only the lower part of the fortress walls have been preserved, they still seize the eye of the visitor and amaze him with their rugged strength.

They were 2.60 Riri. thick, and up to 10 m. in height, crowned with huge stone crenellations. There was a gate on each side, defended by square double towers. Besides these, round towers at the corners and pentagonal towers along the walls further increased the fortress’s powers of resistance. This fortified district was in fact the citadel of the settlement. Inscientific literature it is usually known as the «Inner City» in contrast to the remaining districts, which formed the «Outer City». The inner city appears to have been very densely built up. The «Big Palace», which was built upon the ruins of an older and larger palace, burnt down by the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus I. in 811, stands out with its spacious halls.