The Madara Rider, representing the figure of a knight thrusting a spear into a lion lying at his horse's feet, is carved into a 100-m-high cliff near the village of Madara in north-east Bulgaria. A dog runs after the horse and an eagle perches on his arm. The Horseman of Madara is a symbol of the majesty of the Bulgarian state under the reign of the Khan Tervel.

   Madara was the principal sacred place of the First Bulgarian Empire before Bulgaria’s conversion to Christianity in the 9th century. The inscriptions beside the sculpture tell of events that occurred between AD 705 and 801. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  In the 14th century, in the rocks of the Shumen Plateau at Madara, the biggest Bulgarian rock monastery was created with 150 cells.

                                                                                     Madara - Provadia Plateau

      Madara was a sacred site of the ancient Thracians, with its importance continuing under the early Slavs, and the proto-Bulgarians. At the base of the cliffs is the site of sacred caves and shrines, including one to the 3 nymphs beneath an overhang and the foundations of early Christian churches. From its multitude of archaeological ruins (houses, villages, temples, monuments and fortresses) and the finds from 6 historical epochs, Madara became known as something of a Bulgarian Troy.   Prehistoric cult figurines and votive tablets been found here, the 3 nymphs, Zeus, Heracles, Dionysus, Cybele, the Thracian horseman-hero Heros. After the end of the 7th century new sanctuaries were built, a temple to Tangra the great Turkish god of heaven and fire and Madara became the religious centre of the new Bulgarian state."

 

      

The usual tickets

The Madara Horseman
Мадарски конник

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    On the ledge to the left of the rock relief are placed ruins of buildings from various ages – a court, proto-Bulgarian pagan sanctuary, small churches and monasteries.
   A staircase with 386 stairs cut in the rock goes up to the Madara plateau and to the fortress. At the rock base, there is a large cave called the Nymphs’ Cave – patrons of the water, nature and the woods, where the Thracians worshiped their deities in ancient times. In this cult to the Nymphs especial attention was given to the water, which drips from the cave’s vaulted arch as magical tears, and once long ago people believed that because of them the blind could see again. And at present it is scientifically proved the water can purge the human body and have a wholesome effect to the vision.

    The Large Cave located beneath the giant rock overhang forms the base of a 14th century rock monastery, although there is little left to see of it. This is also known as the  Golyamata Peshtera Cave and many pieces of ancient pottery, flints and bones have been found here and in the Small Cave at the entrance to the Big Cave.

Plan of Large Cave and Small Cave.

   In the bottom of the cave lies a huge stone with three engraved cross. Not only the sensitive, but almost everyone can feel the warmth of the stone which recovers body’s energy. Interesting, the stone within the circle wall for which the ancient people believed that if they wear a little piece from it they would be protected from pain, infirmity and evil spirits. Nowadays, one must not break off pieces as a souvenir, on pain of imprisonment. If one takes a walk in the vicinity of Madara at night, one will see a mystical bluish radiance emitted by the rocks. Truly a magical and mystical place.
   In the silence of the evening the drops of the water, falling from the vaulted arch of the Big Cave, amplified by the acoustic of its dome sounds like a melody and creates a weird magical atmosphere.

The rider, wolfhound, lion and eagle (circled) with inscriptions