Madara horseman is a medieval rock bas-relief, carved on a massive 23 meters high cliff. It is located 75km away from Varna, near Madara village, Shumen district.
The monument is a representative of Early Medieval Bulgarian art. In 1979, it was included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and in 2008 it was chosen as the national symbol of Bulgaria.
The bas-relief depicts a horseman in a real size and holding a sword in his hand. There is a fallen lion at the horseman’s feet, behind him his hunting dog is depicted. The horseman is associated with the early years of the First Bulgarian State. The inscriptions around the bas-relief describe important political events related to the Bulgarian khans Tervel, Kormisosh and Omurtag.
Madara horseman is a part of “Madara” national historical-archeological reserve. Towering cliffs, beautiful natural surroundings, and abundant water have attracted man since ancient times. Traces of the material and spiritual culture of many ethnic groups have been found here the Prehistoric human presence, Thracians, Romans, Byzantines, Slavs, Bulgarians, Turks and others. Today dozens of monuments and artifacts from all epochs can be seen.
Nowadays tens of monuments and artifacts from all those periods can be seen in the reserve – a Thracian spiritual and cult site, Christian chapel, early Christian complex, “Madara” fortress, etc.
There is an archaeological museum in “Madara” national historical-archeological reserve. Here you will find artifacts from all historic periods.
You can reach the monument Madara horseman by train to Madara village. Train schedule you can check here.
