HISTORY:
“The Thracian tribes are the first mentioned in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. He described them as brave warriors and excellent seafarers, allies of the Troyans in their war against the Achaeans. The Thracians inhabit today’s Bulgaria from the Bronze Age to the late Antique Age. Since the 4th millenia BC to the 6th c AD, they crated a unique civilization equalled only by the Greek and the Perisian. The most famous Thracian tribes were the Odrissians, the Ghetians, the Tribalians, the Serdians, and the Dhacians. In the 6th C BC they united in states. In the beginning of the 1st C AD they were conquerred by the Romans and after the 5th – 6th C AD by the Slav and Bulgarian tribes…”

SITES:
Starosel
In 2000, a sensational discovery occurred near the village of Starosel, in central Bulgaria. Archaeologists found the enormous temple/grave from 5th-4th c BC, of what is believed to be a Thracian ruler, possibly Sitakes I, the first king of a combined Thracian empire. Sitalkes had an annual income of 800 talents and ruled from the Danube to the Aegean.

Sboryanovo
The reservation, declared in 1988, with an area of about 16000m2 protects rare creations of nature and one of the greatest concentrations of archaeological sites in the country. The most notable of them belong to the culture of the Thracians - more than 100 tumuli, vast areas surrounded by stone walls, cult places, sanctuaries and others, dated to the 1st mill.BC, as well as important sites from the Praehistoric, Roman and the Mediaeval periods. Perperikon: http://www.perperikon.bg


Tatul
The Tatul sanctuary is situated just outside the present-day village of Tatul, 8km to northeast of the town of Momchilgrad. The temple lies inside the fortress walls of a Thracian fortress and is believed to have been dedicated to the famous Thracian singer, Orpheus. The sanctuary, deemed to date back to the 12th century BC, represents a big monolithic rock shaped by men into a pyramid. It is 4.5m high and 6m wide at its base. Within its body, worshippers have dug two rocky cemeteries, 8 stairs, and a niche for laying a ritual plate.

FAMOUS THRACIANS:
Dionysus, the Thracian god of wine, represents not only the intoxicating power of wine, but also its social and beneficent influences.

Orpheus, in Greek legend, was the chief representative of the art of song and playing the lyre, and of great importance in the religious history of Bulgaria and Greece.

Spartacus was a Thracian enslaved by the Romans, who led a large slave uprising in what is now Italy in (73 BC - 71 BC). His army of escaped gladiators and slaves defeated several Roman legions in what is known as the Third Servile War.

• HB basis ( dinner )
• Transportation
• Tour guide
• Meetings and some specialized tour guides
• 1 person FOC in single room as a tour leader for 15 + PAX
• Accommodation: 3 star hotels in Sofia, Plovdiv, Kurdjali and Kazanluk, typical national-style villas in Arbanassi

Day 1

Sofia arrival transfer, dinner, accommodation. Sofia was originally a Thracian settlement called Serdica, named after the Thracian tribe Serdi that had populated it. Around 500 BC another tribe settled in the region, the Odrysi, known as an ethnos with their own kingdom.

Day 2

Sofia full day to visit the National Museum of History as an introductory. Afternoon departure to Veliko Turnovo: the Mediaeval capital city of Bulgaria. Late evening arrival and overnight in the museum village of Arbanassi, located on a hill above Veliko Turnovo.

Day 3

Departure noth-east to the region of Isperih to visit Sboryanovo National Archaeological reserve. There are over 100 mounds in the region, the most famous of them is Sveshtari Thracian tomb, included in the UNESCO list. The location of the mound necropolises in the cult centre Sboryanovo testifies for the astronomy culture of the Thracians and according to some historians represents a huge map of the stars. Evening return to Arbanassi for a second overnight.

Day 4

Visit Tsarevets Royal Hill in Veliko Turnovo. Departure south, crossing the Central Balkan Range to Kazanluk and the Valley of the Thracian Kings. En route stop to Shipka memorial church. Visit Ostrusha tomb, Goliama Kosmatka tomb. Visit the regional museum in Kazanluk and meet with a local historian. Overnight.

Day 5

Visit Kazanluk Thracian tomb. Depart from Kazanluk to Starosel, another Thracian tomb - temple cult complex. Afternoon to Plovdiv. Free time and overnight.

Day 6

Morning short tour to visit the Old Plovdiv architectural reserve with the Roman Amphitheatre and Hindlian house and depart to Kurdjali. Arrival in Kurdjali and check in at the hotel.

Day 7

Full day in the region: visit the museum, meeting with a local historian, proceed to Perperek site ( the ancien rock hewn city of Perperikon ) and Tatul ( the alleged location of Orpheus’ grave ). Overnight.

Day 8

Early morning departure via Plovdiv to Rila Monastery UNESCO site, the most visited tourist site in Bulgaria, a definite must for all, who visit Bulgaria. Short tour and evening arrival to Sofia. Overnight.

Day 9

Sofia departure

The package price includes: accommodation and entrances as per the list below, HB basis ( dinner ), transport, tour guide, meetings and some specialized tour guides, 1 person FOC in single room as a tour leader for 15 + PAX. Accommodation: 3 star hotels