Fortress Tsars Mali hail. Reconstruction

Recently, I wrote about the spa resort Belchinski baths. So, besides bathing in hot water, there is something else to do. Directly above the town of Belchin is an old reconstructed fortress.

Belchin village is located on the road between Dupnitsa and Samokov (15 km) in Western Bulgaria. The fortress "Kings of Mali grad" (a small royal town) stands on the hill of Sveti Spas, it is 990 meters above sea level.

Once it was clearly visible from all sides of the Samokov field, but nowadays the fortress existed only in legends - there was an impassable forest on this hill and only black diggers (Imanyari) dug this place, as archeologists say, into Swiss cheese (holes in earth).

Around 2012, the fortress began to be restored and just this moment of the excavation, I now want to show.

How to restore the fortress

In one month, archaeologists excavated the southeastern tower of the fortress, and then it became clear that there were six guard towers in this Roman fortress and the total length of the wall was about 400 meters.

Another surprise was the discovery of several connotations, which means the sanctity of these places. The curtains looked like stone crosses and appeared on the territory of Bulgaria in the late Middle Ages - the XV-XVI centuries. A few draws means that there were several consecutive churches in Belchin, which indicates continuous Christianity in these places.

The earliest temple, which was built on this place, dates from the 3rd to the beginning of the 4th century, then on its basis the early Christian church of the 70s of the 4th century was built. Later basilica was built here - V - the beginning of the VI century. Then on their remains was built a medieval church in the XV century. And when this church also ceased to exist as a result of some reasons, then a rent appeared at this place, which operated until recently. It turns out that Christianity existed here all five hundred years of Ottoman rule.

Only the northern front wall of the fortress with two towers, a tiled roof and a gate was reconstructed in full size.

At the moment, seven such fortresses are open in Samokov field - they protected the field and had a visual connection with each other.

By the way, in the middle of the fortress there were no buildings, because, presumably, there were tents and huts to shelter the civilian population during the attack of the enemy. And in peacetime, the fortress served as an outpost and trading place - they traded iron products from the ore, which they guarded in the center of Samokovskoye field.

Now in two towers they have made a museum exhibition in which ancient coins are especially interesting. All of them are nominal IV to VI centuries with signs of all the then emperors, there is one very rare bronze coin of Empress Gala Placidia.

Also, this place was found a lot of iron weapons - rare and interesting, such as a hand arrow, it was thrown from the hand, not from the bow. I think it is about a spear.

This arrow (spear) was depicted on shields and worn only by officers of the army of Emperor Constantine the Great.

Also here were found vertical weaving machines and jewelery: earrings, bracelets and brooches.

And this is the moment of construction, which led Glavbolgarstroy.

Fallen wall

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With love from Bulgaria @varya-davydova

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