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                                            Summary  

  Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria is a historically significant place which many claim to be the oldest city in Europe. Plovdiv is a city much older than Ancient Rome and claimed to be older than Ancient Athens. Plovdiv  has  8,000 years of history thanks to traces of a Neolithic settlement being found in the location of the current city. Nebet Tepe (one of the 7 hills) has the earliest traces of civilized life dating back to the 6th millennium BC, which makes Plovdiv 8,000 years old, and allegedly the oldest city in Europe (and the world’s six oldest city, according to a Daily Telegraph ranking).  It has been conquered by  Thracians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgarians and Ottoman Turks who have left the city with various historical heritage. With every step you take in Plovidv, you come across a piece of the world's history. Monuments of various civilizations are a step apart.  "The city is a major cultural center and boasts many ancient remains, including a Roman amphitheater and aqueduct, and Ottoman baths," the Daily Telegraph points out.  The city was a vital crossroad for the Roman Empire and was called "The biggest and loveliest of all cities. It's beauty shines from faraway."  by Lucian of Samosata (Roman writer). 

                       The Roman amphitheater

  The spectacular setting for a summer Verdi festival . It is one of the world's best-preserved ancient theater constructed in the 90s of I century AD. (Source Credit)

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                             Old town of Plovdiv 

 The old town in Plovdiv has architectural and historical remains that have been preserved and partially renovated. It is located on three of Plovdiv's hills: Nebet Tepe, Dzhambaz Tepe and Taksim Tepe. (Source Credit)

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 The old town view from  Nebet Tepe which is one of the hills of Plovdiv  where the ancient town was founded. 

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These are the original city walls of the castle town and this part is considered to be the eastern gate which is one of the three entrances of the ancient city . The gate was built on the main road to Byzantium  and the Bosphorus.

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 Historical Museum, which covers the city’s history from the 16th to 20th centuries 

                                 Center of Plovdiv 

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 The Dzhumaya mosque is located in the center of Plovdiv and was built in 1363–1364  by the Ottomans 

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Ancient Roman forum in Plovdiv 

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 Ancient Thracian royal tombs.   Thracians buried their elite in underground tombs under mounds. 

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An opposite end night view perspective of the ancient roman stadium that is under the city center

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                          European Capital of Culture 

Plovdiv has won to be the European Capital of Culture for the year of 2019. The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organizes a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension.  (Source Credit)

 Video 1 

 Video 2

                 -->      Documentary video about the city:  

                              All previous  names of the city  

Throughout time, the city has been standing by the river Maritsa for more than 8,000 years and it has been home to more than 7 civilizations and the city's name has been changed many times. Below are all the names of the city. 

1.  Kendrisos/Kendros (presumed) 6000 B.C. 
2.  Evmolpias/Eumolpia 1200 B.C. - the Thracians named the city after their mythical king Eumoplas, son of Poseidon. 
3.  Philipoppolis 342 B.C. - Philip of Macedonia named the city after himself. 
4.  Pulpudeva - when the Thracians won their city back they named it Pulpudeva, which is a translation of Philippopolis. 
5.  Trimontium - the Romans named the city Three Hills when they took over in 42 A.D.
6.  Puldin/Ploudin/Pulden/Populdin - the name given to the city by the Slavs after the fall of the Roman Empire. 
7.  Filibe - the city was known as Filibe during the Ottoman Empire. 
8.  Plovdiv -the current name,  the name was first mentioned in the 11th century but was replaced by Filibe during the Ottoman Empire and reinstated after the city's liberation.    

                                              References

1. https://www.seecorridors.eu/index.php?w_p=27&w_l=2&w_c=3&w_id=450
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Capital_of_Culture
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plovdiv
4. https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/actions/capitals-culture_en
5. http://www.novinite.com/articles/110944/Bulgaria%27s+Plovdiv+Named+World%27s+Sixth+Oldest+City
6. http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/2016/05/18/unseen-prehistoric-arms-ancient-medieval-swords-made-public-for-the-first-time-in-special-exhibit-in-bulgarias-plovdiv/
7. https://bulgariawinetours.com/plovdiv-8000-years-of-history-in-1000-words/ 
8. http://theplanetd.com/bulgaria-boasts-europes-oldeset-city/

And this is me on the Nebet Tepe hill facing the old town

Thank you for checking out my post

Best regards, 

Generation