Стара Загора

Stara Sagora Province


Област Стара Загора (Stara Zagora Province) is named after the city of Stara Zagora, its administrative and industrial centre. The region has no show caves or show mines, but numerous Thrakian tombs.

In the Valley of the Thracian Rulers the ancient capital Seuthopolis more and more than a thousand tombs of kings and members of the Thracian aristocracy can be found. The name was coined by the archaeologist Georgi Kitov, because of the extremely high concentration and variety of monuments. There are estimates that the valley contains over 1500 tumuli, only 300 have been researched so far, mostly between the 1960s and the 1980s. In 1965, two brick tombs, the Maglizh and Kran tombs were discovered. Prof L. Getov excavated the thracian tombs from the Roman era in the regions of the villages of Tulovo and Dabovo. Dr. M. Domaradski researched the village of Tazha and the surrounding necropolis in the Atanastsa region. Between 1992 and 2006 Senior Research associate Dr. G. Kitov led the Thracian Expedition for Mound Research (TEMR) and studied over 200 mounds. Many funeral practices of the Thracians during the Iron and Roman Eras in the Kazanlak Valley were studied. The tombs are managed by the Museum of History Iskra-Kazanlak, several are open to the public.