2 November 2023, Shipka, 15.11km
Hotel IT Shipka 70lev [R700]

We are in the Valley of the Kings.
A dedicated cycle path brought us 11km north of Kazanlak to the village of Shipka, population 1300. On the outskirts of the village, we visited four more Thracian tombs all dating from around the fourth century BC. We can see the fourth, that of King Seuthes III, from our hotel room.
"It is believed that there are over 1500 tumuli in the region, with only 300 being researched so far." [See the mini pyramids marked on the map above.]
Although the tombs were hidden beneath stones and earth, creating large mounds (tumuli), many were unearthed and robbed in antiquity. Some, however, were discovered intact and yielded golden masks and bronze heads and helmets and knee guards and delicate crowns and the bones of sacrificial animals and more.*
None of those we saw today were painted with frescoes as at the Kazanlak tomb, but they were remarkable for other reasons. Walled passages lead to one or two antechambers and then to the burial chamber. One burial chamber was hewn from a 6 ton granite monolith, others are circular and built from perfectly-cut and fitted granite blocks. Some had granite doors; one a marble door.
The tombs are cleverly presented and protected via walkways and temperature control.
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We were incredibly lucky. November is winding-down time, preparing-for-winter time, fewer-tourists time. We were the only visitors at the four tombs. As the tombs are tiny, only two to four people can access the burial chamber at any one time. Had there been more visitors, we would not have been able to spend as much time as we did in each. Wonderful!
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*Charl says archaeologists are modern-day grave robbers!
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The Shipka Memorial Church is a Bulgarian Orthodox church built between 1885 and 1902 in the seventeenth-century Russian style. It is dedicated to the Russian and Bulgarian soldiers that died for the liberation of Bulgaria in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78.
The temple was officially opened on September 28, 1902, in the presence of Russian Army generals. The opening and consecration coincided with the 25-year anniversary of the Battles of Shipka Pass.
The church's bell tower reaches a height of 53 m and its bells, the heaviest of which weighs 12 tons, were cast from the cartridges that were collected after the battles. In the temple itself, the names of the Russian regiments and Bulgarian volunteers are inscribed on 34 marble plates. The remains of the perished are laid in 17 stone sarcophagi in the church's crypt.