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Plovdiv is Bulgaria's second-largest city,
and the most attractive and vibrant centers, situated in the
Upper Thracian valley, along the two banks of Maritza, scattered
upon six unique syenite hills. Certainly, there's plenty to see:
the old town embodies Plovdiv's long and varied history -
Thracian fortifications overlaid with Byzantine walls, and by
great timber-framed mansions erected during the Bulgarian
renaissance, looking down on the Ottoman mosques and artisans'
dwellings of the lower town. But Plovdiv isn't merely a parade
of antiquities: the city's arts festivals and trade fairs rival
Sofia's in number, and its restaurants and hotels compare
favourably with those of the capital. The Roman Plovdiv revolves
around the ruins of a Roman stadium and forum, the Turkish
Baths, the 15 century Imaret dzhamiya and the impressive
Dzhumaya dzhamiya or "Friday mosque" with its diamond-patterned
minaret and lead-sheathed domes. The old Plovdiv, most of which
is designated as an Architectural-Historical Reserve, is
remarkable with its cobbled, hilly streets, churches and
colourful orieled National Revival-style houses that are
Plovdiv's specialty. A splendid landmark and a venue for
concerts and plays, is the Roman theatre, whose imposing ruins
are practically the only remains of an acropolis which the
Romans built when they made the town a provincial capital during
the 2nd century. |
