Madara Rider
Good to know
- Best time to go
- May–September
- Budget
- $
- Coordinates
- Open in maps
Carved into a sheer cliff about 100 metres tall in north-east Bulgaria, the Madara Rider shows a mounted knight triumphant over a lion — a singular monument from the dawn of the First Bulgarian Empire. Chiselled inscriptions around the figure record events from AD 705 to 801, and Madara served as the empire's chief sanctuary until Bulgaria embraced Christianity in the 9th century. The relief entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
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