The Madara Rider is cut high in the rocks, not far from today’s Madara village and the first Bulgarian capital Pliska. The horseman is in natural size. He is pierced with a spear a lion and is followed by a dog. Around the bas relief there are inscriptions of Bulgarian rulers from VIIIth to IXth centuries.
The monument leaves a memory of greatness and creative power.
The Madara Rider is the only rock relief not only in Bulgaria but also in Europe. A number of scientists find similarity between the Bulgarian horseman and the rock reliefs in Sassanida Persia.
During the First Bulgarian Kingdom, the Bulgarians established themselves, carrying and seeking the difference with neighbor Byzantium.
The Madara Horseman is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
