Abstract
Urban Architecture in the Danube Bulgaria: Pliska (681-893)
The collapse of the Great Bulgar Khaganate, which became a state in the north of the Black Sea in the first half of the 8th century, in the second half of the same century, caused the heirs of the Khaganate to migrate to all directions. One of these migrations, which started with the aim of finding a new homeland, took place in the western direction towards the Balkans under the leadership of Asparuh Kagan. The Bulgars, organized on the southern border of the Lower Danube, ruled this geography for two centuries and were the architects of the transformation of the name of Bulgaria, which includes the tribe union, to the name of the country. Pliska, which bears the distinct traces of the nomadic Turkish culture in the Balkans and was first established as a military headquarters of the Bulgars in the 680s, gained the identity of the capital in the later period. The probable location of Pliska was determined with the findings discovered during the archaeological excavations carried out in the 19th century near the village of Aboba, in eastern Bulgaria. As a result of the excavations carried out since this date, it has been revealed that Pliska is a city with architectural elements, administrative and military features, economic vitality (commercial materials, craft products, agricultural tools and equipment). Bringing Saltovo-Mayaki cultural elements, including ancient beliefs, to the region they migrated to, the Bulgars succeeded in creating an urban culture including the settled peoples of the Balkans.
Keywords
Danube Bulgarians, Pliska, urbanism, urban culture, urban architecture