Ancient:

Undoubtedly, Plovdiv is one of the main places in Bulgaria where most historical monuments from various ages are concentrated. Taking them for granted, though, is simply not enough if the city wants to keep attracting tourists and take care of its own citizens' welfare.

A step in the right direction was made in 2006, with the help of the Greater Municipality of Istanbul, under a bilateral treaty between Bulgaria and Turkey providing for co-operation in the restoration of Ottoman sites in Bulgaria and of Bulgarian Orthodox Christian sites in Turkey.

If you have passed through the centre of Plovdiv in the past two years, you would have noticed that one of Plovdiv's symbols, the Cuma Mosque (known as Djoumayata), has turned into a construction site. In September 2008, just a little over two years since re-construction began, the mosque would re-open to believers, just in time for the great Muslim feast Ramazan Bayrami.

Cuma Mosque is one the biggest mosques in Bulgaria and one of the oldest Ottoman cult buildings in the Balkans. It is an impressive rectangular building with nine lead-covered domes. The nave alone is 33m long and 27m wide. The murals recall the oldest Ottoman cult buildings in Bursa, Edirne and Sofia, dating back to 14th and 15th century.

When the restoration began, the mosque was in a very bad shape, architect Ismail Hatipoglu, who works on the mosque, told The Sofia Echo. The condition of the building was already bad enough owing to several earthquakes, which had shaken it over the centuries and archaeological excavations done nearby, and people's neglect over the years did not help. "No repairs had been done to the mosque over the past decades and you could see it from the flowers and bushes growing on the roof. The lead cover of the roof had become thinner and fractured. In 1928, the minaret had been repaired, but the repair was poorly done and resulted in numerous deep cracks in the walls and the domes," Hatipoglu said. Another unsuccessful attempt to repair the roof was made some six or seven years ago when it was patched up with zinc-coated tin, but that technology proved to be the wrong choice and water continued to leak into the mosque's interior.

Since 2006, the foundations of the mosque have been strengthened and the cracks have been fixed. The domes were completely repaired and re-covered with lead. During the restoration, older layers of murals were discovered in the interior, dating back to the 19th century and a second layer of decoration was found from the late 18th century. "All concrete, cement and paint remains were removed. All additional constructions were removed and murals from earlier epochs, which were found after the removal of the latest paintings from 20th century, were recovered," Hatipoglu said.

As the mixed population of the region would suggest it, Bulgarian and Turkish are working side by side to restore the mosque. "The restoration is entirely paid by the Greater Municipality of Istanbul, but the total cost is not clear yet," Hatipoglu told The Sofia Echo.

After the repair is over, Cuma Mosque would become, once again, an active place of worship. Plovdiv regional mufti Osman Hilmi told The Sofia Echo that "there are 50 000 Muslims in Plovdiv. Cuma Mosque is one of the most important mosques in the city. It was built in the 1360s and is the first on the Balkans." While Cuma Mosque is under repair, Imaret Mosque has taken up its function. However, on Fridays and during Ramadaan, the mosque is completely full, forcing people to pray in the yard. Believers are impatiently awaiting the re-opening of Cuma Mosque. Bulgarian-language media reported that all the doors of the mosque would be opened, even the one that was once used only for the sultan. "All doors would be opened. I don't know whether that particular door would be used," Halimi said. "There are no sultans anymore. The door was used for people who have to be guarded and there are no such people nowadays in Bulgaria. People are safe," he said.

According to Hatipoglu, once Plovdiv authorities and Greater Municipality of Istanbul agree to it, other monuments of culture could be restored under the same agreement. As for Bulgarian monuments, the St Stefan Bulgarian iron church in Istanbul and the St George church in Edirne had been repaired under the agreement, he said. The reconstruction of a second church in Edirne had also begun.

Modern:

Plovdiv is not all about ancient and medieval monuments, by no means. Proof enough is the construction of three brand-new Western-style shopping malls. Capital Sofia may be the leading market for mall construction, but investors do are not neglecting the other big cities.

It all began in December 2006 with the launch of the Mall of Plovdiv construction. The Interior Minister, at that time, Roumen Petkov himself, turned the first sod of the mall. According to Bulgarian-language media, the mall would spread on 17 000 sq m with a total built-up area of more than 45 000 sq m. It would include more than 100 retail sites with different functions; among them a supermarket, cafe in the open air, bank office, dry-cleaner, pharmacy, electrical appliances shop, a multiplex with 11 cinema halls, snack bars and a restaurant. The mall would be ready by the end of 2008, however investors did not confirm the information. In July 2007, the initial investors in the project, IT International Theatres and Ocif Group, sold it to Quinlan Private and General Electric's property arm GE Real Estate.

Another mall being built in Plovdiv is the Central Mall Markovo Tepe, which will be finished in 2009. The investor, Israeli company Melina, is said to have invested more than 50 million euro in the project. Central Mall Markovo Tepe will have 16 000 sq m of area to rent out, 10 000 sq m of offices, 100 boutique shops and a 2000-sq-m supermarket. It will  have an underground parking area for with 560 cars.

Galeria Plovdiv Mall is the third mall to be finished, an investment of Sienit Ltd and European Convergence Development Company. Its deadline is the spring of 2009. The mall spreads on 120 000 sq m of gross built-up area, 50 000 of which is retail and entertainment area. Galeria Plovdiv will have 200 boutique shops, a supermarket, restaurants, cafes, entertainment facilities and panorama elevators. The mall is in the Trakiya neighbourhood and reportedly costs 60 million euro. The last three floors of the building would contain the parking area, with space for 1000 cars. The mall is part of the multifunctional complex Galeria, construction of which began in 2005.