Seventeen km from the town of Shumen in Northern Bulgaria, where a range of cliffs shows signs of human presence dating back to the 3rd century BCE, the most famous sight is a mysterious bas-relief known as the Madara Horseman.
One of the most difficult artistic tasks is to synthesise a great idea, a message to contemporary and future generations. Such was the task of the sculptor who created the rock relief of Madara Horseman. He performed his work splendidly. The sculptor carved a relief of a majestic horseman 23 m above ground level in an almost vertical 100m high cliff. The horseman is thrusting a spear into a lion lying at his horse's feet. A dog runs after the horseman.
The Madara Horseman was carved at the very beginning of the 8th century BCE, about three decades after the foundation of the Bulgarian State (681). The sculpture marks a triumph - the Byzantine Empire had recognised the new state. Furthermore, the Madara Horseman marks a new epoch, the beginning of the new European world. Even today the Horseman remains unique - nothing like it has ever been made.
The work of the unknown sculptor is indeed magnificent. The Horseman on the rock inspires admiration and excitement even today - 13 centuries after its creation.
The profound historical meaning of the relief is further clarified by the inscriptions around the figures. These inscriptions were made in three consecutive stages and are related to important events. They are the earliest proto-Bulgarian inscriptions, the earliest written data on Bulgarian history.
The Madara Plateau is located in the Danube plain; it rises gradually up to its highest point and then suddenly drops like a stone waterfall to fertile fields. The rock cliff is 100m high. The surface of the soft sandstone is furrowed by the stratification of numerous millennia. The hidden tensions have cracked the surface. The wind and rain lash at it.
Low down, in the crevices and small caves, man lived in prehistoric times. In antiquity the Thracian tribes inhabited the plain. There was an ancient Thracian sanctuary in the large open cave under the rocks, which is known today as the Nymphs' Cave. Succulent plants and trickles of water fill this place with the natural juices of life respected by the Thracians and inhabited by their gods.
Madara Horseman, this symbol of Bulgarian statesmanship is the only one of its kind in the whole of Europe. Monumental in design and execution, the Madara Horseman is a magnificent message from the early Middle Ages.
The composition is comparable to the East Iran triumph scenes and the ancient traditions as well. The details speak in favour of the Bulgarian origin of the bas-relief. There is a supposition that the relief reflects khan Tervel as a winner.
The entire surface of the relief and inscriptions is 40 sq m. The sculptor used three methods for the carving of the figures. First he outlined the images with a 1.5 cm wide and 2 cm deep groove in the rock. Only the lion is not surrounded by such a groove. Then he hewed out the surrounding surface so that the figures project from it. The third method used was to cover the figures in red plaster so as to outline them even better against the rock.
The sculptor worked carefully on the composition in order to ensure that the relief would be seen clearly from the distance. There are various details, which not only make the scene more concrete but also make it a finished work and not merely a sketched outline. Indeed these details give the composition its distinctive character. The relief is not an abstract symbolic scene but presents a particular image with its own historical background and profound symbolism.
The Madara Horseman is included in UNESCO's List of World Cultural and Wildlife Heritage.
One of the most difficult artistic tasks is to synthesise a great idea, a message to contemporary and future generations. Such was the task of the sculptor who created the rock relief of Madara Horseman. He performed his work splendidly. The sculptor carved a relief of a majestic horseman 23 m above ground level in an almost vertical 100m high cliff. The horseman is thrusting a spear into a lion lying at his horse's feet. A dog runs after the horseman.
The Madara Horseman was carved at the very beginning of the 8th century BCE, about three decades after the foundation of the Bulgarian State (681). The sculpture marks a triumph - the Byzantine Empire had recognised the new state. Furthermore, the Madara Horseman marks a new epoch, the beginning of the new European world. Even today the Horseman remains unique - nothing like it has ever been made.
The work of the unknown sculptor is indeed magnificent. The Horseman on the rock inspires admiration and excitement even today - 13 centuries after its creation.
The profound historical meaning of the relief is further clarified by the inscriptions around the figures. These inscriptions were made in three consecutive stages and are related to important events. They are the earliest proto-Bulgarian inscriptions, the earliest written data on Bulgarian history.
The Madara Plateau is located in the Danube plain; it rises gradually up to its highest point and then suddenly drops like a stone waterfall to fertile fields. The rock cliff is 100m high. The surface of the soft sandstone is furrowed by the stratification of numerous millennia. The hidden tensions have cracked the surface. The wind and rain lash at it.
Low down, in the crevices and small caves, man lived in prehistoric times. In antiquity the Thracian tribes inhabited the plain. There was an ancient Thracian sanctuary in the large open cave under the rocks, which is known today as the Nymphs' Cave. Succulent plants and trickles of water fill this place with the natural juices of life respected by the Thracians and inhabited by their gods.
Madara Horseman, this symbol of Bulgarian statesmanship is the only one of its kind in the whole of Europe. Monumental in design and execution, the Madara Horseman is a magnificent message from the early Middle Ages.
The composition is comparable to the East Iran triumph scenes and the ancient traditions as well. The details speak in favour of the Bulgarian origin of the bas-relief. There is a supposition that the relief reflects khan Tervel as a winner.
The entire surface of the relief and inscriptions is 40 sq m. The sculptor used three methods for the carving of the figures. First he outlined the images with a 1.5 cm wide and 2 cm deep groove in the rock. Only the lion is not surrounded by such a groove. Then he hewed out the surrounding surface so that the figures project from it. The third method used was to cover the figures in red plaster so as to outline them even better against the rock.
The sculptor worked carefully on the composition in order to ensure that the relief would be seen clearly from the distance. There are various details, which not only make the scene more concrete but also make it a finished work and not merely a sketched outline. Indeed these details give the composition its distinctive character. The relief is not an abstract symbolic scene but presents a particular image with its own historical background and profound symbolism.
The Madara Horseman is included in UNESCO's List of World Cultural and Wildlife Heritage.
