A Balkan country in eastern Europe, Bulgaria boasts history going back to the ancient Thracians, Greeks and Romans. It has the largest number of ancient architectural ruins after Greece and Italy. Bulgaria’s second largest city, Plovdiv, is the oldest continuously inhabited city in all of Europe.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites dot the country. The Cyrillic alphabet was invented there in the 9th century AD. Bulgaria’s Valley of the Roses is the world’s largest producer of rose oil and rose water, exported around the world.

Intrigued, I traveled to Bulgaria on a Road Scholar tour to learn about this country’s extraordinary history and emergence as a democracy after Communist rule ended in 1990.

First I looked at a map: Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north. It is about the size of the state of Virginia. Ancient Hellenistic influence, the First and Second Bulgarian Empires, and nearly 500 years of Ottoman Turkish rule are reflected in Bulgaria today.

The majority of the 6.5 million population is Orthodox Christian; nearly 11% worship Islam. Greek, Turkish and Mediterranean flavors influence the cuisine. Bulgaria’s Cyrillic alphabet made me glad I was on a tour, as street signs were undecipherable. I was surprised to learn the Cyrillic alphabet was created here during the First Bulgarian Empire (681–1018 AD) by two Byzantine brothers, Cyril and Methodius. Today this alphabet is used in more than 50 languages by 250 million people in Eurasia – with Russians accounting for about half of them.

My tour started in Bulgaria’s capital city of Sofia. Its National History Museum showcases ancient Thracian culture: sophisticated pottery (6th C. BC), bronze helmets (400 C. BC), and gold vessels from the Panagyurishte Treasure (300 BC.). Other displays included Treasure of Khan Kubrat (635 AD) and the Hoard of Kaliakra (12th-15th C).

Then we visited the Boyana Church on Sofia’s outskirts – the first of six UNESCO World Heritage Sites we saw in Bulgaria. This Orthodox church features one of the best-preserved examples of medieval art in Eastern Europe. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed of the amazing frescos in the tiny interior – as was the case in some other churches.

Driving south, the next UNESCO World Heritage Site we visited was the Rila Monastery, founded in the 10th century. It is the largest monastery and one of the symbols of Bulgaria. Tucked into a mountain valley, Rila is one of Bulgaria’s most-visited religious sites. Stunning painted murals adorn both its interior and outside walls under the roof eaves.

Next we visited Plovdiv, where human habitation dates back to Neolithic settlements in the 6th century BC. Ancient Roman ruins are prominent in its walkable downtown. The Roman Stadium of Philippopolis (2nd C. AD) is among the largest and best-preserved buildings from the Roman Empire in the Balkan Peninsula. More amazing is the Bishop’s Basilica of Philippopolis. Protected within a modern building, it harbors exquisite Roman mosaic floors from the 4th to 6th centuries.

We continued to Kazanlak, a small town in the Valley of the Roses – also known as the Valley of the Thracian Kings. Here distinctive rose varieties flourish, and the production of rose oil and rose water is a major industry. At the Lema facility, we learned how rose petals are harvested over 20-25 days during May and distilled the same hour they’re picked to get the best essence.

A mind-boggling 3½ metric tons of rose petals are distilled to produce one kilogram of valuable rose oil. The by-product of rose water results from 1½ metric tons of rose petals. Rose of Bulgaria is used to scent and flavor everything from rose lotion, soap and perfume to rose wine, brandy and liqueur.

Nearby we visited an authentic replica of a 4th-century BC Thracian tomb; the actual tomb is not open to visitors to preserve its delicate murals. Archaeological finds here date back to the Thracian city of Seuthopolis, and the Valley of the Thracian Kings is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wonderful Thracian artifacts are on display in Kazanlak’s Iskara History Museum.

A similar UNESCO site is the Tomb of Sveshtari, dated to the 3rd century BC and considered a masterpiece of Thracian art. Quite a different UNESCO site is the Madara Horse Rider, carved on a cliff and dated to the 8th century. It depicts a horseman with a spear, a wounded lion at the horse’s feet and a hunting dog. Now a national symbol of Bulgaria, this rock relief is the only one of its kind in Europe.

The entire peninsular village of Nessebar on the Black Sea coast is a UNESCO site. Its cobblestone streets are lined with traditional wooden houses and 12 Byzantine churches/basilicas from the 11th-14th centuries. We saw dramatic murals at St. Stephen Church and stunning gold jewelry (4th-3rd C. BC) at the Nessebar Archaeology Museum.

We also visited Varna on the Black Sea coast. This popular resort attracts 10 million visitors a year – the majority Romanians lured by warmer beaches and cheaper prices. Varna’s Archaeology Museum showcases a renowned collection of the world’s oldest manufactured gold, dated 4,600 to 4,200 BC.

Veiko Turnovo proved the most picturesque town we visited, perched on scenic hills and once the capital during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (1185-1396 AD). Here artisans sell an array of handcrafted items along cobblestone streets. En route back to Sofia, the village/open-air museum of Etara also featured active artisan workshops reflecting 18th–19th century crafts.

Bulgaria has a complicated historical relationship with Russia – for centuries it was allied with Russia against the Turks’ Ottoman Empire. Then it allied with Germany during both World Wars – although no troops were sent to fight. Bulgaria became part of the Communist Eastern Block (1945-1989), but it was not actually part of the USSR. However, Bulgaria’s Communist party copied all of Russia’s policies from nationalization of land and businesses to police like Russia’s KGB.

Communist domination ended in 1990 when Bulgaria became a political democracy with a market economy. Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007. However, it continues to use its own Bulgarian Lev currency instead of the Euro.

— By Julie Gangler

Julie Gangler visited Bulgaria on the Road Scholar tour, Treasures of Bulgaria. She is a freelance writer who has worked as a media relations consultant for the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau. She began her career as a staff writer at Sunset Magazine and later was the Alaska/Northwest correspondent for Travel Agent Magazine.