The Madara Horseman is a bas-relief situated 17 km from the town of Shumen, Bulgaria. It is dated back to 710 AD and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. What is so interesting about it is that it depicts a majestic horseman 23 meters above ground level in an almost vertical 100m high cliff.
The horseman, facing right, is thrusting a spear into a lion lying at his horse's feet. An eagle is flying in front of the horseman and a dog is running after him. The scene symbolically depicts a military triumph.
The dating means the monument was created during the rule of Bulgar Khan Tervel, and supports the thesis that it is a portrayal of the khan himself and a work of the Bulgars, a nomadic tribe of warriors which settled in northeastern Bulgaria at the end of the 7th century AD and after merging with the local Slavs gave origin to the modern Bulgarians. Other theories connect the relief with the ancient Thracians, claiming it portrays a Thracian god.
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