Medieval Settlements, Lifestyle, and Culture

"… Ispor tsar accepted the Bulgarian tsardom. He built great cities: on the Danube—the city of Drăstăr—and made a great palisade from the Danube to the sea. He also built the city of Pliska. This tsar destroyed many Ishmaelites and settled the entire land of Karvuna, where Ethiopians had formerly lived."

The Bulgarian Apocryphal Chronicle from the 11th century

The Bulgars and Slavs who conquered and settled Byzantine lands were primarily farmers and cattle breeders. They lived in open settlements in river valleys, dwelling in modest homes. Medieval writers described these as "stuffy huts covered with straw" and "small huts made of reeds, papyrus, and all kinds of other shrubs." The houses were rectangular, dug into the ground, and built of wattle and clay with straw roofs. Floors were compacted clay covered with mats. A stove for cooking and heating typically stood in one corner. To store food and crops, people dug pits beneath their floors or nearby. They also used large ceramic containers known as pithoi. Villagers crafted their own clay pots for preparing and serving food, or purchased them from local potters. Other village crafts included weaving, metalworking, hunting, and fishing. Merchants and luxury goods were found in larger urban centers.

Stone residences (auls) were built for the ruler and his entourage, protected by high stone walls. These massive stone structures served residential, public, and religious purposes and were equipped with running water and sewage systems. Some buildings included baths. The royal palaces featured halls for ceremonial occasions.

Pliska, Bulgaria's first and largest capital, covered nearly 22 decares. The city had three distinct sections: an outer city surrounded by an earthen rampart and moat, a stone fortress, and a brick citadel. Other royal residences included the inner fortresses of Preslav, Drastar (now the town of Silistra), the fortress near the village of Khan Krum, and others.

The conversion of the Bulgarians in 864 significantly changed the daily life and customs of both the aristocracy and common people. To further distance the state from its pagan past, the capital was moved from Pliska to Veliki Preslav. Though nearly six times smaller than Pliska, it followed a similar layout: an inner and outer city with grand architectural complexes, basilicas, and baths. The city aspired to rival Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

After the Asen brothers restored the Bulgarian state in 1186, they chose Tarnovgrad (today's Veliko Tarnovo) as the capital of the Second Bulgarian Tsardom to ensure greater security from external threats. Like other medieval fortresses, the city was built in a steep, difficult-to-access location. The city included citadel-shaped fortresses on the Tsarevets and Trapezitsa hills, neighborhoods on both banks of the Yantra River, and the Momina Fortress. Archaeologists have studied over 60 churches, royal palaces, dwellings, fortress walls, gates, towers, and other structures.