Pliska

Pliska was the first Capital (after 681-893) of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. Its ruins lie 3 km north of today's village of Pliska (prev. name Aboba). Its name was mentioned in many resources most significant of which are the Bulgarian apocryphal chronicle from XI c. AD as the town of Plyuska founded by Asparuh Khan, the Byzantine authors George Cedrin, John Zonara, Anna Komnina as Pliskusa. The town had area of 23 km2 and was surrounded by 21 km long defensive line built up of moat and rampart. The Inner town had area of 0.5 km2 rectan gular shape and had 2.6 m thick and about 12 m high fortress walls, cylindrical towers at each corner, and two other towers at each wall.

In the Inner town there was situated the Big palice (Khan Kroum's palice) which has it's own defensive walls and towers and the so called Palice centre which formed the third de- fensive line of the town. With its great size and advanced fortification system Pliska was are a remarkable state centre in the early medieval ages.