Madara Rider Bulgaria - Travel Guide, Tours, Hotels and Photos - Pictures of Bulgaria

The Madara Rider represents a sculpture of a horse-rider triumphing over a lion with its spear. What makes it unique is the fact that the sculpture is carved into a 100m-high cliff. The name of the sculpture comes from the nearby village of Madara, situated about 15km to the east of Shumen. According to historical documents, Madara was the main sacred place of pagan worship during the First Bulgarian State. The inscriptions beside the sculpture, discovered many years after the original finding of the sculpture, tell of events that happened during the period of 705-801 AC.