Date and Time of Visit: July 18, 2018, approximately 11:00 a.m.
From this day on, we leave the Black Sea and head back into the interior of Bulgaria. Last day in Bulgaria. The first destination is the World Heritage Site « Madara Knight Statue » in the northeast of Bulgaria.
The statue of the Knight of Madara is located in the Madara National Historical and Archaeological Reserve, 17 km northeast of the city of Shumen, 2 km from the village of Madara and 75 km from the city of Varna. The relief is carved into a 23-meter-high rock and was discovered in 1872; it is estimated to have been painted around 710. The Madara Knight is a masterpiece of Bulgarian art of the early Middle Ages. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, and in 2008 it was declared a global symbol of Bulgaria.
It is the appreciation of the statue of the knight of Madara, but first of all, it buys the ticket at this entrance.
![Madara_18072018-_MG_8989-yuukoma](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48107635836_76c6252c9f_b.jpg)
![Madara_18072018-_MG_8990-yuukoma](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48107681003_b200019302_b.jpg)
Then, go straight up the stone stairs to the left of the ticket office, and at the end of the stairs, you can see the relief.
![Madara_18072018-_MG_8993-yuukoma](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48107635291_bb9ecf8889_b.jpg)
![Madara_18072018-_MG_8999-yuukoma](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48107745602_026d256415_b.jpg)
At first I couldn’t tell which one was the relief unless I looked carefully.
![Madara_18072018-_MG_9000-yuukoma](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48107680363_7fbc42fbb5_b.jpg)
レリーフには槍を手にした等身大の騎士、馬の足元にはねじ伏せられたライオン、騎士の後ろには狩猟犬が従っています。ある伝説よれば「1人のラテン系の王が、マダラの台地で狩猟をしたが岩石から転落し亡くなった。この王の親近者たちが岩石に王の面影を彫刻家に彫らせた」と伝えられているとのことです。(出典:ブルガリア・オフィシャル観光サイト)
一方、科学的な仮説では、騎士像は、ブルガリア帝国のクルム王(統治803年?814年)、テルヴェル王(統治701年?718年)、アスパルフ王(681年?791年)、更にはブルガール人が信仰した最高位の神タングラ(Tangra)と関係しているのではないかということです。(出典:ブルガリア・オフィシャル観光サイト)
The area is rich in nature and is large enough to have a small hike or picnic.
![Madara_18072018-_MG_9002-yuukoma](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48107745262_e832f7c027_b.jpg)
![Madara_18072018-_MG_9003-yuukoma](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48107745137_7d53dfe20f_b.jpg)
![Madara_18072018-_MG_9004-yuukoma](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48107634456_6ae2c63cbf_b.jpg)
There is also a parking lot and a souvenir shop at the entrance, where you can buy drinks and snacks, although the number of parking spaces is limited.
![Madara_18072018-_MG_8991-yuukoma](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48107635601_6de56ae535_b.jpg)
We have two more World Heritage Sites to visit this day. It’s going to be a long day.