The Palace of Omurtag, a Khan's Fortress near Han Krum
The Palace of Omurtag, or Aul of Omurtag, is an archaeological site in the Hisar Kale locality near the village of Han Krum in north-eastern Bulgaria. It combines a fortified early medieval ruler's seat of the First Bulgarian Empire with the ruins of Gothic churches from Late Antiquity. It is a quiet, little-visited stop for anyone exploring the old Bulgarian capitals of Pliska and Preslav.
A column found in 1905 told of a khan's palace guarded by two stone lions. Beneath the same fields lie Gothic churches, one with what may be the oldest Christian frescoes in Bulgaria.
The history of the Palace of Omurtag
The oldest ruins here are much earlier than the khan. They belong to Late Antiquity, roughly 250 to 650 CE, and include four churches, a bath and fortified walls. Scholars link them to Arian Gothic settlers in the area and to the fourth-century Gothic bishop Ulfilas, who moved to what is now northern Bulgaria with his followers and translated the Bible into Gothic. That connection with this exact spot is a hypothesis, not a certainty. A small church unearthed in 1976 is thought to have been the private church of a high-ranking Goth, possibly Ulfilas himself, and its faint layer of frescoes is believed to be the oldest Christian painting in Bulgaria.
Beside it stood a larger basilica, almost square at 29.7 by 26 metres, with three naves and a two-winged apse, regarded as an Arian bishop's seat. An octagonal building later rose on its ruins; the archaeologist Todor Balabanov suggests it was a mausoleum, comparable to the Mausoleum of Theodoric in Ravenna. In the 2000s researchers also opened Gothic graves with medical kits, chain mail and gold-decorated jewellery, among them a woman whose skull had been artificially deformed, a mark of noble rank. The Gothic churches are thought to have been destroyed during Hunnic raids.
The medieval story rests on the Chatalar Inscription, a Greek text on a column dug up in 1905 in the village of Han Krum, then called Chatalar. It states that Omurtag, ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire from 815 to 831, built an aulē with four columns topped by two lion statues near the river Ticha. Scholars once linked this passage with Preslav. Today the site at Han Krum, much closer to the find spot, is considered proven. It remains unclear whether aulē means the Greek word for a palace court or the steppe-nomad aul, a fortified seat of rulers.
The fortress, known locally as Hisar Kale, measures 405 by 515 metres and is much smaller than the defences of Pliska, though it closely resembles them. Inside stood an inner fort of 92.5 by 113.6 metres, entered from the east, with stone buildings that included a three-roomed bath. Fragments of a lion about one metre high were found, matching one of the two lions in the inscription. A pagan sanctuary also stood here: buried dog and rabbit remains and a stone block with a channel for blood point to animal sacrifice.
The settlement was inhabited for over 150 years, from 822 until the late tenth century, when the fort was razed; people later built again on the ruins. A fifth church, with three naves and three apses, found in 2009 and dated to the tenth century, shows that Christian life continued after the conversion of Bulgaria. Excavation began in 1957 and was never fully finished. Since about 2000, Bulgarian and German archaeologists have worked here, and the exact role of the fort in the military system of the early Bulgarian state is still not settled.
Curious facts about the Palace of Omurtag
- The Chatalar Inscription turned up in 1905, when the village of Han Krum was still called Chatalar, and it eventually moved the identification of the khan's palace away from Preslav.
- The inscription names two lion sculptures; fragments of a stone lion about one metre tall were found inside the fort.
- The faint frescoes in the small church unearthed in 1976 are thought to be the oldest Christian wall paintings in Bulgaria.
- One Gothic grave held a woman whose skull showed artificial deformation, a mark of noble people among the Goths, Sarmatians and Bulgars.
- Locals call the fortress Hisar Kale, a Turkish pair of words that both mean “castle” or “fortress”.
- A plastered stone with furrows leading to a pit, together with buried bones of dogs and rabbits, suggests animal sacrifice in a pagan sanctuary inside the fort.
Tours near Palace of Omurtag
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting the Palace of Omurtag: what to expect
- The site lies about 2 km south of Han Krum and roughly 10 km from both Shumen and Veliki Preslav.
- It is reached by a dirt road that serves local farmers more than the site, and signs are scarce. Check the current access conditions before you go.
- Most of the area is unlandscaped and still under research, so expect ruins rather than a developed visitor complex. Facilities are not known.
- Look for the line of the 405 by 515 metre rampart and the inner fort, and for the Gothic church ruins outside the medieval walls.
- Other sites nearby include the Round Church in Preslav, Shumen Fortress and the Great Basilica at Pliska.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Palace of Omurtag is
Photos of Palace of Omurtag
Questions
What is the Palace of Omurtag?
It is an archaeological site near Han Krum with an early medieval Bulgarian fortified aul, built in 822 under Khan Omurtag, on top of Late Antique Gothic church ruins.
Where is the Palace of Omurtag and how far is it from Shumen?
It lies in the Hisar Kale locality, about 2 km south of the village of Han Krum and roughly 10 km from Shumen and Veliki Preslav.
Why is it connected with the Chatalar Inscription?
The inscription, found in 1905 in Han Krum, says Omurtag built an aulē with two lion sculptures near the river Ticha. The site is now accepted as that place.
Who were the Goths at this site?
Researchers link the Late Antique churches and graves to Arian Gothic settlers, and possibly to the bishop Ulfilas. The link to him is a hypothesis.
How old is the fortress?
The aul dates to 822 and was inhabited for more than 150 years until the late tenth century. The Gothic remains below are much older, from roughly 250 to 650 CE.
What else is worth seeing near the Palace of Omurtag?
The Round Church in Preslav, Shumen Fortress and the Tombul Mosque are within about 10 km, and the Great Basilica at Pliska is some 31 km away.
Also nearby
Round Church, Preslav
Preslav · ruined Golden Church with a plan unique in Bulgaria
8.5 km away
Shumen Fortress
Shumen · three walls, twelve churches and a thousand years
8.5 km away
Tombul Mosque
Shumen · Bulgaria's largest mosque, with a 25 m dome
9.5 km away
Great Basilica, Pliska
Pliska · giant 9th-century cathedral and monastery of the first capital
31 km away