Issue 7

THE BODYGUARD

DimanaT — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:43:01 +0000

THE BODYGUARD

by Yavor Dachkov

DimanaT Sun, 04/01/2007 - 18:43

It seemed that Boyko Borisov could not climb any higher in the popularity stakes, but a critical article in the Congressional Quarterly made the impossible happen: Sofia's mayor was backed by all Bulgaria's public figures, headed by the President

Boyko Borisov gets inspired by Serbian turbo-folk star Tsetsa Velichkova during her recnet visit to Sofia. Her concert, however, bombed

The American Congressional Quarterly is not among the best-known foreign magazines in Bulgaria, but when it published Jeff Stein's article "Bush's Bulgarian Partner in the Terror War Has Mob History, Investigators Say," the reaction in this country was instantaneous - mostly because the person whom the article accused of having a shady past is Bulgaria's man of the moment: Boyko Borisov.

Some time earlier, at the end of February, an opinion poll showed that Bulgarians viewed Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov as the most attractive figure on the political horizon. The poll, conducted by the Market Links agency and commissioned by the Kapital weekly, showed that the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), a party founded in December 2006 and unofficially headed by Borisov, ranked second in terms of political support among Sofia's voters. What is more, the difference in support for the GERB and the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) was such that in a future election and with a greater motivation of its supporters, the two may exchange places. Far-right party Ataka, or "Attack", took a distant third place, with 2.5 times fewer votes. Borisov's party received a greater percentage than the opposition Union of Democratic Forces (SDS), Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) and Bulgarian People's Union (BNS).

Not bad for a party established on the basis of a movement that has only existed since March 2006, headed by a man without any significant political experience who, officially, is not even a member of its governing body. Boyko Borisov is a former fire-fighter, a former owner of the IPON security company and was the chief secretary of the Interior Ministry in Simeon Saxe-Coburg's government (2001-2005). He entered the mayoral election in Sofia in October 2005 and went on to win after a run-off with BSP candidate Tatyana Doncheva.

At a ceremony with a former monach and prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg, 2001

Market Links predicted that the new GERB party would be one of the major players in the European Parliament elections in May, and was in with a good chance of having more MEPs than any other political force apart from the BSP.

This is when Jeff Stein's article appeared. Quoting a "3-inch thick confidential dossier compiled by a team of former top US law enforcement officials on behalf of a Swiss financial house," the CQ analyst claimed that Borisov "is a close associate of known mobsters and linked to almost 30 unsolved murders". It took 18 months to compile the information in the report commissioned by a Swiss institution which asked not be identified. Stein's conclusions are not particularly pleasant.

According to the article, in his job as chief secretary of the Interior Ministry, Borisov "used his responsibility for policing official corruption to help mob associates wipe out their underworld competition."

"Since Boyko Borisov was appointed chief secretary of the Interior Ministry in 2001... there have been a large number of assassinations and mob-style murders of persons identified with criminal groups in Bulgaria. None of these murders have been solved. Many investigations reportedly led by Borisov have been closed without results or explanations," the report says, as quoted by Stein.

The office of Sofia mayor overlooks the St Alexander Nevskiy Square

Things looked bad for Borisov. This kind of information, be it true or not, coming close to an election, surely spelt trouble for Boyko.

Wrong. Borisov reacted immediately, with the characteristic flair which makes him the only man in Bulgaria who doesn't need a PR expert to be popular. He appeared on Bulgaria's most watched talkshow, Slavi's Show, on the bTV channel, and for half an hour refuted Stein's allegations. Over the next few days, he declared to various media that somebody had ordered the article to discredit him. He claimed that the people behind this attack were DSB leader Ivan Kostov and his archenemy, Economy and Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov. Borisov and Ovcharov are currently embroiled in a heated argument about who is to blame for the misappropriation of funds from Sofia's Central Heating Company, which were discovered to have been stashed away in Swiss bank accounts.

Reportedly, Borisov even invited Stein to Sofia (the journalist declined the invitation) and declared to the Focus News Agency that the allegation that he was a "major player" in the deal to base US air, naval and army forces in Bulgaria was not true. "Al-Qaeda has its cells in the Balkans and the lies published about me automatically set me as a target of the most powerful terrorist organisation the world," Borisov told the agency.

Given that the report was compiled a year before the scandal involving the Sofia Central Heating Company funds, and given that it seems rather implausible that a Bulgarian politician would commission an American journalist to write a defamatory article in the United States, Boyko Borisov's campaign to vindicate himself may appear illogical. To an outside observer, such vehement denials could even be read as an indication that the mayor did indeed have something to hide.

This, however, would be the wrong impression. Borisov's reputation remained unharmed. Strange as it may seem, his popularity even rose. Most Bulgarian media supported him, deriding the article in the CQ. He was also endorsed by the highest ranks of state administration. President Parvanov labelled the article as "openly anti-Bulgarian in character, not based on evidence and offensive for Bulgaria", while Interior Minister Rumen Petkov stated that it "cast a shadow on Bulgaria".

This is not the first time when, faced with potential scandal, public opinion has sided with "our man" who is "tendentiously" attacked by "Bulgaria's enemies abroad". The same happened in 2004 when undercover BBC reporters accused the Bulgarian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Ivan Slavkov of corruption.

Small girls sometimes make drawings of the mayor of Sofia. In the picture: This is my hero

The chairman of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee was caught on film haggling over a bribe to support London as a candidate city to host the 2012 Olympics. Nevertheless, the majority of Bulgarian media defended Slavkov. Then Chief Prosecutor Nikola Filchev even initiated legal action against the BBC. However, the strong public support for Slavkov, known in Bulgaria as "Bateto," did not stop the IOC from expelling him.

The similarities between Slavkov and Borisov go further. Both were related to the former Communist dictator Todor Zhivkov: Slavkov was his son-in-law and Borisov his bodyguard after the democratic changes. (Reportedly, Borisov often says that Zhivkov was his teacher in politics).

Both Borisov and "Bateto" are the type of public figures that will always enjoy popularity in Bulgaria. They are the "bad boys" of the system. Under Communism, Slavkov was also known as the "Playboy" due to his carefree lifestyle. Borisov took on the macho hardman image. A practitioner of martial arts (he was a one-time coach of the national karate team), with a predilection for black T-shirts and black leather jackets, he looks capable of taking any problem in his lengthy stride. His nicknames include the endearing "BB", the heroic "Batman" and "Bate Boyko" (an analogy with the Serbian actor Gojko Mitic who played the lead roles in films such as The Sons of Great Bear and Osceola).

Machismo has always been a quality appreciated in the Balkans, and both men took advantage of this to become firm media favourites. Outstandingly charismatic, they became the local stand-ins for Hollywood stars. As Stein noted, "Borisov encourages comparisons to Arnold Schwarzenegger".

In 2006, Little-Known Facts about Boyko Borisov circulated on the Internet. It was essentially a Bulgarianised version of a series of anecdotes about Chuck Norris ("Boyko Borisov is not as strong as a bull. Bulls are as strong as Boyko Borisov").

Some claim, however, that the media love affair with this Sofia mayor isn't based solely on blind adoration: there is also an element of well aimed pragmatism. Presumably, some Bulgarian publishers have joint business interests with Borisov or want to be on good terms with the politician who has every chance of becoming the next Bulgarian prime minister.

Of course, there is nothing new in the media courtship of politicians. In 1997, when the BSP and Zhan Videnov's government brought Bulgaria to its most severe economic crisis in recent history, Ivan Kostov, leader of the right-wing SDS, shot to glory. The media revered him and elected him Politician of the Year and Man of the Year until his midterm in office, when their affections began to cool and attention was redirected to Simeon Saxe-Coburg, who had just returned from exile (and hired Boyko Borisov as his bodyguard). Saxe-Coburg won the parliamentary election in 2001, but for a number of reasons, including the inability to find a common tongue in which to communicate with them, plus his notorious declaration that he would tangibly improve the life of the people within 800 days, he too soon fell out of favour with the media and became a persona non grata.

The question now is how long Borisov will continue to enjoy the high esteem of the media. Will they make it past the honeymoon stage to enjoy a long and happy marriage? Granted, they have already enjoyed a long engagement: at the time when he was chief secretary of the Interior Ministry, Borisov topped opinion polls as the most popular politician in the country, despite the fact that he was not one then.

The CQ scandal has revealed that he looks likely to surpass Ivan Kostov and Simeon Saxe-Coburg in the media popularity contest. Kostov and Saxe-Coburg allegedly both suffered from a chronic inability to be mediafriendly, the first due to his difficult character and the second because of the flimsy phrasing of his ideas in quaint Bulgarian.

Unlike them, Boyko Borisov is both willing and able to talk to journalists. He understands that modern politics is one big reality show where career success depends on keeping the viewers' interest. He is aware that it doesn't matter so much what you do, as long as it is shown on TV that you are trying to do it. This is why nobody is angry with him despite the fact that, during his one and a half years in office, Borisov has done little to solve Sofia's refuse problem, as he promised he would in election campaigns.

The capital's incumbent mayor knows too that it doesn't matter what you say, but how you say it. Preferably in a way that makes you look cool so people will like you. This is why the explanation that Chief Secretary of the Interior Ministry Borisov gave when asked why there were no big criminals in jail - "We arrest them and they (the judges) let them go free!" - has become urban folklore without harming his image. More recently, nobody complained when, instead of condemning an illegal protest by taxi drivers in front of parliament, which brought the capital to a standstill, Borisov legalised it post factum.

Boyko Borisov is an embodiment of the Bulgarian dream of the transition: strength, power, and a lack of restraints. Add to this his charm, the charisma of a man who is constantly moving on the edge of what is allowed and what is not, and the persistent emphasis on his humble origins and it becomes apparent why it will take more than an article in an American magazine to tarnish the prestige of Sofia's most popular politician.

Room at the Top

As he himself likes to recount, Boyko Borisov was born in 1959 in Bankya to a common family. His father Metodi was the head of a unit in the Sofia Fire Department and his mother Veneta was a primary school teacher. Boyko Borisov graduated from the Interior Ministry Academy in 1982 and left the ministry in 1990. The next year he founded the private security company Ipon-1 Ltd and became a public figure in 2001 when Simeon Saxe-Coburg appointed him the chief secretary of the Interior Ministry, a post from which he retired in September 2005 to win the mayoral election in Sofia. Six months later he established the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) association, which became a party in December 2006. Officially, Borisov is not on the list of its governing board, but is popularly recognised as its leader.

Suspicions and Speculations

Since Boyko Borisov took office as chief secretary of the Interior Ministry, there have been speculations about his participation in businesses run by shady figures. His links with the SIK group can be traced to Rumen "Pashata" Nikolov, who is his partner in several companies: the security company Tsebra, the trading company Teo International and Interbulpred. Nikolov is a former member of the Special Anti-Terrorist Squad. He is a partner in the main companies of the SIK group: the insurance firm of the same name, Intergroup and Interpetroleum. His name became well-known in 1993 when, together with the head of Nove Holding Vasil Bozhkov, Mladen "Madzho" Mihalev, one of the founders of SIK, and Multigroup president Iliya Pavlov, he established the IGM company, which runs Bulgaria's most lucrative casinos and bingo halls.

Borisov explained then that Interbulpred was meant to close long ago, but that his partners had "such antagonistic relationships" that it was impossible to collect all signatures necessary to close the company, which was not active. This is why the procedure had to be done in court. Borisov said that he had known Rumen Nikolov since the time his nickname was still Grebloto ("The Oar") and not Pashata. Nikolov was an oarsman. They were related by sport. Another of Borisov's former partners, Aleksey Petrov, is also a former green beret and an attempt on his life was made a few years ago.

Issue 7

BULGARIA POLITICS

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FREEDOM OF THE PRESS OR FOR THE RABBLE?

DimanaT — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:41:23 +0000

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS OR FOR THE RABBLE?

by Georgi Lozanov; photography by BTA

DimanaT Sun, 04/01/2007 - 18:41

Freedom of speech and the press is somewhat a blurry term in Bulgaria

Volen Siderov

Freedom of speech and the press in Bulgaria is guaranteed by the Constitution, but sometimes journalists find it hard to exercise this right. Especially when a radical political leader bursts into the editorial offices with a hundred supporters, demanding to speak to the editor-in-chief and the author of an article critical of himself. Shouts like “We'll rip out your liver, we know where you live!” coming from a crowd of surly men do little to contribute to a calm, rational conversation.

This episode may sound like it's taken from an over-dramatised gangster movie, but it actually happened recently, here in Bulgaria. Volen Siderov paid a visit to Nikolay Penchev, editor-in-chief of the 168 Chasa weekly, to personally hand him a letter of complaint about an article which quoted Sezgin Myumyun, chairman of the Spravedlivost, or “Justice” Centre. Myumyun claimed that he had documents proving that the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party had provided funding for the election campaign of Siderov's ultranationalist party Ataka, to the tune of 1.6 million leva. In 2005, Siderov's party received over eight percent of the vote to become the fourth-ranking political force in Bulgaria. A recurrent theme in its leader's provocative speeches has been the “de-Bulgarisation of Bulgaria”. Siderov placed most of the blame for this “de-Bulgarisation” at the door of ethnic Turks in Bulgaria and accusations were targeted against the Turkish-dominated DPS, which is part of the ruling tripartite coalition.

Under Bulgarian law, anybody who finds printed material offensive can exercise their rights and demand to publish a reply by turning to the ethical commissions of the National Council for Journalistic Ethics. If a newspaper refuses to run a reply, the claimant can start legal proceedings. Siderov, however, opted for a more grassroots approach and appeared in the editorial building of 24 Chasa and 168 Chasa accompanied by nearly 150 men, who he said were Ataka followers who had “spontaneously” decided to support him. The offended politician claimed that these followers numbered less than the 150 mentioned in the press release issued by the media. However, photographs taken at the time of the incident show a considerable crowd behind Siderov, who was dressed in his traditional black garb.

This could have been regarded as just another attempt to exert political pressure on journalism in Bulgaria (six months ago, an embarrassing question regarding unverified information about President Parvanov led to the dismissal of journalist Ivo Indzhev from Rupert Murdoch-owned bTV), if it hadn't been for its blatant brutality. It has also proved, even to the greatest optimists, that after 17 years of democracy, political parties still want to control the media and that threats and violence are being used instead of reasoning in public debates.

Siderov claims that he did not barge in. Instead, he insists that he “walked in in a normal way” to express his indignation at what he described as his violated right to reply. He billed the article an “ultimate libel, a mean intrigue and a swinish trick”. No representative of the DPS, however, took any steps against the “slanderers,” although this party also disassociated itself from Myumyun's allegations.

Meanwhile, Siderov declared that the country needed a new law on print media. At present, there is a law and a procedure to follow for its compliance but only for the electronic media. The print media are self-regulated and observe the 2004 Ethical Code.

The Union of Publishers in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Media Coalition and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) backed the newspaper, and MPs from most political parties rejected the idea of press regulations. However, many observers wonder whether this “spontaneous visit” marked the first open clash between the norms and procedures of democracy – among which are the freedom of speech and editorial independence – and the desire to resolve problems using violence or at least demonstration of physical strength?

Perhaps it was simply another act by a party which is bent on drawing attention to itself. A week after storming the editorial offices, Siderov held a rally in front of the Stalinist building of the printing works where many major Bulgarian newspapers now have their offices. Participants carried portraits of Siderov and demanded: “We want Bulgarian media”; “168 Chasa – Hogwash”. Significantly, the hacks in attendance outnumbered the protestors.

Issue 7

BULGARIA POLITICS

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ODD BULGARIAN OUT

DimanaT — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:39:50 +0000

ODD BULGARIAN OUT

by Gabriel Hershman

DimanaT Sun, 04/01/2007 - 18:39

Finding new villains has been a favourite pastime for the British media

The caller to Sky News was increasingly belligerent. You felt a new political party was about to be formed, the Bulgar-Bashing Brigade. “They're the most vicious people in Europe; the KGB used them as assassins. We're going to be importing a nation of hit men! At least the Poles were on our side during the war.” The presenter berated the caller for “crude national stereotyping” and ended the exchange.

The programme, featuring viewers' reactions to the latest round of EU expansion, was just another slap in the face for Bulgarians. But Mr Angry Caller epitomised two attitudes embedded in the British mentality. Firstly, the image of the Bulgarian, or East European in general, as a Cold War assassin, ready to liquidate the enemy with clinical precision. Joe Public doesn't distinguish between ex-members of the Warsaw Pact. To him they are all the same ilk, the former “Iron Curtain lot”, all inherently suspect. Even before Putin's behaviour became increasingly eccentric, commentators had remarked that he had the demeanour of a KGB interrogator.

The incident also highlights the British attitude to war, one of the favourite subjects for the pub bore who perceives the world is against him. We are loyal to those countries that supported us in battle, especially in World War Two, irrespective of their other vices. Naturally, the more praiseworthy features of Bulgaria during the conflict, its initial determination to stay neutral, refusal to declare war on the Soviet Union and unwillingness to sacrifice its Jewish population, eluded Mr Angry Caller.

You're either with us or against us. Hence, the more extreme members of Britain's blue-rinse brigade were prepared to forgive the Chilean torturer and mass murderer Augosto Pinochet (what's a few thousand disappearances between friends?) on the back of his support for Britain during the 1982 Falklands War. The so-called other 9/11, Pinochet's overthrow of the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende in September 1973, left Thatcher and her supporters unmoved. It was solidarity with Britain that counted.

We need an enemy almost as much as we need friends. The Germans filled that role admirably for years. We ridiculed them in comedies like Fawlty Towers and cheerfully loathed them in innumerable war dramas – Colditz, Enemy at the Door and Secret Army – until we descended into the parody of 'Allo ‘Allo!. By then the familiar target had become a stale cliché. So much so that when the tabloids resurrected the war and engaged in another round of German-baiting, at the time of Euro 1996, it was universally condemned.

Of course, the Soviet Union was also a prominent bête noire, but perhaps more so in the United States than in Britain. It was scary but oddly comforting to know that a clear division existed between East and West. And when, suddenly, the Evil Empire was no more there was palpable insecurity in London and Washington. Who were we to fear now? Ideological conflict was replaced by competing nationalisms that left us confused and even a little nostalgic for old certainties.

Sometimes politicians located enemies already among us. Conservative MP Enoch Powell tried to stir the mob against black and Asian immigrants. But this proved to be merely a temporary vogue. His infamous Rivers-of-Blood prophesy failed to materialise. Britain, despite riots that scarred some of our inner cities, did not descend into civil war. Powell simply overlooked the fact that black and Asian citizens would become individuals with names – neighbours, friends and work colleagues. Instead, his xenophobia triggered a backlash against anti-black and anti-Asian discrimination, which eventually developed into political correctness, a phenomenon that now draws as many detractors as racism.

In the 1970s and early 1980s the press railed against union militancy. The National Union of Miners was crushed and the power of organised labour to dictate to governments evaporated. So the Conservative government looked for a new foe and found it in the European Union. But the public wouldn't really buy it and those political parties favouring withdrawal, the British National Party and the UK Independence Party, remained sidelined.

In the 21st century we found a new enemy we could really fear, militant Islamic fundamentalism. Lest we deemed the likes of Omar Bakri and Abu Hamza to be harmless, cartoon villains, the 7/7 bombings proved that the threat to London was as real as the threat to New York. Brave British journalists such as Melanie Phillips and Nick Cohen, as well as the Conservative MP Michael Gove, wrote detailed exposés of the growing threat posed by Islamic fanatics in Britain. But the opponents of Islamic fascism met resistance from two powerful non-aligned constituencies. The Left claimed Islamic extremism was an offshoot of the West's “imperialist” foreign policy and, in particular, support for Israel. British Moslems claimed there was a campaign of vilification against them. The two groups combined forces and soon Blair and Bush-bashing became the preferred national sport.

In effect, a battle was being fought to decide the identity of the real victims in the post-9/11 West, the indigenous white majority who feared terrorism or the Moslems who resented racial stereotyping. The British press now began to tread carefully for fear of inflaming already delicate sensitivities. They refused to publish the Danish cartoons lampooning the Prophet Muhammad and reacted cautiously when former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw opened Pandora's Box by criticising the veil.

The media now needed to find a new scapegoat, preferably one unable to retaliate. The criteria were simple – it had to be a small, defenceless nation lacking influence or representation. The “shock” over the Polish “invasion” handed the press two gifts on a silver platter; it exposed the ineptitude of the Home Office in underestimating the numbers of new arrivals as well as the appeal of Britain as a “soft touch” for migrant workers. But the size of the new Polish constituency in Britain was a mixed blessing for the tabloids' attack dogs. Soon, the Poles (God forbid!) had their own food on supermarket shelves and their own newspapers. Besides, the Polish community proved to be generally law-abiding and popular. And we rather liked seeing the pretty blonde girl with high cheekbones cleaning the platform at underground stations. So the papers backed off.

But the reality on the streets pointed to a city bulging at the seams. Doctors' surgeries and schools were overcrowded and the commute to and from work was increasingly unbearable. The proverbial horse had already fled from the stable - probably years earlier - but the press demanded that the door be slammed anyway. So Romania and Bulgaria became ideal whipping boys as the January 2007 deadline approached. Both countries ranked among the poorest in the EU, making it easy for the press to conjure up an image of Romanians and Bulgarians as thieving Gypsies and organised criminals. Most Britons knew little about the countries concerned, except for the few who had holidayed or bought properties on the Black Sea, or adopted a Romanian child. But most knew of the notorious Romanian butcher Ceausescu. His barbarity became a symbol for both countries and soon Romania and Bulgaria dissolved into an amorphous mass, mutually interchangeable in the minds of bigoted bullies armed with poisonous pens.

Bulgaria was the smaller nation of the two and so it was easier to bash. Until, that is, the number of Bulgarians in Britain grows and we start to actually like the pretty raven-haired girl with high cheekbones cleaning the platform on the underground.

Issue 7

BULGARIA SOCIETY

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TURN RIGHT AT THE PARLIAMENT

DimanaT — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:37:34 +0000

TURN RIGHT AT THE PARLIAMENT

by Filipa Faustino Arenga; photography by BTA

DimanaT Sun, 04/01/2007 - 18:37

Europe told Romania and Bulgaria to control their extremist movements

European Parliament

“The European family is now back together,” said then European Parliament president Josep Borrel, welcoming the new legislators from Bulgaria and Romania, in the first legislative session of the year.

It was a moment of mixed feelings for the right-wingers in the European Parliament, strict opponents of enlargement, immigration and the integration of Eastern countries. Traditionally, Bulgarian and Romanian deputies would not have been welcomed by their fellow parliamentarians from the right, but, on that day, champagne was in the ice bucket.

According to European parliament rules, a group is considered formal when it comprises 20 members from five different countries who have signed a shared political manifesto. With the arrival of the Romanian and Bulgarian deputies, namely five of the Romanians and one of the Bulgarians, the loose alliance of right extremists that had existed in the European Parliament became the formal group Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty (ITS).

It is ironic then that while the European Commission recommended Romania and Bulgaria control their extremist movements, their first gift to the European family should be the strengthening of the extreme right alliance.

German Socialist Martin Schulz tried to impeach the formalisation of ITS claiming it had no political foundations. However, the group's manifesto, defending tradition and family values as well as “the recognition of national interests, sovereignties, identities and differences,” as opposed to “a unitary, bureaucratic European superstate,” gave Borrel no choice but to give it the go-ahead.

A few days before its formal beginning, leader Bruno Gollnish (second to Jean-Marie Le Pen in the French National Front) tried to play down ITS's right-wing political character. “I don't see where the hooligans are,” he said to the press. That's not all he seems to have overlooked: he has just received a three-month suspended sentence from a French court for denying that the holocaust took place.

Le Pen, with his usual bluntness, seems to be closer to the truth, though: “We are all friends, but we all hate each other.” By definition, nationalists fail to understand other countries' nationalists. Is this a relationship destined for failure?

Bulgarian ultranationalist EMP Dimitar Stoyanov holds the Bulgarian Constitution. Will he keep it?

ITS is an odd group. It is made up of seven members from the French National Front (including Le Pen himself and his daughter), three Flemish separatists from Belgium's Vlaams Belang party, two Italian neo-fascists (including Benito's own granddaughter, Alessandra Mussolini, known for her vociferousness and lines like “better to be a fascist than to be a fag”), an Austrian neo-nazi party and a British anti-European deputy who believes “a pro-Euro Brit is like a turkey voting for Christmas.” The extreme right all-stars was completed with five representatives from the xenophobic Greater Romanian Party, which stands up for eliminating all gypsies and is led by Vadim Tudor, a public supporter of Ceausescu, and Bulgarian ultra-nationalist party Ataka representative Dimitar Stoyanov, who wants to “turn all Roma into soap” and created a stir even as an observer in the European Parliament last October when he sent an email to all his parliamentary colleagues containing demeaning and racially offensive remarks about a Hungarian deputy of Roma ethnicity.

This is the first far-right formal caucus in over a decade, but there have been other attempts – all of them failed. The European Right (1984-1989) and the Technical Group of the European Right (1989-1994) were sidelined and eventually dissolved. Le Pen led them both and is now master puppeteer to ITS.

The British deputy wants to pull Britain out of European Europe, saying he is using his seat as a “Trojan horse to fight a guerilla war against the EU.” The other ITS members do not want the destruction of the EU, just to keep out immigrants and Turkey and kill off the Constitutional project. The French see the Austrians as Hitler's washed out successors and the Austrians claim sovereignty over the South Tyrol, which is Italian territory. The Italians oppose any kind of separatism and the Flemish want to break away from Belgium.

But the truth is, times have changed and a worrying growing number of Europeans are opening up to extreme right ideals. Now recognised as a legitimate group, ITS is automatically entitled to up to one million euros in funding for campaigning and other activities, more speaking time in parliament sessions, the power to set the agenda, leading posts in committees and, significantly, more public attention. The formation of ITS has rekindled discussion over the non-existence of laws to control extreme right movements, and there is already talk of toughening the rules on the appearance of new groups as from the next European Parliament elections.

It is a difficult area to negotiate – laws should not undermine freedom of speech, while counter initiatives such as the further funding of leftist movements would hardly be democratic. Besides, the Communistlinked parties in the European Parliament are not subject to all this noise and may be as uncomfortable to some as the extreme right is. These deputies – remnant of darker days as they are – were democratically elected, and just as they are now using the democratic system itself to attack the system from within, the only way to control their positions is through the democratic game. As Green leader Daniel Cohn said, “This is a sad reflection of today's Europe, but they will remain marginal.”

Issue 7

BULGARIA POLITICS

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CAR BOOT SALES AT CHERNO MORE

DimanaT — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:35:51 +0000

CAR BOOT SALES AT CHERNO MORE

text and photography by Ivan Sokolov

DimanaT Sun, 04/01/2007 - 18:35

The British community in Kosharitsa, near the Black sea, brings some island habits to these warmer climes

For a dozen Britons, paradise has a name: Kosharitsa. Some four miles west of Sunny Beach, this is the village they now call home.

Most of them lived in the north of England, but didn't know one another before they came here. Now, settled for good and showing no sign of wanting to return to the UK, they consider themselves part of the local community. They've even organised an expat club which meets regularly on Thursday evenings. Its purpose, however, is not to set them apart from the rest of the villagers, but to find ways to better integrate in the local milieu.

Angela and David were among the first to come to Kosharitsa. They were fascinated by the scenery and the quiet, relaxed way of life. “Originally, we planned to buy a retirement home in Malta.” But they came to Bulgaria for a week and stayed in Sunny Beach. “It was all dunes and fewer hotels at the time. We were lucky to go to Kosharitsa and immediately fell for it. There were goats and cows grazing in the fields. The food was excellent – natural, fresher than in the supermarket. And the view was magnificent.” For two years now, they have been permanent residents of the village.

“Bulgaria was Europe's best-kept secret,” adds Julie. She and her husband Joe came on a two-week holiday in 2002, but stayed an extra week. They returned the same year and rented a villa for another 12 months. Then they bought a house and settled here. “Bulgaria has a kind of magic. There is this fantastic breeze kissing your cheek. It's a place of opportunity. I wish we'd discovered it 10 years earlier,” Julie continues. “And anything grows here,” Joe exclaims. “Where else in the world can you get such tomatoes?”

Like them, Anna and Peter first came on holiday five years ago, attracted by what they saw on A Place in the Sun. “There were almond trees around the village and only donkeys and Ladas in the streets. It was so peaceful and quiet,” says Peter. They decided to take early retirement and have been living permanently in Kosharitsa for the past two years. “I recently went to the UK for a while and I cried – I wanted to be back here,” Anna says.

“For me, it's the perfect place to be,” adds Ray. “There's no stress, the climate is excellent and the environment is good.” He came to Bulgaria on business four years ago and, like many other Brits, decided to look around for a cheap retirement home. “I've made some very good friends here,” he says. Mike, the quietest in the group, nods in agreement.

And these friends aren't all fellow Brits. “We're trying to fit in with the local community,” David says. Initially, the villagers regarded them as rather exotic. Now, the expats and their neighbours often help one another: doing simple repairs, chopping firewood or shopping. “If we'd had to buy neighbours, we wouldn't have been able to afford them. They're so good,” David sums up.

Later this month the club will be introducing something of a British institution to the village: the car boot sale. With the proceeds they hope to acquire second-hand tools and some of the crochet work which the local women make and sell to tourists in summer. “There's an orphanage in the village,” says Angela. “Perhaps we can buy toys and books or arrange a Christmas party for the children.”

Of course, life isn't all roses. There is the language barrier: “Bulgarian seems to be the most difficult language in the world”. But they have already arranged to have Bulgarian lessons with Elena who runs the restaurant where they hold their meetings and has been their “guardian angel” since they arrived.

Another difficulty is getting hold of local information in a language they understand. This is one of the reasons behind their club: to share the knowledge and experience they've acquired, often by trial and error, about such everyday matters as the whereabouts of a good butchers in Burgas or an Englishspeaking doctor in Nesebar. In this respect they say that Vagabond has helped them a lot.

Many changes have taken place since their arrival – not all of them for the better. The concrete jungle that is Sunny Beach is relentlessly advancing towards the village. The almond trees are becoming less and less as they make way for new houses. But for now, there are only a few specks of cloud in the sky. This expat community consider themselves lucky to have found their retirement paradise in Kosharitsa.

Issue 7 Living in Bulgaria

VAGABOND FEATURES

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BOOM OR BUST

DimanaT — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:34:11 +0000

BOOM OR BUST

by Ani Ivanova; photography by Dragomir Ushev

DimanaT Sun, 04/01/2007 - 18:34

Is it too late for Bulgaria to avoid the Spanish tourist industry's pitfalls? No, says Norwegian Per Svensson, overdevelopment may still be avoided

Per Svensson

A Norwegian who has spent most of the past 40 years in Spain, but has nevertheless been appointed a knight by the King of Norway, Per Svensson is the secretary of the national association of foreigners in Spain, Ciudádanos Europeos, or European Citizens. The association was formed in 1992 following decisions in the Maastricht agreement to foment European Citizenship and works on a non-profit basis to protect the interests of European citizens in Spain.

“I have been active in the foreigners' community because I believe we must integrate into Spanish life,” Svensson says. In addition to maintaining his own web blog, periscope.a4r.org, he is a major contributor to the association's website, c-euro.org, where you can read some witty observations on golf course developments and those “meetings of walls” along the Spanish coast. Visiting Bulgaria for a week, Svensson toured most of the mountain resorts, and said the local tourist industry might be able to avoid some of the mistakes made in Spain. In his opinion, developers could soon be reaching their limits in Bansko, and should sit down and rethink the situation. And they were not the only ones who ought to do that.

How do you view the recent property boom in Bulgaria?

Having foreign investors coming to Bulgaria is a very good thing, basically. The tourist industry and selling property to foreigners is a great incentive for the local and national economy, as Spain's experience indicates. Therefore, you must not do anything to deter foreigners. However, I think you would be very wise to draw some lines, make some restrictions, and tell them what they are permitted and not permitted to do, and then keep those boundaries. If you do not stop them or show them the limits from the beginning, you have lost the battle.

Has Spain lost this battle?

The construction business is probably the most powerful economic machine in Spain and today they do what they like. For instance, the building lobby took power over the municipality of Marbella and built 30,000 illegal dwellings. Two of the local mayors are now in prison, the third has died, otherwise he would also be in prison. They had amassed enormous quantities of money through corruption, but will spend a good part of their lives in prison. It would have been wiser, however, if the Spanish government had stopped them at the beginning rather than use the courts to act against them. In another example, in one municipality on the Costa Blanca, it has come to light that 1,200 illegal villas were built on farm land without any planning permission. The government has now intervened and taken away the powers of urban planning for that municipality. In addition, the foreigners who have bought the land and built their villas there stand to lose their lifetime's savings. Incidents like this are very bad publicity for Spain, and put off many new buyers. It would be wise for Bulgaria to keep this in mind.

How can Bulgaria minimise the risks?

You have to have laws, the mechanism of control. People in Bulgaria must be determined to intervene from the beginning against property developers and local administration when they allow illegal practices by developers, and channel their economic energy into legal activities. You can learn from the experiences of other countries, and you shouldn't be afraid. In Spain, it started with us, foreigners, because we are accustomed to protesting whenever we disapprove of something.

Did the government listen?

I'll give you one of the most important examples: last year we collected 30,000 signatures against a law in the region of Valencia allowing big promoters to go into an expropriated property belonging to small, local landowners. We took this to the Spanish government; they didn't pay attention. So we took it to the European Parliament, and the European Parliament listened, taking it very seriously and sending in two investigating commissions. The issue was debated in the European Parliament, and a resolution against that law was adopted with 550 votes in favour, 45 against and 25 abstentions. If the regional government in Valencia does not change its attitude, it will be taken to the European Court in Strasbourg. So it is possible to change things, and Europe can play a very positive role.

Is the construction business a long-term endeavour?

For property developers, it is a short-term business, they want to make their money as fast as possible and move out. The problem for Bulgaria, as it has been in Spain, is that many of the property developers are foreigners. It is much easier for foreigners to pack their suitcases and leave when something starts to go wrong than it is for the nationals. So maybe you need to stimulate the locals to do things and not leave so much to foreigners. The construction business is not continuous, it does not last forever, because good land for such purposes is limited. You should take care of the land you have and plan well for the future.

Issue 7

BULGARIA ECONOMY

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BULGARIA FOR BEGINNERS

DimanaT — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:32:57 +0000

BULGARIA FOR BEGINNERS

by Richard Cherry

DimanaT Sun, 04/01/2007 - 18:32

So, you're in Bulgaria for a limited time and you want to know those must-do things while you're here? Here's a handful to keep you busy for a few days

Chow Down, BG style.

Eat 100 percent Bulgarian-style for a day, just so you can say you did. Kick off in the morning with banitsa, an oily, cheesy pastry creation suitable for breakfast and roof insulation purposes only.

At lunch, have a gevrek. They're those bread-rings sold by old ladies on street corners. Possibly invented during the war, when fresh bread was unavailable, the idea kind of stuck, as a nostalgia thing. Chewier than old boots, you'll be munching away for hours.

Those being completely nutrition-free, however, you'll need some protein from somewhere. So wash it down with a boza. This drink is a kind of sour liquid porridge with just a hint of alcohol (…honestly). Bulgarians give it to babies to toughen ‘em up. Be brave: boza looks like somebody already drank it once.

Your evening meal will include a salad consisting of salty white cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Cucumbers are, in fact, pretty hard to avoid; they pop up in almost everything. Leave it to the Bulgarians to uncover the versatility of this internationally underrated vegetable.

Don't forget a nice plate of chicken hearts. Not at all bad; but, as you add lemon juice to your dish of 30 or 40 hearts, it's impossible not to reflect, guiltily, that that's a lot of dead chickens.

Get the hell out of those expat pubs.

You know the places I'm talking about. Did you come to Bulgaria to hang out with Irish rugby players? No. You wanna get to one of those bars where you get frisked before you go in, where they play chalga music and you drink vodka all night, and end up dancing on tables till 6am. Just one thing: if there are a lot of big black Mercedes parked outside, be really careful whose bird you try to chat up.

Impress your Bulgarian friends by becoming a connoisseur of BG beers.

OK, you've tried a Zagorka, maybe a Kamenitza, and found them mildly lacking in charm. You ask yourself: In a country where I can get a 500ml bottle of Becks for 50p, why would I drink the local gear? Because you can, of course. What's the difference between an Ariana and an Astika? A Bolyarka and a Burgasko? There's something here for everyone, ranging from bland, gassy lagers to dark, toxic brews more suited to a petrie dish than a beer glass. Discover for yourself the full spectrum of Bulgarian beers, from the merely tolerable to the completely un-keep-downable. And imagine how sharply you'll rise in your Bulgarian friends' estimation when, having been offered an Almus, you can smile sagely and say, “No thanks! That stuff's made with Danube water.”

Learn a few key phrases in Bulgarian.

So you're giving a presentation to some potential Bulgarian clients. Some impolite guy keeps disturbing you by mumbling into his mobile phone. With a look of disdain, casually say to the bloke “Млъкни, бе” (Mlukni, be: it means “shut up”). You'll see a ripple of appreciation at your awareness of this useful Bulgarianism. Deal clinched.

You're out for a drink with an attractive Bulgarian chick. You raise glasses to toast each others' health. Forget the usual “Наздраве” (Nazdrave, “To your health”). Boring! Say instead “Хайде да се чукнем” (Hayde da se chuknem). This subtle double entendre means, literally, “Let's knock”. But your companion's blush, and giggle, will reveal that she knows you're not just talking about bumping glassware. A real winner.

Take up smoking.

Bulgarian cigarettes have more than doubled in price over the last few years, and they're still not much more than a euro a pack. At that price, you can't afford not to smoke! Not only are you supporting the Bulgarian economy (think tobacco growing), but as a smoker in Bulgaria you're at liberty to smoke wherever you damn like; in the office, the pub, the restaurant.

Issue 7

VAGABOND FEATURES

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HISTORY OF BULGARIA: FROM THRACIANS TO NDK

DimanaT — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:03:17 +0000

HISTORY OF BULGARIA: FROM THRACIANS TO NDK

by Hristo Matanov; photography by Anthony Georgieff, BTA

DimanaT Sun, 04/01/2007 - 18:03

A brief guide to Bulgaria`s controversial history

You don't need to live long in Bulgaria to learn from your Bulgarian friends or from whatever scarce English language brochures you can get your hands on that the country boasts a rich history and an invaluable cultural heritage. It has been the birthplace of incredible generals and remarkable statesmen, an outpost against every foreign invasion into Europe and the cradle of at least a couple of great civilisations. The fact may be that before coming here you had never heard of Krum the Terrible, Simeon the Great, Seuthus III, Vasil Levski's progressive liberalism or the first computer invented by John Atanasoff.

In 12 successive issues, and one of Bulgaria's leading historians, Professor Hristo Matanov, will tell you about the key events in the country's history. Informative, objective and devoid of the pathetic patriotism of the kind that sadly prevails in Bulgaria of the 21st Century, Bulgaria: From Thracians to NDK is the ultimate guide to this country's turbulent and often controversial history.

THE KINGDOM OF ORPHEUS

Barbarians: this is what the Thracians were to the ancient Greeks, who could not fathom their habit of drinking undiluted wine from garish golden bowls. But they were also an important neighbour who could not be disregarded in the political and economic games of antiquity. Besides, their lands were the birthplace of Dionysus and mythical musician Orpheus. For the Romans, the Thracians were yet another people subdued by their power and a source of taxes, soldiers and slaves, some of whom, like Spartacus, however, were able to create quite a turmoil.

After such a turbulent history, though the Thracians were so exhausted demographically that the Slavs and the Proto-Bulgarians who settled on their territory in the 5th-7th Centuries faced little resistance and had no problem in assimilating the local population. Consequently, few people today, apart from the Bulgarians, know about the existence of this ancient people. The occasional moments of publicity, like the international exhibitions of their gold treasures, have not made the Thracians famous enough yet. This is also evident from the Hallmark TV movie about the quest of the Argonauts. In it, Orpheus was black!

The Oldest Gold in Europe

In 1972 a group of people working on the shores of Lake Varna noticed several strange gold objects in the earth dug out by their steam shovel. In those days the hysteria about the ancient roots of Bulgarian history, orchestrated by the Communist regime, still had not reached its peak and treasure hunting had not completely disappeared. The construction workers did not realise what they were looking at. Fortunately, they phoned the local musuem archaeologists. And there they had it - the oldest processed gold in the world, 7,000 years after it was crafted.

The first finds unearthed at Varna were a hitherto unseen sceptre with a gold-plated hilt and huge golden bracelets. Thorough excavations began immediately and each day brought even more extraordinary discoveries. The scientific community was stunned: the artefacts from the Chalcolithic necropolis (c. 5000 BC) were revealing, piece by piece, astonising information about the people who'd owned them.

In fact, only a few of the 300 graves contained gold, but it was in impressive amounts. The skeletons' necks were sprinkled with hundreds of gold beads which were once necklaces and there were bracelets on their arms and tiaras on their heads. The graves were full of decorations which once adorned the clothes. There was also gold on the exterior of the earthenware pots left there as gifts. Archaeologists discovered that the people buried near Varna also valued bracelets made of the Mediterranean Spondilus shells, which could only have reached the shores of the Black Sea if imported intentionally.

The discoverer of the oldest gold, Ivan Ivanov

Some of the richest graves, however, were not the resting places of people but of primitive clay masks, on top of which there was gold jewellery and ornamentation. Were these cenotaphs the symbolic tombs of gods or did they belong to monarchs who had died far from their native land? There is still no answer to this question but the finds from Varna show that the people who created the necropolis had a developed social and religious structure. On top of the social pyramid there was a king who had religious power too and a small group of trusted "aristocrats".

The common people were horsemen and stock-breeders, farmers, sailors and pottery and gold jewellery artisans.

These people, who inhabited the area of the present-day Black Sea coast 7,000 years ago and were skilled metal-workers and builders of well-planned and fortified settlements, were one of the earliest European civilisations. But what is their connection to the Thracians? Some theories claim that the Thracians, an Indo-European tribal group that was formed in 30th-20th Centuries BC, were the descendants of the mysterious people who inhabited the area around what is Varna today.

Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts

The Thracians did not have a written language, so most of the information we have about them comes from the Greeks.

Magnificent horses and rich armour: this is enough for the Thracian king Rhesus to be given a place in Homer's Iliad. Thus the ruler of the lands between Gallipoli and the lower reaches of the Maritsa became a man of whom the ethnonym "Thracian" was used. Today it is thought that this race of people inhabited the area between the South Carpathian Mountains, the Aegean Sea and northwest Asia Minor.

According to Homer, "Rhesus is the son of Eioneus. His horses are the finest and strongest that I have ever seen. They are whiter than snow and fleeter than any wind that blows. His chariot is bedecked with silver and gold, and he has brought his marvellous golden armour, of the rarest workmanship - too splendid for any mortal man to carry, and meant only for the gods." (Iliad, X, 435) Despite his impressive weapons, the king, who fought on the side of the Trojans, was apparently a poor warrior, because he was easy prey for the cunning of Odysseus and Diomedes.

Bellicosity was only one of the qualities the Thracian kings must have had at the time the Mycenaean Civilisation flourished in neighbouring Greece (18th-12th Centuries BC). Besides political, they also had priestly rights which had to be validated every year. The rituals included ceremonies with rain water, blood of a sacred animal, honey, milk and olive oil and were carried out in special shrines.

The social and religious structure of the Greek and Thracian societies in the second half of the second millennium BC was very similar. But the two nations did not feel a part of the same community, as is obvious from the fact that in the war for Ilion the Thracians took the side of the Trojans, who were the archenemies and competitors of the Greeks. The reason for this political decision is thought to have been their cultural and linguistic kinship with the Asia Minor people. The same thing happened in the 5th Century BC in the Greco-Persian Wars, when the Thracian tribes living on the Aegean coasts allied with the Persians.

After the end of the Mycenaean era, during the so-called Dark Age of Greece, the relations between the two peoples remain unclear. But their association obviously became more active with the Greek colonisation of the coasts of the Aegean, Marmora and Black Seas in the 8th-6th Centuries BC, when grain, slaves, timber and precious metals from their territories proved vital because of the limited natural resources of Greece. As a result of this involvement a cultural and economic symbiosis was formed, which saw its height in the Hellenistic age. The Thracians gradually became part of the economic, political and cultural life of the ancient world, but remained "barbarians" to the Greeks and Romans till their end.

The Tip of the Iceberg

4,000 years ago the Thracian king and musician Orpheus went down to Hades's kingdom of the underworld to claim back his beloved Eurydice and thus made such an impression on the Greeks that he found a place in their mythology. The Thracians never developed a written language of their own and for this reason the only source of information about their early kings is the Greeks. They often distorted this information and recorded only what they found scandalous or curious.

In 1860, Goustave Moreau imagined Orpheaus in a very different way from the Thracians

This is why the only Thracian kings from the Mycenaean age mentioned in Homer's saga and mythological tales went through extraordinary trials. iomedes of Thrace won his 15 minutes of glory when Heracles stole his mares as the eighth of his Twelve Labours; Lycurgus was blinded by Dionysus because he ordered his men to uproot all vine plants; and Phineus was harassed by the Harpies on orders from the gods until Jason and his Argonauts freed him from the curse.

It may be argued how real these semi-mythical characters were. The first relatively reliable accounts of the Thracian rulers appeared with the access that Greek merchants and military leaders gained to inland Thrace and the increased contacts between the two peoples. Thracian kings would often fight with one another involving the Greek poleis in their conflicts. Sometimes, a better politician and general amongst them would manage to unite several tribes under his rule and become a factor that the ancient world had to take into account. Such was the case with the Bessi, who lived in the Rhodope Mountains. In the 6th Century BC they consolidated the territories of almost all of present-day south Bulgaria and the northern shore of the Aegean Sea.

The most remarkable example in this respect is the Odrysian Kingdom, which appeared capable of uniting the Thracians for a short period after the Greco-Persian Wars of 490-480 BC. The Odrysians lived in the area between the Rhodope, Sakar, Strandzha and the eastern part of the Balkan Mountains and the valleys of the Maritsa and the Tundzha and, according to Thucydides, the first ambitious ruler of this tribe was King Teres. He lived for 92 years, an unbelievable age in those days, and after his death the throne passed consecutively to his sons Sparadokos and Sitalkes. The latter was not afraid to lead an active foreign policy and took part in the Peloponnesian War in alliance with Athens. But the real growth of the kingdom came in the reign of Kotys (383-360 BC). After establishing control over Hellespont (the present-day Dardanelles) and the Thracian Chersonese (the Gallipoli Peninsula) and thus over the shipments of grain from the Black Sea area to Athens, he became one of the most important and hated people in Greece.

In its heyday the Odrysian Kingdom reigned over most of the lands inhabited by Thracians. The only tribes outside its rule were the Bessi, the Triballi in what is today northwestern Bulgaria, the Medi in southwestern Bulgaria and the Thracians in the northwestern corner of Asia Minor. The gradual decline of the state began with Kotys' successor, Cersobleptes, who found it hard to repel the attacks of the new power rising in the west, Philip II's Macedonian army. However, the Odrysian Kingdom managed to survive until 45 AD, when it was incorporated in the Roman Empire.

The Thracians had the potential to establish a large and strong kingdom, but the unwillingness of the numerous aristocratic dynasties to cede their power to another, proved stronger than the benefit to all. This was noted by Herodotus in the 5th century BC. According to him, the Thracian people were the most numerous in the world after the Indians and if they had one head or were agreed among themselves, they would greatly surpass all other nations. "But such union is impossible for them, and there are no means of ever bringing it about. Herein therefore lies their weakness."

Valley? What Valley?

Even if you haven't been to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, you have certainly heard of it - at least because of Tutankhamun's golden mask discovered in his untouched burial chamber. But you may not know that Bulgaria also has its Valley of the Thracian Kings, where hundreds of monarchs are entombed. The golden mask of one of them, who was buried in the Svetitsata tumulus, was found in 2004.

Burial mounds near Kazanlak

The Valley of the Thracian Kings is in fact a nickname coined by the media to designate the area around present-day Kazanlak because of the large number of barrows with rich tombs in them. Many of them, however, just like in Egypt, have been robbed by treasure hunters and for this reason often the only sign of past luxury is the murals, such as those in the Kazanlak and Ostrusha tombs.

One of the largest and richest tombs was discovered in the Golyamata Kosmatka tumulus near Shipka. It was built at the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th Century BC and with its three chambers and a corridor (called "dromos") is 25 m, or 76 ft, long. When the archaeologists excavating the barrow in 2004 entered the first chamber of the tomb, they gasped at the rare sight - the intact burial of a noble Thracian, probably a king. The finds were breathtaking: over 70 bronze and noble metal artefacts, amongst which were a golden wreath with oak leaves and a silver clam-shaped receptacle.

The most astounding one, however, was unearthed in the burial mound, under a pile of stones. It was the bronze head of a man with eyes of semi-precious stones. Some experts claim that such an exceptional work of art could only have been made by Phidias, the sculptor who created one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, or at least a master from his school.

The incredible luck that the archaeologists had had became evident in the excavations of the other two chambers. Both of them were robbed, probably in antiquity. A large fire had also irrevocably damaged the frescoes on the walls of the corridor, which was full of gravel and earth when the tomb was discovered. The majestic facade, however, was completely intact and though it can't compare to the architectural achievements of the Greeks, it reveals that the Thracians were skilful builders too.

Georgi Kitov, "Indiana Jones"

Any time that archaeologist Professor Georgi Kitov makes one of his stunning discoveries in the Thracian tombs, for which he has been dubbed "Bulgaria's Indiana Jones", it gives rise to a heated public debate.

Georgi Kitov with what is believed to be the gold burial mask of Thracian King Theres

Over the past 35 years, the controversial scientist has excavated dozens of tombs on Cape Kaliakra, in the areas of Troyan, Teteven, Lukovit and Maglizh and brought to light some of the most astounding monuments in recent years: the tomb/temple near Starosel, the mural-covered tomb in Aleksandrovo and the treasures from Svetitsata and Golyamata Kosmatka near Kazanlak. An outspoken enemy of treasure hunters, Kitov often publicly accuses the Bulgarian governments of not doing anything about them.

He is ready to go to extremes to save the Thracian cultural heritage - even if this means breaking the rules of archaeology, where slow, meticulous work with a brush and a trowel is particularly important for preserving everything, including the tiniest pieces of information. Some of Kitov's colleagues can't accept his methods of digging the barrows with excavators and bulldozers.

Kitov himself says: "I am a hero for some and a villain for others. There are people who extol me because of doing so much for the Thracians; there are also people who think I destroy the mounds. Anybody who has come to my excavations has seen that I work very carefully and I do not endanger the archaeological material in any way."

A silver ''shell'' unearthed near Kazanluk. Thracian elders loved luxury

The King Is Having Fun

If we ignore the tedious duties of Thracian kings, like waging wars or conducting negotiations with Greek poleis, their lifestyle can be defined as particularly pleasurable.

Here is how the Greek writer Athenaeus described the diversions of Kotys I, King of the Odrysians: "Kotys, more than any other king that had arisen in Thrace, directed his career towards the enjoyment of pleasures and luxuries, and as he went about the country, wherever he discovered places shaded with trees and watered with running streams, he turned these into banqueting places." He made a most sumptuous feast, as if the goddess Athena was to marry him, and even prepared a nuptial bed in a fine chamber and, "well gone in drink", waited for the coming of the goddess. Befuddled, he sent one of his guards to see whether she had come into the chamber. When he told the king she had not yet come, Kotys shot him to death with an arrow. The same happened to the second guard he sent, but the third was clever enough to lie that Athena was there and waiting for him.

The common banquets that the kings gave for their guests and followers could seldom be defined as refined, despite the fact that they used gold and silver dishes. The host himself divided the bread into pieces and gave it out, then cut and handed out the meat and treated his guests to dark wine undiluted with water, which the guests usually drank from a single large vessel.

The amusements of the non-aristocrats sometimes also overstepped the bounds of decency - or at least the Greek idea of it. Solinus wrote: "When feasting, both men and women dance around the fire and throw the seeds of some Thracian herbs into it. Befuddled by the fumes, they consider it fun to imitate the drunk, their senses sharp with pain."

Paying Taxes

When you have a state to guard you against invaders, there is always a downside to the deal: taxes. The lands of the Thracians were rich enough to provide their rulers with a reasonable revenue, as Thucydides recorded: "The tribute from all the barbarian districts and the Hellenic cities, taking what they brought in under Seuthes, the successor of Sitalkes, who raised it to its greatest height, amounted to about 400 talents* in gold and silver." Along with taxes, there also appeared resourceful people who knew how to prompt the rulers into favourable action: a way of dealing with problems that has survived for centuries and still exists in present-day Bulgaria. "There were also presents in gold and silver to no less an amount, as well as fabric, plain and embroidered, and other articles, made not only for the king, but also for the Odrysian lords and nobles. For (with the Odrysians) it was impossible to get anything done without a 'present'."

*400 talents were equal to 10.5 tonnes of silver or 1.050 tonnes of gold at a rate of 1:10, gold to silver.

A Large Happy Family

The polygamy of the Thracians was one of the things that the Greeks did not (or did not want to) accept as civilised behaviour. Aristotle wrote: "Each Thracian has three or four wives and some have up to thirty, whom they use as slaves. They have intercourse with them regularly and in rotation: the one whose turn it is washes and serves her husband. Afterwards most wives sleep on the floor. If any wife is not content with her husband, her parents take her away and return the money he gave them on marriage. When the man dies, his heirs inherit his wives among other things."

Marriage was not a matter of love or romantic feelings. "Those who surpass the others with their beauty," Solinus wrote, "insist on being presented at public auction and marry not because of a man's character, but because of the price he pays. The less attractive women use their dowry to buy the man they want to form a bond with."

Beglik Tash, near Primorsko on the Black Sea coast, used to be off limits under Communism owing to the nearby party rest home

Not Exactly Stonehenge

Megaliths and dolmens might be distinctive of the Celts, but despite a certain lack of capacity, the Thracians knew how to build them too. There are still numerous traces of their penchant for this type of construction in the Strandzha and Rhodope Mountains. The reasons for this are related to their religion, attitude to death and the views of the local kings, who, like any ruler from any era and from any part of the world, needed something imposing to demonstrate their status.

The most common monuments of Mycenaean age Thrace were the dolmens: tombs with one or two chambers built of large stone blocks. They hardly compare to Stonehenge, but if you come across one of them, like the Dragon's Houses dolmen by the Begliktash rock sanctuary near Primorsko, for example, you will feel like an intrepid explorer.

In the age after the end of Mycenaean Thrace, the cult to the sun came into fashion. According to some theories, it was the result of a reform attributed to Orpheus and for this reason Thracian religion is referred to as "Orphism". Traces from the sun cult can still be found in the rock sanctuaries in the Rhodope Mountains, which are covered with circles chiselled in the stone. The best-known of them is on the outskirts of the village of Tatul near Momchilgrad.

The thousands of trapezoidal niches on the face of steep and solitary rocks in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains, however, are still unexplained by science. One theory claims that the cutting of such a niche was a compulsory part of the rituals of giving Thracian boys the status of men.

The most popular monuments of Thracian culture are the tombs, covered with mounds of earth which may rise up to 10 m, or 30 ft. Built for the aristocracy, they were often used for the interment of several generations. Though not impressive in size, some of them boast remarkable architecture, like the tombs in Mezek near Svilengrad and Starosel near Hisarya. Others, like the tombs in Aleksandrovo and Kazanlak, feature rare examples of Thracian murals and the tomb in Sveshtari near Isperih has the most charming caryatids you could ever see.

Unfortunately, little is left of the fortified residences from where the Thracian aristocrats exercised their power. In the 4th Century BC the kings took the fashion of establishing cities named after themselves which was started by Alexander the Great and his successors. This is how Seuthopolis, the city of Seuthes III, got its name. Unfortunately, today you can't take a stroll in this Thracian city, designed in the Greek way with streets lined with buildings and crossing at right angles and with a strong citadel. Since 1954 Seuthopolis has been lying on the bottom of the Georgi Dimitrov, or as it is now called, Koprinka reservoir.

It took decades for archaeologists to begin work on two other Thracian cities, Cabyle near Yambol and the city by Sboryanovo near Isperih.

How to Meet Death

The bereavement of those we love is never a pleasant experience, but if we are to trust The Histories of Herodotus, the Thracian tribe of the Trausi, which inhabited the southern parts of the Rhodopes, was of the opposite opinion. "When a child is born all its kindred sit round it in a circle and weep for the woes it will have to undergo now that it is come into the world, making mention of every ill that befalls mankind; when, on the other hand, a man has died, they bury him with laughter and rejoicing, and say that now he is free from a host of suffering, and enjoys complete happiness." The other Thracian tribes, however, buried their dead without rejoicing. "The wealthy ones are buried in the following fashion. The body is laid out for three days and during this time they kill animals of all kinds, and feast upon them, after first bewailing the departed," Herodotus wrote. "Then they either burn the body or else bury it in the ground. Lastly, they raise a mound over the grave, and hold games of all sorts, wherein a single combatant is awarded the highest prize."

The Slave Who Stirred Up the Empire

During one of the battles that marked the Roman conquest of Thrace, there was a young and strong nobleman among the captured local warriors. For these qualities he was sent to the gladiatorial school in Capua. His fate seemed clear: Spartacus was to take part in the gladiatorial games to amuse the citizens of a state governed according to the principle of panem et circenses, or "bread and circuses".

In 74 AD, however, Spartacus did something unpredictable. The improvised escape of several gladiators from the school soon escalated into a slave uprising which threatened the very existence of Rome, whose economy depended on the free labour. Some historians estimate that about 120,000 people took part in the rebellion - a huge force which under Spartacus' leadership won the battles against the Roman legions. But their bad organisation and the decision to remain in Italy instead of returning to their homelands doomed the slaves. Gradually a second Marcus Licinius Crassus drew away and isolated Spartacus' army in southwestern Italy, cutting off all escape routes with sturdy fortifications.

Spartacus and his army managed to overcome them, albeit suffering heavy losses. When he saw that defeat was inevitable, the former gladiator killed his horse and rushed to the Roman legionaries and thus met his death. The 6,000 captured insurgents, who were not lucky enough to die in the battle, were crucified along the road from Capua to Rome.

Is There Water in the Wine?

The gift that Odysseus received from the Thracian priest Maron was twelve amphorae with undiluted wine. "And whenever he drank the honeyed red wine, filling a cup he poured it into twenty measures of water, and a marvellous sweet smell rose from the mixture." This fact was notable enough to be recorded by Homer not only because Maron had overcome his notorious parsimony which made him keep the amphorae for himself, but also because of the good reputation that the "barbarian" wines had with the Greeks. After all, they believed that Dionysus, the god of wine, was born in Thrace.

Тhe Panaguyrishte treasure weighs over 6 kilos

What the Greeks could not swallow was the "uncivilised" habit of the Thracians of drinking their wine undiluted with water. The "barbarians" had other deviations from good manners too: they drank from wide bowls trying to down the contents in one gulp.

Besides wine, the Thracians also made a low-alcoholic drink from barley. Similar to beer, it was called bryton by the Greeks. In some areas they also brewed parabie, a drink from millet resembling in taste the boza you can buy in any pastry shop today.

Cruel Genes

The culture shock felt by the Greeks on meeting the barbaric Thracians is sometimes hard to explain away as mere prejudice. Athenaeus told of a cruel diversion: "Some of the Thracians play a game of hanging at their drinking parties. They fix a round noose to a high point, exactly beneath which they place a stone which is easily turned round when any one stands upon it and then they cast lots. He who draws the lot stands upon the stone holding a sickle in his hand, puts his neck into the halter and then another person comes and moves the stone. If the man who is suspended is not quick enough in cutting the rope with his sickle when the stone moves from under him, he is killed: and the rest laugh, thinking his death good sport."

Gods with Greek Names

Ares, Dionysus, Artemis, Apollo And Hermes: the Greek names hide gods from the Thracian pantheon. The reason is again the lack of a Thracian writing system. When the Greeks tried to describe the Orphic religion, they discovered some similarities between their gods and those of the Thracians. This is why Herodotus said that the Thracians worshipped Ares, Dionysus and Artemis, whom they called Bendis. Hermes was the deity of the kings who "always swear by his name and declare that they are themselves sprung from him." However, the Greek historian failed to mention the sun god Apollo, whose cult was widely popular, or the Thracian Zeus who was undoubtedly worshipped in the 1st Century BC.

At the end of the Hellenistic age and the enforcement of Roman rule, another deity became popular too: the Thracian horseman. Named with the collective Greek name Heros in accompanying inscriptions, it appeared on votive tablets and tombstones throughout Thrace. The Greeks themselves believed that some of their own gods had Thracian origin. Amongst them were Ares, the blood-thirsty god of war; Dionysus, the god of vegetation and fertility; Artemis (Bendis), the goddess of the animal world; and Orpheus. The Thracian pantheon, as it seems, was closely linked to the Greek one, but this does not mean that the two religious systems were identical.

One way of illustrating the differences is the attitudes that the Greeks and the Thracians had towards sacrifice. It was the basic way to communicate with the gods for both peoples, but, according to Greek sources, besides fruit and animals, the Thracians sometimes offered human sacrifices. "The offering, whether man or beast, was hung from a tree and they threw spears at it. Those who managed to hit it believed that the god had accepted their offering: those who didn't, had to prepare another sacrifice," tells Xenophon of Ephesus (2nd Century AD).

Fortunately, the part of the Thracian beliefs which has survived in Bulgarian folk culture despite the Slavic and Proto-Bulgarian invasions and the adoption of Christianity in the 9th Century, is not so cruel. The kukeri, who dance in winter to bring about good health and fertility, and Trifon's Day, the holiday to celebrate wine and vine-growing, are leftovers from the cult of Dionysus. The belief in the Thracian horseman has transformed into the worship of another horseman and a most popular saint, St. George. In more isolated areas in the country the tradition of leaving a small part of the crop without reaping it, as a sacrifice for the guardian spirit, has been active until only recently. The fire-dancers who step on live embers in restaurants along the southern Black Sea coast and in the villages of Brodilovo and Kosti in the Strandzha Mountain also recreate an ancient Thracian ritual for establishing contact with the gods.

Who Wants To Live Forever?

The Thracian belief that death was only the transition to a future immortality made them send messengers to the gods, even if this meant killing them first.

Kazanlak Tomb murals possibly depict bliss in the afterlife

Herodotus told: "They think they do not really die, but that when they depart this life they go to Zalmoxis, who is also called Gebeleizis by some among them. To this god every five years they send a messenger, who is chosen by lot out of the whole nation, and charged to bear him their several requests. Their mode of sending him is this. A number of them stand in line, each holding in his hand three darts; others take the man who is to be sent to Zalmoxis, and swinging him by his hands and feet, toss him into the air so that he falls upon the points of the weapons. If he is pierced and dies, they think that the god is propitious to them but if not, they lay the fault on the messenger, who (they then say) is a wicked man: and so they choose another to send. The messages are given while the man is still alive."

The Holy City

Some 20 km, or 13 miles, northeast of Kurdzhali, 2,400 years ago Dionysus told Alexander the Great that he would conquer the world. Four centuries later, he made the same prophesy for the son of a Roman general and was right again: Octavian grew up to become Augustus, the first Roman emperor.

Archeologist Nikolay Ovcharov propounds it was at Perperikon that Dyonisus' orachcle foresaw the bright future of both Alexander the Great and Augustus

Or at least this is what some Bulgarian scholars believe. Cut in the rock, Perperikon had functioned as a shrine since the Chalcolithic Age in the 5th millennium BC, and is now regarded as one of the most probable sites of the Temple of Dionysus, which was famous in antiquity.

No matter whether this theory is correct, the rock complex with a hall, an altar, a water reservoir and a hundred-metre-long stairway hewn in stone was certainly an important political, economic and religious centre. It retained its significance in the Roman age too, when it was transformed into a city with fortified walls, palaces and outbuildings. Supposedly, it was the royal capital of the Thracian tribe of the Bessi. Perperikon was destroyed and burnt down by the Goths during their invasion in 378 AD and, though its walls were rebuilt by Emperor Justinian, in the 8th-9th Centuries, the city, which was already the centre of a diocese, was gradually moved to the foot of the hill.

Hidden Treasures of Thrace

Golden rhytons and drinking vessels and silver bowls: the Greeks regarded them as a "barbarian" luxury, but for the Thracian kings valuable dishes were part of their royal status. Besides, the golden vessels were used in their rituals too.

This is why the workshops of the local artisans and the best craftsmen in the Greek poleis often got commissions for expensive celebratory weapons; armour and helmets which were of no use in battle, chariot decorations, horse harness trimmings and dish sets. Their clients probably did not worry much about the price of precious metals. The extraction of gold and silver from the Thracian mountains and rivers, like the Iskar, the Struma, the Ogosta and those in the area of Chirpan and Ivaylovgrad, was developed to impressive heights and was one of the reasons for the Macedonian invasion plans.

Most Thracian treasures were found by chance and at a relatively low depth, a sign that they were hidden during a war or another calamity or buried for ritual purposes, as a sacrifice or to be used by the dead in their afterlife. The latest discoveries, however, such as those made by Georgi Kitov in the Valley of the Thracian Kings in 2004 and by Daniela Agre in the tumulus near Sinemorets in 2006, are the result of planned excavations.

When in 1924 two brothers from Valchitran near Pleven found 13 strange-looking objects, seemingly made of copper because of the dirt on them, they brought to light one of the most mysterious Thracian treasures. Scientists still wonder about the use of the large kantharos, the one-handled cups, the five discs and the strange three-part vessel, all made of pure gold in 1400-1100 BC. Some believe the objects were used in a ritual related to the sun cult.

Equally mystifying is the treasure of horse tack made of gilded silver which was found in a bronze vessel in 1963 in the village of Letnitsa near Lovech. The love and sex scenes depicted on some of the plates can be interpreted as a symbolic tale of the lifestyle of Thracian kings. But because the treasure, crafted at the time of King Kotys (383-360 BC) is incomplete (the villagers who discovered it divided the finds amongst themselves and only 23 of them were located and recovered by the police later), such interpretations are largely speculative.

Silver wine drinking vessel from Borovo treasure

At first glance, the seven gold rhytons, an amphora and a phiale with a total weight of 6.164 kg, or 217 oz, discovered in 1949 near Panagyurishte look simply like a beautiful dish set for the feasts of a Thracian king. Their owner, who lived in the 4th Century BC, probably used them for ritual purposes too. Whatever their function was, he deemed the set so important that he ordered it made in a goldsmith's workshop in the town of Lampsakos on the Asian coast of the Dardanelles.

But Thracian treasures are not only beautiful exhibits used by Bulgaria to publicise its ancient history with travelling exhibitions. They are a valuable source of information. Some of the 165 gold and silver jugs, phiales and cups from the treasure of Rogozen, near Vratsa, as well as the silver rhytons and a jug from Borovo, near Ruse, bear the name of the Odrysian king Kotys. Because these lands were never under the control of the Odrysian Kingdom, the silver vessels were probably a gift from Kotys to the local kings.

Under Roman Sandal

When the Roams began their invasion in the Thracian lands in the 2nd Century BC, the independent nature of the tribes went against them. Unable to form even a temporary union against their common enemy, they would gradually become the next population conquered by the ambitious empire.

The beginning of the end had begun, however, back in the second half of the 4th Century, when, though only for a short while, Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great subdued the Thracians. The tribes overthrew the foreign rule straight after Alexander's death, only to start fighting with varying success against Lysimachus, the general who received the Balkans upon the division of the Macedonian superstate.

Peace and cooperation were not on the list of objectives of the Thracian kings after Lysimachus died, either - a fact that the Romans readily took advantage of.

The stubborn resistance of the Thracian tribes could not overcome the Roman war machine. Thus Herodotus' words were proved again: though numerous, the Thracians could not repel a ruthless and well organised aggressor. The first to fall were the Thracian lands in the south, but the north soon followed suit. The glory of becoming their final conqueror went to a Marcus Licinius Crassus in the years 29-27 BC, and complete Roman control was established during the reign of Augustus (27 BC-14 AD), the same Augustus whose future was predicted in the Thracian Temple of Dionysus.

In the 1st Century AD the Thracian lands were divided into Roman provinces. Their names and boundaries changed over the centuries, but generally the area between the Balkan Mountains and the Danube was known as Moesia and the one south of the mountains as the province of Thrace. The good organisation enforced by the Romans allowed them to have control over the Thracian territories much longer than the Macedonian kings. The legions deployed along the Danube proved not only a reliable defence against external enemies and internal rebellions, but also a promoter of Roman civilisation. Soon cities of mixed populations inhabited by people from across the Empire sprang up by the military camps.

Gradually, two new languages became established and used by all official institutions: Latin in Moesia and Greek in Thrace. Under the influence of the central government, the Thracian aristocrats were Romanised and included in the local authorities. This wise Roman policy provided peace in this part of the empire.

It continued until the 3rd Century when the first barbarian raids (like the Greeks, the Romans also considered anybody not part of their civilisation a "barbarian") of the Marcomanni, the Quadi, the Sarmatians, the Crimean Goths and the Heruli across the Danube began. The empire was gripped by a crisis, which despite the temporary stability under Diocletian and Constantine the Great, led to its disintegration into a western and eastern part at the end of the 4th Century. As a result of this as well as the continuing barbarian invasions and plagues, the Thracians were too weak to resist their new conquerors: the Slavs and the Proto-Bulgarians. They gradually settled in the Thracian lands in the 5th-7th Century to establish their own state and in turn begin incessant wars over the Thracian territories with the successor to the Roman Empire, Byzantium.

TIMELINE

c. 4000 BC The earliest cities appear in South Mesopotamia

3000-2800 BC Upper and Lower Egypt unite

c. 2800 BC The first pyramid is built, that of Djoser

2500-1500 BC The Mohenjo-daro culture flourishes in India

Middle of the 2nd millennium BC Flourish of the Mycenaean culture Linear A and B scripts employed

18th-12th Century BC The first dynasty in China

c. 1500-1000 BC The Vedas written in India

c. 1275 BC The Mycenaean Greeks conquer Troy

10th Century BC An Israeli kingdom in Judea. King David. Israel and Judea unite

11th-10th Century BC The first poleis in Greece

8th-7th Century BC The first Olympic Games and the beginning of Greek colonisation of Thracian coasts

753 BC Rome established

6th Century BC The first states in North and Northeast India established

587-586 BC Jerusalem destroyed by the Assyrians

557-479 BC Confucius lives and works in China

525 BC Egypt is conquered by the Persians

450-445 BC The Celts cross the English Channel and colonise the British Isles

431 BC The Peloponnesian Wars begin

356 BC Philip II's son, Alexander the Great, is born

54 BC Julius Caesar's campaign in Britain

14 AD Roman Emperor Augustus dies

114 AD Emperor Trajan ordered the construction of Trajan's Column in Rome to commemorate his victories over the Dacians

313 AD With a special edict, Emperor Constantine the Great declares that Christianity has equal rights with other religions in the Roman Empire

Issue 7 Thracian heritage Bulgaian history

VAGABOND FEATURES

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WANTING TO DO THE HAJJ, BUT ENDING UP WITH A HADZH INSTEAD

DimanaT — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 14:56:12 +0000

WANTING TO DO THE HAJJ, BUT ENDING UP WITH A HADZH INSTEAD

by Dimana Trankova; photography by Anthony Georgieff

DimanaT Sun, 04/01/2007 - 17:56

Muslim trips to Mecca inspired Bulgarian Orthodox pilgrimages to Jerusalem, to bring on social prestige

A cross from Jerusalem or a phial of water from the Jordan: these are the most likely souvenirs from the Holy Land that you will get if a Bulgarian friend of yours goes to Jerusalem for Easter. Whatever feelings you may have about such kinds of presents, bear in mind that you should congratulate the one who gives them to you with Chestito hadzhiystvo and address him at least once with "hadzhi".

"Hadzhi"?! According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca required of all Muslims and traditionally made in winter. What, therefore, could this have in common with the journey to Jerusalem undertaken in spring by a Bulgarian whose religious devotion amounts to two annual visits to church?

It may seem rather preposterous but the guidelines given by the Prophet Mohammed in the Qur'an are followed by the Orthodox Christians in the Balkans - with the explicit approval of the church. The explanation, however, is fairly simple.

When the Bulgarians fell under Ottoman rule in 1393, their aristocracy ceased to exist. They either emigrated or were slaughtered during the several uprisings against the Turkish conquerors, or were assimilated, thus becoming common subjects of the Sultan. Two centuries later, however, the Bulgarians had a new elite of rich stock-breeders, craftsmen and merchants. Like the nouveau riche of any age, they also needed something more to be perfectly complacent with life: a title showing their higher social status.

The Holy Fire emergence is the culmination of the Orthodox Easter

Unlike most other monarchies in history, the Ottoman Empire did not have an aristocracy which allowed for the intake of nouveau riche - either through marriage or by paying for the title. Apart from the Sultan's dynasty, which had existed for 700 years, the elite consisted largely of self-made men, who had acquired high standing due to their personal qualities.

The only choice the Bulgarians had was to adapt the Muslim title of hadzhi to their own religion. The change was quick and painless. The first Bulgarian hadzhi appeared in the 16th Century and shortly afterwards the Arabic word "hajj" became so popular that it literally ousted its Bulgarian synonym for pilgrimage.

The title of hadzhiya did carry social respect. "Hadzhiya and hadzhiyka were something like the English 'sir' and 'my lady'," said Mihail Madzharov from Koprivshtitsa, who visited the Holy Land with his family in 1868. "The Arabs in Cairo know nothing about my origin or nationality, but when they hear the word hadzhi, their attitude changes. The title is a kind of passport which helps to open doors for you," said Doncho Palaveev, a merchant who ran shops in Istanbul, Cairo and Alexandria.

This is why, from the 17th Century caravans of worshippers would set out from Bulgaria to Palestine each autumn. They carried rich Bulgarians and their families and were loaded with clothes, blankets, cooking utensils and food - unlike today's rich, they did not lay store by luxury, but rather by thrift. The would-be hadzhii were ready to undergo the perils of a long journey during which they could meet their death at the hands of brigands operating near Edirne or Jerusalem, or sink with the ship which was to take them to the stormy harbour of Jaffa. More often than not, they would spend several years' savings on the trip. But they knew that on their return home they would be welcomed with the sound of church bells, and they as well as their offspring would be treated with particular respect. Even today, the Bulgarians who have been on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land change their surnames by adding the prefix hadzhi.

19th century Bulgarians doing the hadzh liked to remember the experience by decorating their houses with sea voyage frescoes

The pilgrims started on their journey so early not just because of the long time it took back then. To get the title of hadzhi they had to be baptised a second time in the Jordan, attend the Easter service in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, light 33 candles from the Holy Fire, which supposedly descended from the sky into Christ's tomb, and get a certificate from the Patriarch of Jerusalem several days later. Most Bulgarians also thought that they should travel around the rest of the Holy Land to see every site related to the Bible: Nazareth, Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee, Mount Tabor and all the monasteries they could reach.

Of course the Bulgarians were not the only Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land. The first religious travellers appeared there in the 2nd Century and when Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, returned from Jerusalem in 326 with the news that she had found Calvary, the hill where Jesus Christ was presumably crucified, pilgrimage became a craze. It was additionally kindled by the discovery of the True Cross during the construction of the first church on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and reached its culmination with the Crusades, though their aim was not just to liberate Palestine, but to establish control over the trade routes to the Far and Middle East.

When this part of the Near East was permanently included in the Ottoman Empire, the struggle for control of Jerusalem changed: it was not between different irreconcilable religions but between Christians. The arguments between the Catholic, Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic churches led to the intervention of the official authorities, and in 1852 the Sultan issued a "firman", known as the Status Quo. It divided the custodianship of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre equally between the three denominations and gave access also to the Copts, Ethiopians and Syrians.

The journey from Bulgaria to the Holy Land sometimes took months

The Bulgarian pilgrims were, of course, on the side of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. Most of them told bitter stories about the conflicts between the different denominations during Easter Mass. "The Arab Christians were here as if not to pray to God, but to fight an enemy. They were shouting, laughing and clambering to higher places and even on the shoulders of their friends to get a better view," Madzharov remembered. This, however, did not prevent the Bulgarians from expressing their indignation at the high fees imposed by the patriarchate to allow them to see the Biblical sights. Petar Avramov from Kalofer noted in anger that he was charged 100 para for visiting the dungeon in Sebaste, where St John the Baptist had been imprisoned. But none of the pilgrims had any hesitation paying the then large amount of five Turkish lira to reserve a place for Easter Mass in the overcrowded galleries of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Most of the time, however, the Bulgarians were so impressed by the differences between their country and the Holy Land that they behaved more like present-day tourists rather than fervent believers. The only mention of Bethlehem that Avramov made follows: "It rains only three or four times a year here. Winds, snow, mud - none of these! Nor any fountains either." Of Mount Tabor, he only wrote that "it is not as high as Mount Vitosha". Sometimes their curiosity even got them in trouble. While looking for the Garden of Gethsemane and the Virgin's tomb in Jerusalem, Pandeli Kisimov chanced upon a mosque. He went inside enthusiastically to take a look oblivious of the fact that he was in one of the holiest Islamic shrines, the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The worshippers chased him and threw stones at him as far as the building of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, where pilgrims traditionally stayed, and only the Turkish soldiers managed to save him from their anger.

Waiting for the Orthodox Easter may mean spending the previous night in the streets of the Old City

For the Bulgarian hadzhii even the second baptism in the Jordan was more of a duty than a strong religious experience. "We took off our clothes and donned the hadzhi shirts. We dipped three times and hurried back to our camp because we began shivering in the night air," Mihail Madzharov said. However, the pilgrims duly took water from the river to use as medicine. Over a hundred years later, taking home water from the Jordan has become an industry. At Erdemit, the site of Jesus' baptism, enterprising vendors would sell you various sizes of empty plastic bottles - at anything between $2 and $20 these are probably the most expensive storage jars in the world.

As well as for such exciting experiences, the Bulgarians used their time in the Holy Land to collect souvenirs too. The hadzhii left for home with an average of seven horseloads of presents to give to their friends. These would include prints of sights from Jerusalem, small crosses, large crosses, rings, icons, rosaries, coloured soap, coloured candles, Communion bread and, in the case of Petar Avramov, three dried fishes from the Sea of Galilee. The end of the Easter celebrations often brought a shock to the pilgrims as they realised that the prices of the souvenirs they'd spent a fortune on had dropped by half.

The gratification they got on their return as hadzhii was, however, worth it: their fellow citizens would often collect the water used to wash their dusty feet and sprinkle it in their gardens, to get "a rich crop".

After the reestablishment of an independent Bulgarian state in 1878, the hadzhiystvo gradually became an anachronism, but after half a century of Communist regime during which pilgrimage was banned, the Bulgarians have returned to it with renewed enthusiasm. If you read the legal advice columns of Bulgarian newspapers, you will certainly come across questions where readers enquire what they should do to include the hadzhi prefix in their surnames.

What is thought to be the remnants of Calvary has been encapsulated in glass with just a tiny opening to enable pilgims to touch the stone

Getting the Title 100 Years later

Present-day pilgrims do not need to spend several years' savings to become hadzhii. Travel companies organise a trip for about 800 euros per person, which includes air fare and airport taxes, six nights bed and breakfast accommodation and sometimes a local guide.

What is more, you can return from Jerusalem with not one, but two certificates, even without attending Easter Mass. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism and the City Hall of Jerusalem issue free "pilgrimage to the Holy City" documents and give them to all tour operators. The Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem, on the other hand, signs an Orthodox certificate of "pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre", at a very reasonable price.

James Cameron and the True Tomb of Jesus

Nine years after his 11 Oscars for Titanic, James Cameron caused a sensation again, this time with a documentary. The Lost Tomb of Jesus, which he produced, claims that the true tomb of Jesus Christ was found in a cave during excavations in Jerusalem in 1980. It contained his ossuary as well as the ossuaries of his whole family, including those of Mary Magdalene, to whom he was married, and of their son Judah.

The reason for his interpretation of the find made in a burial cave in East Talpiot, on the West Bank, is the names inscribed on the limestone sarcophagi: Mary, Matthew, Jesua son of Joseph, Mary, Jofa (Joseph, Jesus' brother) and Judah son of Jesua, who lived 2,000 years ago.

Whereas archaeologists tried to explain that the quoted names were very common for that period and blamed Cameron of particularly improper publicity for his film, the Greek Orthodox Church took a more radical step. It accused the director of an attempt to damage the Christian faith.

Though there are disputes, it is generally held that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built on the spot of the Golgotha

Complex Calculations

It is extremely difficult to calculate the date of Easter and why Catholics and Orthodox Christians mark it on a different day. The issue is so complex that German mathematician Karl Friedrich Gauss developed an algorithm for solving it. The First Council of Nicaea decreed, in 325, that Easter was to be observed on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the vernal equinox, which in 325 was on 20 March, not on 21 March.

The real mess began in 1582, when Western Christianity adopted the Gregorian calendar while Eastern Orthodoxy continued using the Julian. Adding the 13-day antecedence to the strict Orthodox requirement that Easter must always fall after the Jewish Passover, you will get the present-day confusion when the holiday may be celebrated with a difference of one to five weeks. However, in 2007 there is not going to be any confusion. In a rare instance of synchronicity, both Catholics and Orthodox Christians observe Easter on 8 April.

Issue 7 Religions in Bulgaria Traditions Bulgaria

VAGABOND FEATURES

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PROFESSION: TRAVELLER

DimanaT — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 14:54:32 +0000

PROFESSION: TRAVELLER

interview by Plamen Petrov; photography by SFF

DimanaT Sun, 04/01/2007 - 17:54

An American banknote found in Israel brings German director Wim Wenders to Bulgaria

Wim Wenders

Not unlike a religious mystery screenplay, a banknote fallen from somebody's pocket provided the link between world-famous director Wim Wenders and the little-known country of Bulgaria. After the Jerusalem Film Festival in 2000, Stefan Kitanov, director of the international Sofia Film Fest (SFF), was walking with his wife in a small valley by the Holy City. There, under a tree, he found a 20-dollar note. "Lucky me!" Kitanov thought without even suspecting the sort of followup that the invisible scriptwriter had prepared for him. When he stood up, he saw a group of people several yards away. He went towards them and recognised Wenders at their head; the director he had been dreaming of welcoming to Bulgaria for years. He spoke to him, said how highly Bulgarian cinema goers valued him and invited him to become a member of the program council of the SFF. They spent the "magical" note that same evening in the most suitable place for a new friendship, the local pub.

The next year, Wenders helped with the film selection for the Sofia festival and last month he was its special guest. His first visit to Bulgaria was marked with a retrospective of 21 of his movies, including such masterpieces as Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire, and the premiere of the Bulgarian edition of his book A Sense of Place, published by Colibri. The 61-year-old German director, one of the very few who manages to capture things invisible to the common eye, also received the Sofia Municipality lifetime achievement award.

You write in your book that you live "anywhere and nowhere". Is this a metaphor?

No, this is what my life is really like. I am a film director and photographer, so my main profession is a traveller. I came to Sofia as such. But I made a mistake and brought a heavy winter coat. I should have arrived in shorts.

The road is a leitmotif in your movies. Even the name of your production company is Road Movies. How long have you had this burning desire for travel?

As a child, I grew up in a city completely destroyed by the war - Dusseldorf. So, from a very early age, I have always wanted to be somewhere else. Even in my childhood I travelled a lot, by bike or by train, and I had a camera. I think that this mobility is encoded in human genes. Few people feel truly comfortable living a sedate life. I noticed early in my life that when I am on the road I realise my full potential. I am more attentive; I think and write better, my imagination is unleashed. When I'm at home, there are not many new things to stimulate my mind. I feel perfect in a car, on a train, a plane or a boat, or walking. And if I had been born 200 years earlier, I would certainly have become a travelogue writer. In fact, I should have been born in the mid-19th Century, when photographers began going to all parts of the world to take pictures. I am very interested in landscapes, so I could be called a landscape photographer who has decided to expand his artistic expression with a movie camera. I enjoy being in new places and I'd like to get lost, to vanish there. As a traveller, I prefer not to form a preconception about a country, but to keep my eyes and ears open on the spot.

How do you inspire yourself as a director when you want to say something but don't know where to start?

Most colleagues start from the story, no matter whether it's something they've read or heard. For many, the film begins with a certain character. But for me, it begins with the desire to explore a street, a city, a certain place in particular and to find its story which can only be told there and nowhere else.

One of the most important issues for you is how to make the world a better place to live. But isn't it more important to change the people themselves?

All such attempts in history have failed, though we are right now trying to teach people that they have to treat this planet in a different way. That they are behaving irresponsibly for the next generations whose lives will suffer as a consequence. I learned a lot from primitive people like the Aborigines. These nomads have been living in the Australian bush for 30,000 years but are the wisest creatures I've ever met. Their language has no words for war or possession. It was incomprehensible for them that they can own a piece of land. Just the opposite, they felt they were owned by the land they lived in. I think that gradually we should all realise this.

(Questions from other media have also been used)

Issue 7

BULGARIA INTERVIEWS