|
Mezek Fortress
Mezek Fortress () is a Middle Ages, medieval stronghold constructed in the 11th and 12th centuries west of the modern village of Mezek, southeastern Bulgaria. It has been identified as the medieval Neoutzikon (''Неузетикон'' in Bulgarian, ''Νεούτζικον'' in Byzantine Greek), mentioned in Byzantine chronicles. The structure is perched on an elongated terrace at the foothills of the most northeastern ridge of the Rhodope Mountains known as ''Gorata'' or ''St Marina''. It functioned as a border guard fortress defending the lands between the rivers Maritsa and Arda (Maritsa tributary), Arda. The fortress was controlled by the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine and the Second Bulgarian Empire, Bulgarian Empires until it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Turks in the second half of the 14th century. Mezek Fortress is among the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria of the Bulgarian Tourist Union and is considered the best preserved fort in the eastern Rhodope Mountains. S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mezek
Mezek () is a village in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Svilengrad municipality, Haskovo Province. It lies at the foot of the eastern Rhodope Mountains, just north of the Bulgaria–Greece border and not far west of the Bulgaria–Turkey border. Mezek is famous for the well-preserved medieval Mezek Fortress (Neoutzikon - Νεούτζικον) and its two ancient Thracians, Thracian beehive tombs, the Mezek and Sheynovets tombs. The village is also well known for its own winery and the Mezzek brand of Bulgarian wine. Fortress and Tomb The Mezek Fortress, in area, is claimed to be among the best preserved Bulgarian medieval castles. It dates to the 11th century. Along with the Thracian tombs, it was studied by a team under archaeologist Bogdan Filov in 1931–1932. The castle has nine towers, five of which lie at the vulnerable south wall. The Mezek Fortress was built out of stone, with two decorative lines of bricks on the outside. It suffered some destruction around 1900, when s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
