Great Sveshtari Mound

The Great Sveshtari Mound / Omurtagova Mound

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At 19m high, the Great Sveshtari Mound is the largest in the cemetery of the Getic capital. It is locally known as Omurtagova Mound because legend has it, the medieval Bulgar king Omurtag was buried there. The early medieval tradition to bury royalty in existing mounds supports this hypothesis, but only archaeological excavations could confirm or reject it.

It stands in the centre of a group of mounds, in the southern part of the East Hellenistic cemetery. So far excavations have discovered a semi-vaulted monumental tomb built in the end of the 4th century BC, with sacrifices of horses and dogs. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the early 3rd century BC.