Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak is a vaulted-brickwork "beehive" tomb near the town of Kazanlak in central Bulgaria.
The tomb is part of a large royal Thracian necropolis in the Valley of the Thracian Rulers near their ancient capital of Seuthopolis in a region where more than a thousand tombs of kings and members of the Thracian aristocracy can be found.
It comprises a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both decorated with murals representing a Thracian couple at a ritual funeral feast. The monument dates back to the 4th century BCE and has been on the UNESCO protected World Heritage Site list since 1979. The murals show horses and a gesture of farewell, in which the seated couple grasp each other's wrists in a moment of tenderness and equality. The paintings are Bulgaria's best-preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic period.
To preserve the sensitive paintings, the tomb is not open to the public; a full-size replica was built nearby.
The seated woman of the murals is depicted on the reverse of the Bulgarian 50 stotinki coin issued in 2005.Gallery
