code for decoding

for coloring

colored drawing

colored drawing

1. Madara horseman:

The Madara Rider, representing the figure of a knight triumphing over a lion, is carved into a 100-m-high cliff near the village of Madara in north-east Bulgaria. Madara was the principal sacred place of the First Bulgarian Empire before Bulgaria’s conversion to Christianity in the 9th century. The inscriptions beside the sculpture tell of events that occurred between AD 705 and 801.

Protection and management requirements

Management is implemented by virtue of:

- Cultural Heritage Law (Official Gazette No.19 of 2009) and subdelegated legislation. This law regulates the research, studying, protection and promotion of the immovable cultural heritage in Bulgaria, and the development of Conservation and Management plans for its inscribed World Heritage List of immovable cultural properties.

In addition, secondary legislation, issued by the Government in 1981 (Ordinance No. 22 on Protection of the Historical and Archaeological Reserves of Pliska, Preslav and Madara, promulgated in the Official Gazette No. 14 of 1981) also applies.

In order to ensure the conservation of the relief, there is a need to implement the proposed interventions drawn by the 2007 International project.

The relief depicts a majestic horseman 23 m (75 ft) above ground level in an almost vertical 100 m (328 ft)-high cliff. It is of almost natural size.^[3] The horseman, facing right, is thrusting a spear into a lion lying at his horse's feet, and on the left a dog is running after the horseman.^[5] The carving of the horseman's halo and garments, as well as the bird in front of the horseman's face, are barely recognizable due to the erosion and bad condition of the monument.^[6] The relief is similar to the carbon images found in Saltovo, Soulek, Pliska and Veliki Preslav.^[1]

Origin tradition[edit]

The meaning and symbolism of the depiction is uncertain, as well its actual masonry tradition and cultural source.^[5]

In the scholarship the origin of the relief is connected with the Bulgars ethnogenesis – the semi-nomadic equestrian warrior culture from the Eurasian Steppe.^[7] Others saw in the relief resemblance to the Sasanian rock relief tradition.^[1][8][5] The hero-horseman is a common character of Turkic and Iranian-Alanic mythology.^[5] It is sometime considered that the horseman represents or is related to the Bulgar deity Tangra, while Vladimir Toporov related it to the Iranian deity Mithra.^[5]

Others noted a more simple explanation – that the relief represented Khan Tervel (701–718 AD),^[3] or like previously considered and now rejected, Khan Krum (802–814 AD).^[9]

Some considered it an example of the Thracian horseman – a recurring motif of a deity in the form of a horseman in the Paleo-Balkanic mythology.^[10][11] The motif typically features a caped horseman astride a steed, with a spear poised in his right hand. He is often depicted as slaying a beast with a spear, although this feature is sometime absent.^[12][13][14] Initially considered (and later abandoned) by Konstantin Josef Jireček and Karel Škorpil, the assumption was gradually rejected because of differences in the iconographic details, and the relation with the animals (there's no dog^[11]).^[1][9]

The relief probably incorporates both autochthonous Thracian and the newly arrived Bulgars cultural cults.^[10] The monumental size, iconography and the details (stirrup, halo, skull-cup, bird etc.) is generally part of the Bulgar tradition, while the rightward direction and the lion of the Thracian tradition.^[15]

2. Pag lace:

Mom Bogdan: Elena Mladenova

First the circle is defined within which little holes are made several millimeters apart, and then thread is pulled through them. This is how the base for Pag lace is made it consists of eight thread sticks which are spread diagonally across the circle. When the base is ready, small circles and triangles (mendulice) are made from the center. When lace is created, it is firm, as though it has been starched. Pag lace, unlike the other well-known Dubrovnik and Lepoglava laces, can be washed without losing its firmness. Of course, Pag lace is expensive and is, for this reason, called white gold.

Mom Galin: Pepa Petkova

Delicate and durable Pag lace is the pride of Pag island and prized throughout Croatia. Even now, it's possible to see ladies pouring over their lace work on the streets of Pag town.

The finest examples of lace workmanship are on display at the Lace Gallery in Pag town where Benedictine nuns keep alive the tradition. Smaller examples of Pag lace are for sale in shops around town. The uniqueness of the Pag lace design and technique has been recognized as "Intangible Heritage" by Unesco.

The exact origins of the lace-making tradition in Pag are unknown but it probably began in the Renaissance as ornamentation for the traditional white linen shirts and neckerchiefs worn on Pag island. As traditional dress began to die out in the 20th century, lace edging decorated tablecloths, altar cloths, bedspreads and handkerchiefs. In 1906 a School for Lace Making was established in Pag and the lace began to assume the geometrical shapes you see today. In 1911 Pag's lace received wider attention as a result of the efforts of an Austrian writer, Natalie Bruck-Auffenberg, who presented a lace blouse to the Archduchess Maria Josephine. The archduchess travelled to Pag to place an order and more noble ladies followed suit. During the reign of Queen Maria Theresa (1717-1780) a lace maker from Pag resided at the royal court in Vienna.

Lace-making requires a needle, thread, clean hands, good eyesight and a lot of time. The needle is an ordinary mending needle and the work is done on a backing, which is usually a hard stuffed pillow. Lace makers work without drawings, based on designs handed down from generation to generation to which each lace maker adds her own personal touch. Within the many variations there is a solid geometric structure called the reticela that is the skeleton of each design. At the centre is a circle that is traversed by eight thread sticks that radiate outward through an intricate web of circles and triangles. The result is a piece of handiwork that is as delicate as a snowflake but stiff and durable enough to withstand laundering.

Mom Raly : Simona Staneva

Lacemaking In Croatia : At least three distinct traditions of Lacemaking in Croatia persist today, centred on the towns of Pag on the Adriatic, Lepoglava in northern Croatia and Hvar on the Dalmatian island of the same name. Pag needle-point lace was originally used to make ecclesiastical garments, tablecloths and ornaments for clothing. The process involves embellishing a spider web pattern with geometrical motifs and is transmitted today by older women who offer year-long courses. Lepoglava bobbin lace is made by braiding thread wound on spindles, or bobbins; it is often used to make lace ribbons for folk costumes or is sold at village fairs. An International Lace Festival in Lepoglava celebrates the art every year. Aloe lace is made in Croatia only by Benedictine nuns in the town of Hvar. Thin, white threads are obtained from the core of fresh aloe leaves and woven into a net or other pattern on a cardboard background. The resulting pieces are a symbol of Hvar. Each variety of lace has long been created by rural women as a source of additional income and has left a permanent mark on the culture of its region. The craft both produces an important component of traditional clothes and is itself testimony to a living cultural tradition.