New English Original bdg. HC. Oblong large 8vo. (22 x 25 cm). In English and Bulgarian. 180 p., fully b/w and color ills., 1 folding b/w panoramic photograph with huge size (21 x 105 cm). "Plovdiv (Filibe) was one of the most significant Ottoman settlements on the Balkans. It was conquered in 1364 by an army commanded by Lala Sahin Pasha. During the next decade the infrastructure and architecture of the city were changed in accordance with the Ottoman urban tradition. New trade - economic center was created and monumental public buildings were built. Evliya Çelebi who visited the city in 1652 described it in the following way; 'Among the cities in the Rumelia region. first comes Edirne. followed by Thessaloniki. then comes Serres, Larissa, Sofia, the city resembling the Paradise Belgrade, the Muslim defensive fortress of Buda, the rich city of Sarajevo, the wonderful forttified city of Skopje, and finally comes Plovdiv, which is the most beautiful one. it has nine bluish and steep tepes (hills).; Chanla (Çanli) Tepe, Boz Tepe, Cambaz (Dzhambaz) Tepe, Saray Tepe, Nobet Tepe, Saat Tepe, Pinarcik Tepe, Gözcü Tepe and Valeli Tepe. Among the ravines and hills with bluish stone, as well as on their tops one can see beautiful one and two - story palaces and houses covered with red tiles, vineyards and gardens. [The city] has twenty three Muslim, and seven Latin, Serbian, Bulgarian, Jewish and reek [neighborhoods]. there are approximately 8000 palaces and other houses. There are f,fty-three mosques and masjids. The Ulu Mosque located at the market.". BALKANS Bulgaria Plovdiv Filibe Ottoman culture Architecture Social life Travel Urban history.
