Blagoevgrad Province41°45′N23°15′E / 41.750°N 23.250°E / 41.750; 23.250Blagoevgrad Province (Bulgarian: област Благоевград, oblast Blagoevgrad or Благоевградска област, Blagoevgradska oblast), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia (Bulgarian: Пиринска Македония; Българска Македония), (Pirinska Makedoniya or Bulgarska Makedoniya) is a province (oblast) of southwestern Bulgaria.
Rhodope MountainsThe Rhodopes (; Bulgarian: Родопи, Rodopi; Greek: Ροδόπη, Rodopi; Turkish: Rodoplar) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak at 2,191 meters (7,188 ft).
First Bulgarian Empire681–1018 state in Southeast EuropeThe First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern and southeastern Central Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD.
Bulgarian languageBulgarian is an Eastern South Slavic language spoken in Southeast Europe, primarily in Bulgaria. It is the language of the Bulgarians. Along with the closely related Macedonian language (collectively forming Macedo-Bulgarian), it is a member of the Balkan sprachbund and South Slavic dialect continuum of the Indo-European language family.
Byzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, it endured until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The term 'Byzantine Empire' was coined only after its demise; its citizens used the term 'Roman Empire' and called themselves 'Romans'.
TribeThe term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflicting theoretical understandings of social and kinship structures, and also reflecting the problematic application of this concept to extremely diverse human societies.
RegionIn geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands, or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), or the interaction of humanity and the environment (integrated geography).
ConstantinopleCapital of the Byzantine EmpireAerial view of Byzantine Constantinople and the Propontis (Sea of Marmara)Constantinople, the modern Istanbul, was the capital of the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire from 330 until its takeover by the Ottoman Empire in 1453. After this, it continued to function as the Ottoman capital until the abolition of the Ottoman sultanate in 1922.
Human settlementA human settlement, locality, or populated place is a place where people live and carry out social, economic, political, and cultural activities. The term encompasses a broad range of inhabited environments, including hamlets, villages, towns, cities, metropolitan regions, and larger settlement systems.
Nestos (river)The Nestos (Greek: Νέστος [ˈnestos]) or the Mesta (Bulgarian: Ме́ста [ˈmɛstɐ]), formerly the Mesta Karasu (Ottoman Turkish: مستا قرە سو), is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. It rises in the Rila Mountains and flows into the Aegean Sea near the island of Thasos. It plunges down towering canyons toward the Aegean Sea through mostly metamorphic formations.
Middle AgesIn the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to late 15th centuries, comparable with the post-classical period of global history. The medieval period is the middle epoch of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages.
SlavsGrouping of people (Learn how and when to remove this message) Ethnic group The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.