Gate of Trajan

Historic mountain pass in Sofia Province, Bulgaria
Gate of Trajan is located in Bulgaria
Gate of Trajan

The Gate of Trajan or Trajan's Gate (Bulgarian: Траянови врата, romanized: Trayanovi vrata) is a historic mountain pass near Ihtiman, Bulgaria. In antiquity, the pass was called Succi. Later it was named after Roman Emperor Trajan, on whose order a fortress by the name of Stipon was constructed on the hill over the pass, as a symbolic border between the provinces of Thrace and Macedonia.

The pass is primarily known for the major medieval battle of 17 August 986, during which the forces of Byzantine Emperor Basil II were routed by Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria, effectively halting a Byzantine campaign in the Bulgarian lands.[1]

Today, a tunnel of Trakiya motorway similarly known as the Gate of Trajan Tunnel (тунел „Траянови врата“) is near the fortress, 55 kilometres (34 mi) from Sofia.

The saddle known as Trajan Gate on Graham Land, Antarctica is named after the Gate of Trajan.

Notes

  1. ^ Jim Bradbury, The Routledge Companion to Medieval Warfare, (Taylor & Francis, 2005), 178

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trayanovi vrata pass.
  • Norwich, John Julius (1998). A Short History of Byzantium. Vintage. ISBN 978-0-679-77269-9.
  • Димитров, Божидар (2004-08-23). "При Самуил стигаме до Коринт и Далмация" (in Bulgarian). Стандарт.
  • v
  • t
  • e


Stub icon

This Sofia Province, Bulgaria location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e

This European history–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e