site.btaThracian Tomb of Sveshtari Opens for New Tourist Season

The Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari opened for the new tourist season and is already welcoming tourists, tour guide Elena Dimitrova told BTA. The tomb with its remarkable caryatids is one of the Bulgarian monuments on the list of UNESCO's world cultural and natural heritage since 1985.

According to Dimitrova, nearly 14,000 tourists from all over the world visited the tomb in 2023, including tourists from France, Romania, Spain and Italy. "The tourists who come here say that they are impressed and have never seen such a place," said Dimitrova. What sets the tomb apart from all the others is the fact that after it was fully excavated and explored, a chamber was built around it and buried. “Visitors have the opportunity to walk around the outside of the tomb and see the external walls. No other tomb in our country offers this," Dimitrova said.

The tomb was built in the 3rd century BC to house the mortal remains of a wealthy King of the Getae. The most remarkable decorations in the tomb are found in the burial chamber – 10 female figures (caryatids) whose chitons are shaped like an inverted palmette. 

For two years now, the Thracian royal tomb has been welcoming tourists in a completely renovated form. The tomb was renovated under the Sveshtari in a New Light project, which was implemented with the support of the US Ambassador’s Fund For Cultural Preservation (AFCP). "The restoration now enables visitors to see this remarkable masterpiece of Thracian tomb architecture in a new light", said Dimitrova.