Gate of Trajan
Encyclopedia
The Gate of Trajan or Trajan's Gate is a historic mountain pass near Ihtiman
, Bulgaria
. It was named so 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.
Today, a tunnel of Trakiya motorway
similarly known as the Gate of Trajan Tunnel (тунел „Траянови врата“) is located just near the fortress, 55 km from Sofia
.
on Graham Land
in Antarctica is named after the Gate of Trajan.
Ihtiman
Ihtiman is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located in the Ihtimanska Sredna Gora mountains and lies in a valley 48 km from Sofia and 95 km from Plovdiv, close to Trakiya motorway....
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. It was named so after Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
, 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
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
and Macedonia
Macedonia (Roman province)
The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon, the last Ancient King of Macedon in 148 BC, and after the four client republics established by Rome in the region were dissolved...
.
The pass is primarily known for the major medieval battle
Battle of the Gates of Trajan
The Battle of the Gates of Trajan was a battle between Byzantine and Bulgarian forces in the year 986. It took place in the pass of the same name, modern Trayanovi Vrata, in Sofia Province, Bulgaria. It was the largest defeat of the Byzantines under Emperor Basil II...
of 17 August 986, during which the forces of Byzantine Emperor Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
were routed by Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria
Samuil of Bulgaria
Samuel was the Emperor of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 6 October 1014. From 980 to 997, he was a general under Roman I of Bulgaria, the second surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria, and co-ruled with him, as Roman bestowed upon him the command of the army and the effective royal...
, effectively halting a Byzantine campaign in the Bulgarian lands.
Today, a tunnel of Trakiya motorway
Trakiya motorway
The Trakia motorway or Thrace motorway, designated A1, is a motorway currently in construction in Bulgaria. It is planned to connect the capital of Sofia with Burgas on the Black Sea through Plovdiv and with Kalotina on the Serbian border. The motorway is named after the historical region of...
similarly known as the Gate of Trajan Tunnel (тунел „Траянови врата“) is located just near the fortress, 55 km from Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
.
Honour
The saddle Trajan GateTrajan Gate
Trajan Gate is the flat saddle of elevation ca. 850 m extending 4.3 km on Trinity Peninsula, Antarctic Peninsula, which is situated between Malorad Glacier to the north and a Russell West Glacier to the south...
on Graham Land
Graham Land
Graham Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee and the US Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names, in...
in Antarctica is named after the Gate of Trajan.