Ihtiman
Encyclopedia
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
.
Formerly a Roman
defensive station guarding the important roads to the Bosphorus, Ihtiman was then called Stipon. It continued to play this role under the Byzantine Empire
and the Bulgarian Empire
, which however shifted its main defensive centre in the region to the Gate of Trajan
hill pass.
Following the Ottoman
domination in the 14th century, the town's name was changed to Ihtiman, which is thought to be of Ottoman Turkish
origin.
The traditional and dominant religion is Eastern Orthodox Christianity
.
Ihtiman Hook
on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands
, Antarctica is named after Ihtiman.
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...
, part of Sofia Province
Sofia Province
Sofia Province is a province of Bulgaria. The province does not include Sofia in its territories, but Sofia however remains its administrative center...
. It is located in the Ihtimanska Sredna Gora
Sredna Gora
Sredna Gora is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to Balkan mountain range and extending from the river Iskar to the west and the elbow of Tundzha north of Yambol to the east. Sredna Gora is 285 km long, reaching 50 km at its greatest width...
mountains and lies in a valley 48 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...
and 95 km from Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, close to 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...
.
Formerly a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
defensive station guarding the important roads to the Bosphorus, Ihtiman was then called Stipon. It continued to play this role under the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and the Bulgarian Empire
Bulgarian Empire
Bulgarian Empire is a term used to describe two periods in the medieval history of Bulgaria, during which it acted as a key regional power in Europe in general and in Southeastern Europe in particular, rivalling Byzantium...
, which however shifted its main defensive centre in the region to the Gate of Trajan
Gate of Trajan
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...
hill pass.
Following the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
domination in the 14th century, the town's name was changed to Ihtiman, which is thought to be of Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish language
The Ottoman Turkish language or Ottoman language is the variety of the Turkish language that was used for administrative and literary purposes in the Ottoman Empire. It borrows extensively from Arabic and Persian, and was written in a variant of the Perso-Arabic script...
origin.
The traditional and dominant religion is Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
Ihtiman Hook
Ihtiman Hook
Ihtiman Hook is a gravel barrier spit extending 700 m westward from the north coast of Burgas Peninsula on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...
on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...
, Antarctica is named after Ihtiman.
Municipality
Ihtiman is also the seat of Ihtiman municipality (part of Sofia Province), which includes the following 27 villages:
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Vakarel Vakarel is a village, away from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.Population: 1984 people. It is situated in the Ihtiman part of Sredna Gora mountains. The village is important transport knot for the railway Sofia - Plovdiv. Near Vakarel is the Trakiya motorway. Vakarel is 822 meters above sea... |