Two streets in Sofia have been named after one of Bulgaria's landmarks - the Madara Horseman.

Madara Street and Madarski Konnik (Madara Horseman) Street both glorify this masterpiece by an unknown creator.

The sculptor carved a relief of a majestic horseman, 23m above ground level in an almost vertical hundred-metre high cliff. The horseman is thrusting a spear into a lion lying at his horse's feet. A dog runs after the horseman.

The origins, dating and meaning of the Madara Horseman have been interpreted in various ways and were often the subject of heated discussion. This is by no means surprising - the monument on the huge Madara rock is very unusual and has no parallel. Furthermore, the popular subject of the hunting horseman or the victorious ruler led many scholars to different conclusions.

According to one of the most popular theories, the Madara Horseman was carved at the very beginning of the 8th century, about three decades after the foundation of the Bulgarian State (681). The sculpture marks a triumph - the Byzantine Empire had recognised the new state.

At the end of the 7th century, the relations of the young Bulgarian state and the Byzantine Empire were very complex. The Bulgarians won the right to establish their state in a victorious battle. But Byzantium considered itself an heir to the Roman Empire and never gave up its claim on this territory. When Bulgaria fought for its place in Europe, the old world, in the shape of Byzantium, resisted stubbornly.

But the transitory nature of history created an unexpected situation: the dethroned Byzantine Emperor Justinian Rhinotmet asked for help from the Bulgarian Khan Tervel. In 705, Tervel's army helped Emperor Justinian II regain his throne. The grateful basileus welcomed the Bulgarian khan in Constantinople with great honours, putting a royal mantle on his shoulders and showering him with gifts. Khan Tervel and Emperor Justinian stood together as equals at the parade of Byzantine troops. And, best of all, under the new treaty Bulgaria received, for the first time, lands south of the Balkan range: the region of Zagore in Eastern Thrace, through which many strategic routes passed. Furthermore, the khan was awarded the title of Caesar, making him second only to the emperor. This was the first time in Byzantine history that a foreigner was bestowed such a title.

Historians suppose that the excitement from the victory and new acquired lands and the awareness of the historic significance of the events brought about the idea of the impressive monument.

The monument most probably glorified the victorious ruler who exercised great political wisdom and won a historic battle without bloodshed, and measured up to the grandeur of the event.

Such a monument obviously required a special place. And the cliff of the Madara Plateau was chosen for the purpose. Located in the Danube plain, the plateau rises gradually up to its highest point and then suddenly drops like a stone waterfall to fertile fields. The rock cliff is one hundred metres high. The surface of the soft sandstone was furrowed by the stratification of numerous millennia.

Low down, in the crevices and small caves, people lived in prehistoric times. In antiquity, the Thracian tribes inhabited the plain. There was an ancient Thracian sanctuary in the large open cave under the rocks, which is known today as the Nymphs' Cave. Succulent plants and trickles of water fill this place with the natural juices of life respected by the Thracians and inhabited by their gods.

This theory of the origin and meaning of the Madara Horseman was based on deciphering the abstract inscriptions hewn in the left and right sides of the composition which provide curt, precise and simple information about the event and some of the circumstances related to it. The inscription is in Greek with well formed letters seven to 12 centimetres high. Unfortunately, entire parts of text, as well as some words and letters are missing on both sides. The translation of the preserved text is as follows: "... the Emperor Justinian concluded an agreement and tried ... the Bulgarians... and came to Tervel. My uncles in Thessaloniki and Kisin did not believe the Rhinotmet Emperor and left him. His... one ... with an agreement with Tervel the Archont of the Emperor gave... five thousand ... with me the Emperor won well".