The renowned Golden Thracian treasure has returned to its permanent home, the National Museum of History in Sofia, after a year and a half of circumnavigation and numerous exhibitions in Japan.

The Japanese tour itself has been hailed as a "triumphant success", according to a July 16 2009 media statement from the museum.

On July 16 and 17, the treasures will be reinstalled at their traditional abodes in the museum, and on July 18 they will again be on public exhibition.

In previous years, when the treasures returned to Bulgarian soil from distant lands, which reportedly "always resulted in widespread acclaim", it generated enormous interest in the Bulgarian public who flocked in droves to the museum to get a glimpse of Bulgaria's golden Thracian treasures.

On one such occasion, a record 45 000 people visited the museum in a single day.

National Museum of History authorities said that special measures were being taken to avoid long queues, and to facilitate the influx of traffic.

"The infrastructure around the museum, alleys, lanes, pavements and parking lot have been upgraded. Starting July 20, there will also a be a food stall outside," the museum statement said.

The Panagyurishte gold treasure is amongst the most prominent golden Thracian treasures in Bulgaria. It was excavated on December 8 1949 by three brothers – Pavel, Petko and Michail Deikov who worked together at the region of Merul tile factory near the town of Panagyurishte, Bulgaria.

The artifact collection consists of a phial, an amphora and seven rhytons of a total weight of 6164 kg of 23-karat gold. Every item is beautifully and painstakingly decorated with tapestries of Thracian mythology, ancient customs and scenes of common daily life.

Dated from the fourth to the third centuries BCE, they are believed to have been part of a royal ceremonial set by Thracian king Seuthes III.