Brashlyan
Encyclopedia
Brashlyan is a village in southeastern Bulgaria
, part of Malko Tarnovo
municipality, Burgas Province
. Known as Sarmashik until 1934, today the entire village is an architectural reserve displaying characteristic Strandzha
wooden architecture from the mid-17th to the 19th century.
Brashlyan lies in the low Strandzha mountains of Bulgaria's southeast, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) northwest of Malko Tarnovo, 64 kilometres (39.8 mi) south of Burgas
and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the Bulgaria–Turkey
border. The village traces its foundation to the 17th century when the residents of the Yurtet, Selishte and Zhivak neighbourhoods settled in the Lower Neighbourhood of Brashlyan. The village was mentioned in Ottoman
tax registers of the mid-17th century as part of the district of Anchialos (Pomorie
) and grew into a major centre of animal husbandry
by the 19th century. The old name Sarmashik was from Ottoman Turkish
sarmaşık and had the same meaning, "ivy".
The Sarmashik Affair, a predecessor of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising
, took place in Brashlyan in 1903. A band of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Revolutionary Organization was surrounded by Ottoman troops in the Balyuva House on 2 April; the band leader (voivode) Pano Angelov and the member Nikola Ravashola were killed by the Ottomans. The locals also participated in the actual uprising. According to Lyubomir Miletich
's demographic survey of the Ottoman province of Edirne
in The Destruction of Thracian Bulgarians in 1913
, published in 1918, before the wars Sarmashik (Сармашикъ) was a village in the district of Malko Tarnovo inhabited by 150 Bulgarian Exarchist
families.
The village became part of the Kingdom of Bulgaria
in 1913, after the Balkan Wars
. Since the mid-20th century, many local residents have moved to Burgas or Malko Tarnovo. From a population of 650 in 1926, the village's inhabitants have decreased to around 50 by 2008. In 1982, Brashlyan was proclaimed an architectural and historical reserve. 76 local houses from the 18th–19th century are cultural monuments, of which nine are of national importance. The oldest house dates to the mid-17th century and is still inhabited. The monastical school (working in 1871–1877), the St Pantaleon
, St Petka
and St Marina
chapel
s and the 17th-century bell tower
of the St Demetrius
Church have been restored by a local association; an ethnographic
collection and an open air museum
of agriculture
were set up as well. There are traces of Thracian
sanctuaries and dolmen
s several kilometres from the village.
Brashlyan is part of the Strandzha Natural Park. The village's territory borders that of the Vitanovo reserve, the Veleka
river valley and the trout
breeding pool on the Katun River. The village's fair is organized annually in early August, usually around the 8th, and lasts two days. Brashlyan is mentioned in the "Strandzha Marseillaise
", the song The Clear Moon is Already Rising, written by the leader of the Lozengrad
revolutionary district Yani Popov:
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 Malko Tarnovo
Malko Tarnovo
Malko Tarnovo is a town in Burgas Province, Southeastern Bulgaria, located 5 km away from the Turkish border. It is the only town in the interior of the Bulgarian Strandzha Mountains. Malko Tarnovo is the administrative centre of the homonymous Malko Tarnovo Municipality...
municipality, Burgas Province
Burgas Province
-Municipalities:The Burgas province contains 13 municipalities . The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village , and the population of each as of 2009.-Demography:The Burgas province had a population of 423,608 -Municipalities:The Burgas...
. Known as Sarmashik until 1934, today the entire village is an architectural reserve displaying characteristic Strandzha
Strandzha
Strandzha is a mountain massif in southeastern Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey, in the southeastern part of the Balkans between the plains of Thrace to the west, the lowlands near Burgas to the north and the Black Sea to the east. Its highest peak is Mahya Dağı in Turkey, while the...
wooden architecture from the mid-17th to the 19th century.
Brashlyan lies in the low Strandzha mountains of Bulgaria's southeast, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) northwest of Malko Tarnovo, 64 kilometres (39.8 mi) south of Burgas
Burgas
-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the Bulgaria–Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
border. The village traces its foundation to the 17th century when the residents of the Yurtet, Selishte and Zhivak neighbourhoods settled in the Lower Neighbourhood of Brashlyan. The village was mentioned in 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...
tax registers of the mid-17th century as part of the district of Anchialos (Pomorie
Pomorie
Pomorie is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is situated in Burgas Province, 20 km away from the city of Burgas and 18 km from the Sunny Beach resort. The ultrasaline lagoon...
) and grew into a major centre of animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
by the 19th century. The old name Sarmashik was from 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...
sarmaşık and had the same meaning, "ivy".
The Sarmashik Affair, a predecessor of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising
Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising
The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising or simply the Ilinden Uprising of August 1903 |Macedonia]] affected most of the central and southwestern parts of the Monastir Vilayet receiving the support mainly of the local Bulgarian peasants and to some extent of the Aromanian population of the region...
, took place in Brashlyan in 1903. A band of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Revolutionary Organization was surrounded by Ottoman troops in the Balyuva House on 2 April; the band leader (voivode) Pano Angelov and the member Nikola Ravashola were killed by the Ottomans. The locals also participated in the actual uprising. According to Lyubomir Miletich
Lyubomir Miletich
Lyubomir Miletich was a leading Bulgarian linguist, ethnographer, dialectologist and historian, as well as the chairman of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences from 1926 to his death....
's demographic survey of the Ottoman province of Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
in The Destruction of Thracian Bulgarians in 1913
The Destruction of Thracian Bulgarians in 1913
"The Destruction of Thracian Bulgarians in 1913" were events described by Bulgarian academician Lyubomir Miletich in 1918, but also mentioned by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace with also a detailed report on the annihilation of Thracian Muslims...
, published in 1918, before the wars Sarmashik (Сармашикъ) was a village in the district of Malko Tarnovo inhabited by 150 Bulgarian Exarchist
Bulgarian Exarchate
The Bulgarian Exarchate was the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the Ecumenical See in 1945 and the Bulgarian Patriarchate was restored in 1953....
families.
The village became part of the Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
in 1913, after the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
. Since the mid-20th century, many local residents have moved to Burgas or Malko Tarnovo. From a population of 650 in 1926, the village's inhabitants have decreased to around 50 by 2008. In 1982, Brashlyan was proclaimed an architectural and historical reserve. 76 local houses from the 18th–19th century are cultural monuments, of which nine are of national importance. The oldest house dates to the mid-17th century and is still inhabited. The monastical school (working in 1871–1877), the St Pantaleon
Saint Pantaleon
Saint Pantaleon , counted in the West among the late-medieval Fourteen Holy Helpers and in the East as one of the Holy Unmercenary Healers, was a martyr of Nicomedia in Bithynia during the Diocletian persecution of 303 AD...
, St Petka
Paraskevi
Paraskevi is a female name. Variations include Petka, Paraskeva, Praskovia, Praskovie, Pyatnitsa, Pyetka, Paraskevoula, Paraschiva and Voula.Notable people with the name include:*Voula Patoulidou, Greek hurdler and long jumper*Paraskevi...
and St Marina
Margaret the Virgin
Margaret the Virgin, also known as Margaret of Antioch , virgin and martyr, is celebrated as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches on July 20; and on July 17 in the Orthodox Church. Her historical existence has been questioned; she was declared apocryphal by Pope Gelasius I in 494,...
chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s and the 17th-century bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
of the St Demetrius
Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki
Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki was a Christian martyr, who lived in the early 4th century.During the Middle Ages, he came to be revered as one of the most important Orthodox military saints, often paired with Saint George...
Church have been restored by a local association; an ethnographic
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
collection and an open air museum
Open air museum
An open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first open-air museums were established in Scandinavia towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are variously known as...
of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
were set up as well. There are traces of Thracian
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
sanctuaries and dolmen
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s several kilometres from the village.
Brashlyan is part of the Strandzha Natural Park. The village's territory borders that of the Vitanovo reserve, the Veleka
Veleka
The Veleka is a river in the very southeast of Bulgaria , as well as the very northeast of European Turkey. It is 147 km long, of which 123 km in Bulgaria and 25 km in Turkey, and takes it sources from a number of Karst springs in the Turkish part of the Strandzha mountain to flow...
river valley and the trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
breeding pool on the Katun River. The village's fair is organized annually in early August, usually around the 8th, and lasts two days. Brashlyan is mentioned in the "Strandzha Marseillaise
La Marseillaise
"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song, originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795...
", the song The Clear Moon is Already Rising, written by the leader of the Lozengrad
Kirklareli
Kırklareli is the capital of Kırklareli Province in Eastern Thrace, on the European part of Turkey. The province has a coastline on the Black Sea. There is a Jewish community.-Name:It is not clearly known when the city was founded, nor under what name...
revolutionary district Yani Popov: