The Mysterious Madara Rider



The Madara Rider is an 23-meter tall relief sculpture carved into a vertical face of a rocky plateau in Bulgaria. It shows a mounted knight, probably representing a Bulgarian Emperor, attacking a lion. The origin of the sculpture is uncertain, but it's thought to date back to the 8th Century AD, when the power of the First Bulgarian Empire was increasing:

Including the inscription in Medieval Greek, the rider covers close to 1400 square feet on a vertical 328 foot cliff face. The horseman is depicted in a hunting scene, spearing a lion. The lion is being trampled by the horse and a dog is trailing behind the rider. The Greek inscriptions tell the history of the Bulgarian state and the three Khans including Tervel, Krum and Omurtag.


Link via The Presurfer | Photo: Amos Chapple

You realize, of course, that Mt. Rushmore will look something like this in 1300 years.

The parts that haven't fallen off anyway.

Very interesting, and puts me in mind of "Ozymandias", the temporary nature of all things, etc.
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