Kazanluk (Southern Bulgaria), - UNESCO is studying the Valley of Thracian Rulers project, UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura told BTA in response to a question. He is the first UNESCO director general to visit the Kazanluk Thracian Tomb after its inclusion in the cultural monuments list protected by UNESCO. Matsuura described the Thracian tombs in Bulgaria as a unique world heritage.
The Mayor of Kazanluk presented a the UNESCO Director General with a tabletop sculpture of the Kazanluk rose, the other symbol of the town which lies in the heart of the Valley of Roses.
Two sarcophaguses and 12 tombs have been found in the Valley of Thracian Rulers, all of which have been studied. A US archaeological team headed by Prof. Zdravko Parov owns a golden disc with 6,000 hours of scientific studies on the Thracian tomb near Ostrousha, Kosyo Zarev, Director of the Museum of History in Kazanluk, told BTA.
The Kazanluk Thracian Tomb was opened for tourists for the first time this year. It was declared a world monument under UNESCO aegis in 1979. Its unique mural paintings date back to the turn of the 4th century BC.