Trajan’s Gate, also known as Trajanovi Vrata or Trajan’s Portal, is the name of a mountain pass, an ancient Roman fortress, and a road tunnel located in the Ihtiman Sredna Gora.
Location and Structure
The fortress and the Trajan’s Gate tunnel are situated within the municipality of Kostenets. This tunnel, along with the entire pass, spans a section of 12.5 km on the Trakia highway.
Ancient Names and Historical Significance
Historically, this pass was known as Suki. After the 6th century, it was referred to by its Greek name, Vasiliki Pili (“Royal Gate”), and from the 9th century onwards, it was also called the Bulgarian Gate.
The ancient Thracian pass, Sued, was known to the Romans as Succorum claustra or Succorum angistiae (the Narrow Pass at Suki/Suci). This passage, through which the Roman road once ran, connected Central and Western Europe with Constantinople.
Origin of the Name
The contemporary name, Trajan’s Gate, is a misnomer, as the Roman fortress in the pass was erroneously attributed to Emperor Trajan (53 – 117). In reality, the fortress was built much later. According to Professor Petar Mutafchiev, the toponym “Trajan’s Gate” was first used in the 15th century in the chronicle “The Kingdom of Hungary” by Antonio Bonfini. He described the crusade of King Władysław III of Poland against the Ottoman Empire in 1443-1444. Following the Liberation, the name quickly gained popularity and became an officially recognized term for the location and the pass.
Historical Events
The pass entered the annals of history in 986 AD when Byzantine Emperor Basil II launched a campaign against Bulgaria to annex Bulgarian territories. On August 17th, the Bulgarian army, led by the future Tsar Samuel, intercepted and completely defeated the Byzantines at Trajan’s Gate (see the Battle of Trajan’s Gate).
Medieval and Ottoman Eras
During the Middle Ages, the pass was called the Royal Pass (in Greek: Βασιλική κλεισούρα) or “Royal Gate” (in Greek: Βασιλική πύλη), and later the Bulgarian Pass (in Greek: Βουλγαρική κλείσις).
Historian Antonio Bonfini (1427 – 1502) first used the name Trajan’s Gate in relation to Władysław III’s campaign, during which the king’s forces traversed the pass in 1443. During the Ottoman rule, the pass was also known by its Turkish name Kapıdzhik Dervent (Turkish: kapı – gate, and dervent – pass), as well as Markova Kapia. The grand arch of the Roman gate, about 18 meters high, remained intact until the 19th century.
Geography and Modern Relevance
The pass is a saddle located in the southeastern part of the Ihtiman Sredna Gora, in the Eledzhik ridge of the Municipality of Kostenets, Sofia Region, and the Municipality of Septemvri, Pazardzhik Region. It stretches 16 km, with an elevation of 830 meters at the saddle. It connects the southeastern part of the Ihtiman Valley to the northwestern part of the Upper Thracian Plain to the southeast. The pass lies on the old Roman road Via Militaris, along which an old, now practically unused road exists.
The Route
The pass begins at 652 meters above sea level, southeast of the village of Mirovo. It heads southeast and, after 5 km, reaches the saddle at 830 meters above sea level. From there, it continues along the valley of the Yavoritsa River (a right tributary of the Topolnitsa) and, after 5 km southwest of the village of Dolno Varshilo, descends to 570 meters above sea level. The route then ascends again, and after 3.5 km, at 710 meters above sea level, it crosses the Palanka saddle, descends from there, and after 4 km, ends northwest of the town of Vetren at 420 meters above sea level.
