Stara Zagora massacre

From 19 to 21 July 1877, Stara Zagora in the Ottoman Empire witnessed one of Bulgarian history's most tragic events, the Stara Zagora massacre. Ottoman regular troops under Süleyman Pasha, supported by Circassians, Albanians and others, entered the city, began killing its Bulgarian population and set it on fire.

The attack also affected surrounding villages. Many Bulgarians were killed, and the city was burned to the ground. Historical accounts state that about 2,500 people were slaughtered in the Holy Trinity Church alone. Killings continued in villages along the route to Stara Zagora. With their settlements looted and depopulated, the few survivors fled to northern Bulgaria, remaining until the following spring. Many never returned.

Ottoman troops also raped and terrorised women and girls. Many were enslaved and taken towards Constantinople and Adrianople. Witness accounts and documents report ritual killings in some places, including crucifixion and other brutal forms of torture and killing.

The Stara Zagora massacre remains one of the most brutal attacks in Bulgarian history, symbolising the violence and devastation inflicted on the Bulgarian people during the War of Liberation.