Crafts — page 2 | History of Bulgaria

Jewellery making

Jewellery making in Bulgaria has a long and rich history connected with ancient traditions and national heritage. Over the centuries, Bulgarian jewellers have created jewellery that enriches the country’s cultural heritage.

Second Bulgarian Empire

Kazaz silk and wool passementerie

Kazaz passementerie, an artistic craft, played an exceptionally important role in Tryavna's economy alongside woodcarving and icon painting. Its name comes from the Turkish word kazaz, meaning a worker of raw silk.

Ottoman rule

Knife making

Knife making is a craft concerned with producing knives and other edged objects. It involves designing, forging, sharpening, hand-finishing and decorating knives.

First Bulgarian Empire: rulers and capitals

Making dolls in national costume

The traditional Bulgarian doll is a distinctive souvenir figurine dressed in national costume. These dolls symbolise the rich inner life of the Bulgarian people and express their way of life and culture.

Ottoman rule

Making palamarki harvesting guards

Palamarkadzhiystvo is the craft of making implements called palamarki. It emerged in villages in the Eastern Rhodopes during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and reached its peak in the 1920s and 1930s.

Third Bulgarian State

Pack-saddle making

Pack-saddle making is a craft concerned with producing pack saddles of different sizes. These were used to transport loads on horses, mules, donkeys and hinnies.

First Bulgarian Empire: rulers and capitals

Pottery

Pottery is one of the oldest crafts in the Bulgarian lands. Potters make various ceramic vessels from clay, intended mainly for household use: cups, plates, vases, pitchers, pots, storage jars and others.

Second Bulgarian Empire

Preslav painted ceramics

One of the remarkable artistic achievements of the Golden Age under Tsar Simeon was Preslav painted ceramics. Several workshops have been discovered in the capital, Preslav, situated within monastic complexes.

First Bulgarian Empire: rulers and capitals

Rose-oil distillation

Over the centuries, one of the distinctive products for which Bulgaria has been renowned is the oil-bearing rose, also known as the Kazanlak rose. This rose, whose botanical name is Rosa damascena, was brought to the Balkan Peninsula from the area around Damascus as early as the twelfth century.

Byzantine rule

Saddlery

Saddlers make horse tack, including saddles, straps, bridles, halters, collars and other equipment. Calfskin was the main raw material because it is strong and flexible.

First Bulgarian Empire: rulers and capitals

Tinning

Tinning is a craft in which copper vessels are coated with tin to prevent poisoning from food left in oxidised vessels. Tinning also protects vessels from corrosion and gives cooking vessels a non-stick coating.

First Bulgarian Empire: rulers and capitals

Traditional baking

In the past, traditional baking included the art of making simidi bread rolls, a delicate and exacting task. Production required high-quality ingredients such as fine white flour and chickpeas, from which a ferment was extracted over about 10 hours.

Third Bulgarian State

Water-powered sawmilling

The bichkidzhiynitsa, or struzhnyata as it is known in the Gabrovo region, is a specialised woodworking installation used to saw beams and boards. It replaces large hand saws known as krapove.

Third Bulgarian State

Weaving

Weaving is a traditional Bulgarian craft practised throughout many historical periods and remains part of the country’s cultural heritage. It is fundamental to the production of textiles and clothing.

Byzantine rule

Woodcarving

Woodcarving is the working of timber by cutting or carving various decorative motifs and images. The term also refers to the work produced by this creative process.

Second Bulgarian Empire