Hajduk Nayden Atanasov-Fakira

Nayden Atanasov, called Fakira, was a Bulgarian hajduk born in the village of Zasele in the Sofia district around 1840.

The story of Nayden Atanasov-Fakira begins with his persecution by Kara Osman from Vratsa, who was attracted by the beauty of Nayden's wife Ranga. Through cunning, Nayden managed to evade the aggressor, who was trying to abduct his wife and convert her to Islam. To protect himself, Nayden was forced to join the hajduks and leave his native village. He left Bulgaria and settled in Serbia, where he bought property and established a household with his wife and his ally Stefan Glushanetsa. Despite his new life, Nayden did not forget the Bulgarian people's suffering and returned to his homeland every spring to join the struggle against the Turks in the western Balkan Mountains.

During the War of Liberation, Nayden Atanasov guided the Russian troops with whom he entered Sofia. In the city the Russians offered him accommodation and a good position, but he preferred to return to his native village. There he founded a school and became its first teacher.