Arbanassi

History

The lack of other documentary material leaves different opinions and speculations about the settlement's origin, name and population. It is accepted by some scholars that the village was populated by Bulgarian boyars that came from the westernmost parts of the Second Bulgarian Empire after Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria's important victory over the Byzantines near Klokotnitsa on 9 March 1230, when the tsar conquered "the land of the Albanians" (зємѧ арбанаскѫѫ). This assumption is supported by 19th century notes from Georgi Rakovski and other scholars, but by no direct evidence or contemporary source. The earliest written document that marks the beginning of Arbanasi's history is a royal decree by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent from 1538, according to which the sultan offered the lands of the modern localities of Arbanasi, Lyaskovets, Gorna Oryahovitsa and Dolna Oryahovitsa to his son-in-law Grand Vizier Rustem Pasha as a gift. The four villages are united under the name Arnaud Kariyeleri ("the Albanian villages") in the document, and the first settlers may have been Albanians and Greeks from Epirus; although Albanian names could be found in the Ottoman tax registers, Orthodox and Slavic names already prevailed. The tax registers of 1541–1544 describe Arnavud köy (also Darı ova) as a village of 63 households and 72 unmarried men. In 1579–1580, it already numbered 271 households and 277 unmarried men, or a quadruple increase for forty years, indicating an influx of settlers. The village preserved its purely Christian character and prospered in the 17th century. Other sources that mention Arbanasi are the notes of Pavel Đorđić from 10 January 1595 addressed to the Transylvanian Prince Sigismund Báthory. The village is also mentioned by the Roman…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  429
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  423
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  319
• Eurasian Jay

  Garrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  318
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  298
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow

  Passer montanus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  276
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  263
• White Stork

  Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  260

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2017-01-03
  8 km ENE of Lyaskovets, Bulgaria
• M 4.3 — 2016-04-18
  10 km SSW of Nova Zagora, Bulgaria
• M 4.2 — 2015-02-05
  12 km ENE of Tvarditsa, Bulgaria
• M 4.1 — 2010-08-21
  18 km SE of Nova Zagora, Bulgaria
• M 3.8 — 2009-02-07
  10 km NW of Shipka, Bulgaria
• M 2.6 — 2008-08-31
  7 km SE of Stara Zagora, Bulgaria