Murfatlar Cave Complex
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The Basarabi-Murfatlar Cave Complex is a medieval Christian monastery located near the town of Murfatlar (known as Basarabi between 1924–1965 and 1975–2007), Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. The complex is a relict from a widespread monastic phenomenon in 10th century Bulgaria.Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250, Florin Curta, Cambridge University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0521815398}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=YIAYMNOOe0YC&dq=murfatlar+cave+bulgar&pg=PA232 p. 232.]
History
The rock churches of Murflatlar, carved into a chalk hill, were discovered in 1957. The excavations conducted in 1957–1960 uncovered a complex of cells-dwellings, 4 small and 2 larger churches, crypts and tombs, all dating from the 9th – 11th century.И. Барня. Предварительные сведения о каменныйх памятниках Бесарби, – Dacia, VI, 1962;I. Barnea, S. Stefanescu. – Din istoria Dobrogei, III, București, 1971, 180–233.I. Barnea, V. Bilciurescu. Şantierul arheologic Basarabi (reg. Constanța), Materiale şi cercetări arheologice, București, 6, 1959, 541–566; From the late 7th until beginning of the 11th century this territory was part of the First Bulgarian Empire.Nikolov, G., Centralism and regionalism in Bulgaria during the early Middle ages (end of the 7th— beginning of the 11th century, Централизъм и регионализъм в ранносредновековна България (края на VII— началото на ХІ в.), София 2005, стр. 195.Political geography of medieval Bulgaria. From 681 to 1018. Петър Коледаров, Издателство на Българска Академия на Науките, София 1979, стр. 55.A History of the Byzantine State and Society, Author Warren T. Treadgold, Publisher Stanford University Press, 1997, {{ISBN|0804726302}}, p. 523.
Inscriptions
There are many inscriptions engraved on the walls – 2 in the Greek alphabet, 2 in the Old Slavonic language (Bulgarian recension) using the Glagolitic script and over 30 using the Cyrillic script. The most numerous are the runic inscriptions of Turkic type – over 60 have been found so far.В. Бешевлиев: Етническата принадлежност на рунните надписи при Мурфатлар. – сп. Векове, 4, 1976, 12–22. The same type of runes have been used on the Pliska Rosette and can be found on building materials and on the 9th century walls of the first Bulgarian capital Pliska. The Turkic runes in Murfatlar were based probably on the Kharosthi script.И. Kызласов. Рунические письменности евразийских степей. Восточная литература, РАН, 1994, 327 стр., {{ISBN|5-02-017741-5}}= The language of the runes is presumably Bulgar.В. Бешевлиев: Етническата принадлежност на рунните надписи при Мурфатлар. – сп. Векове, 4, 1976, 12–22. According to Romanian researchers, some graffiti, including depicting a Viking ships, were interpreted as Varangian.Florin Pintescu, PRESENCE DE L’ELEMENT VIKING DANS L’ESPACE DE LA ROMANITÉ ORIENTALE EN CONTEXTE MÉDITERRANÉEN, Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica, VIII, Iași, 2001Spinei, Victor (2009). The Romanians and the Turkic Nomads North of the Danube Delta from the Tenth to the Mid-Thirteenth century. Koninklijke Brill NV.p. 54, {{ISBN|978-90-04-17536-5}} However, they could have been carved by the local monks during the Rus' invasion of Bulgaria.Byzantine Military Organization on the Danube, 10th-12th Centuries, Alexandru Madgearu, BRILL, 2013, {{ISBN|9004252495}}, p. 27. Despite many attempts at cracking the Murfatlar script, there still is not a universally accepted decipherment, and it is rather heterogeneous.The Other Europe in the Middle Ages: Avars, Bulgars, Khazars and Cumans, editors Florin Curta, Roman Kovalev, Publisher BRILL, 2008, {{ISBN|9004163891}}, p. 191. Nevertheless, it is most likely that local monks drew their inspiration here.The cave and the dyke: a rock monastery on the tenth-century frontier of Bulgaria. Florin Curta, Studia Monastica 41 (1999), no. 1: 129-149; p. 140.
Image gallery
Image:BasarabiComplex5.JPG|Basarabi Cave Complex
Image:BasarabiComplex.JPG|View from inside the Complex
Image:BasarabiComplex2.JPG|View from inside the Complex
File:MurtfatlarCaveChurch2.JPG| Graffiti from the Basarabi Complex exhibited in the History Museum of Constanṭa
References
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External links
- [http://inoe.inoe.ro/constanta/pagini/p13.html Basarabi – The Cave Churches Complex]
- [http://kroraina.com/pb_lang/pbl_2_4.html General Overview of the Inscriptions from Murfatlar (in English)]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110724063056/http://byzantion.shu-bg.net/rashev_bg.htm Съчетанията от графична рисунка и рунообразен надпис в Равна и Мурфатлар. – Културните текстове на миналото, Рашо Рашев, Кн. III. София, 2005, с. 140–148.] (in Bulgarian)
- [http://www.protobulgarians.com/Statii%20za%20prabaalgarite/Nadpisi/Nadpis%20ot%20Murfatlar-1/Nadpis%20ot%20Murfatlar-1.htm За четенето на един рунически надпис от Мурфатлар – Северна Добруджа, Иван Т. Иванов М. Минкова, Националeн исторически институт с музей при БAН, София 2009. с. 297 – 299] (in Bulgarian, English summary)
- [http://biblio.darial-online.ru/text/Voinikov/08-4-1.pdf Надписи из Мурфатлара,Д-р Живко Войников] (in Russian)
- Popkonstantinov, Kazimir 1986: Die Inschriften des Felsklosters Murfatlar. Die Slawischen Sprachen 10, 1986, 77–106.(in Deutsch)
Category:Archaeological sites in Romania
Category:Buildings and structures in Constanța County
Category:Bulgarian Orthodox monasteries
Category:Byzantine sites in Romania
Category:Former populated places in Romania