Top left: Statue of George Sheytanov, Top middle: Tundzha River, Top right: Georgi Rakovski Library in Osvobozhdenie Square, Center: Saglasie Community Hall, Bottom left: Yambol Saint George Orthodox Church, Bottom middle: Ormana Park, Bottom right: Saint Nikolay Church of Yambol
Yambol is the administrative center of two municipalities. One isYambol Municipality, which covers the city itself, and the other isTundzha Municipality, which covers the rural areas around Yambol.
Church of St Nicholas in the winterPanoramic view of the city visible from BorovetsTundzha RiverYambol city center after renovation in 2018Yambol city center after renovation in 2018City Library and Central Post Office
The area surrounding Yambol has been inhabited since theNeolithic Era. The ancientThracian royal city ofKabile orKabyle (Bulgarian:Кабиле), dating from the end of the 2nd millennium BCE, was located 10 km from current-day Yambol. It was one of Thracians' most important cities and contained one of the kings' palaces. The city was conquered by KingPhilip II of Macedon in 341 BCE and was re-established as anAncient Greekpolis.[4][5][6] After the collapse ofAlexander the Great’s empire in the 3rd century BCE, Kabile was ruled by the Thracians once again. It was conquered by the Romans in 71 BCE and later incorporated into the Roman province of Thrace. By 136 CE, Kabile was one of the largest Roman military bases in the region housing at least 600 soldiers. A large residence for military officers has recently been excavated in the archaeological park at Kabile.[7]
Kabile was expanded byRoman EmperorDiocletian in 293 CE. Although it was namedDiospolis (Διόςπόλις inGreek 'city ofZeus'), the name also reflected the first syllable of emperor Diocletian's name. The name later evolved throughDiampolis (Διάμπόλις),Eiambouli (Ηιάμβόυλι; in Byzantine chronicles),Dinibouli (دنبلي; Arabic chronicles),Dbilin (Дбилин; in Bulgarian inscriptions), andDiamboli orJamboli (Диамбоюли) to becomeYambol. Prior to the1945 spelling reform, the name was rendered with an additionalyer at the end, asЯмболъ.
Kabile was conquered by the Goths in the 4th century CE and was destroyed by theAvars in 583. As theSlavs andBulgars arrived in theBalkans in theMiddle Ages, the Kabile fortress was contested by theFirst Bulgarian Empire and theEastern Roman Empire. It ultimately became part of Bulgaria in 705 CE during the reign of Khan Tervel and has been an importantBulgarian center ever since.
The city expanded during the reign ofKhan Omurtag of theFirst Bulgarian Empire, and a new fortress was built. Its proximity to the border made it essential for both trade and military purposes. During the reign ofBoris I andTsar Simeon, the first literary centers were established, mostly as part of the church. Books were imported fromPreslav andOhrid literary schools and were studied in the city's churches.
During the reign ofTsar Kaloyan, the city again increased in importance, mainly due to the ongoing conflict between Bulgaria and the crusaders. A major battle between Tsar Kaloyan and the crusaders happened in 1204 CE, about 80 kilometers south-west of the town, where Bulgaria defeated the crusaders in thebattle of Adrianopole on 14 April 1205.
TheOttomans conquered Yambol in 1373 CE, but a militarized, semi-independent Bulgarian population remained as voyinuks in the southern part of the city.[8] It was renamed to "Yanbolu". It was kaza center, which was bound successively toÇirmen Sanjak (Its center wasEdirne) ofRumelia Eyalet (1364–1420),Silistre Sanjak of Rumelia Eyalet (1420-1593),[9] Silistre Sanjak ofSilistre Eyalet (1593–1830),İslimye Sanjak ofEdirne Vilayet (1830–1878),[10] and the department of Sliven in Eastern Rumelia before joining the Principality of Bulgaria in 1885.
The predominant religion in Yambol isEastern Orthodox Christianity. Many local churches were erected in 1888. These include theHoly Trinity church, the St George church,[11] and the St Nicholas cathedral,[12] the largest of them being the St. Nicholas cathedral.Eastern Rite Catholic andProtestant religious buildings also exist in Yambol.
In modern times, Yambol was the center of YambolOkolia starting in 1878 and then YambolOkrug starting in 1948. In 1984 it became part of the newly formed Burgas Oblast where it remained for 10 years. Since the early 1990s, Yambol has been the center of Yambol Oblast (or Yambol Municipality).
The city was affected by the turmoils of the early 20th century. Bulgarian refugees fromEast Thrace, attacked by the Turkish Army in a 1913ethnic cleansing campaign againstThracian Bulgarians, settled in the city. Yambol's Greek population (around 20 families) left for Greece during that exchange of refugee populations. Yambol also hosted Bulgarian Macedonian refugees from the failed 1903Ilinden Uprising. DuringWorld War I, Yambol hosted a base forLuftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Army Air Service)zeppelins used for missions inRomania,Russia,Sudan andMalta. The city was chosen by the Germans due to its favorable location and weather conditions.[13] During theBalkan Wars, Yambol was the headquarters of the First Bulgarian Army, which played a vital role in the defeat of the Turks in Trace.[14]
In the early 21st century, the city became the first one in Bulgaria to offer natural gas for residential use.
In the first decade after theliberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire, the population of Yambol exceeded 10,000. In 1887, it was 11,241.[2] Since then, it started growing decade by decade, mostly because of migrants from rural areas and the surrounding smaller towns. Yambol's population reached its peak in the period of 1985–1992, exceeding 90,000.[15] After this peak, the population started decreasing due to the economic situation in Bulgaria during the 1990s, which led to migration to Burgas. As of February 2011, the city had a population of 74,132. The population ofTundzha Municipality, of which the city is the administrative center, was 98,287.[16]
Yambol houses the Regional History Museum and has a military museum, the Battle Glory Museum.As one of the city’s most historically significant cultural sites, Bezisten has existed for five centuries as a closed market, a city mall built during the Ottoman Empire. In 2015, Bezisten opened its doors to the public as an interactive museum. The museum is a major cultural and information centre which promotes the rich heritage of Yambol and the region. In celebration of European Heritage Days 2019, the museum Bezisten hosted special events dedicated to celebrating arts and entertainment. One of these events honored the 510th anniversary of the construction of the building.[20]
The city has a Dramatic Theatre Nevena Kokanova, as well as a Puppet Theatre Georgi Mitev. The Dramatic Theatre hosts actors from all over the country throughout the year. Movie theater Elite shows the latest films.
^An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis: An Investigation Conducted by The Copenhagen Polis Centre for the Danish National Research Foundation by Mogens Herman Hansen,2005,Index - Founded by Phillip II
^Fol, Aleksandar. The Thracian Royal city of Kabyle. - In: Settlement Life in Ancient Thrace. IIIrd International Symposium "Cabyle", 17–21 May 1993 Jambol. Jambol, 53-55.
^"The Thracian Royal City of Cabyle" in A. Poulter (ed.),Ancient Bulgaria: Papers presented to the International Symposium on the Ancient History and Archaeology of Bulgaria, University of Nottingham, 1983, pp. 233–238.
