Plovdiv from wikitravel.org

Understand

Plovdiv is an ancient city, with a history stretching at least 5000 years. Originally it had 7 tall hills, some of which were used for quarries. It was controlled by the Romans and was called Trimontsium at that time (the Three Hills), and by Philip of Macedonia (father of Alexander the Great), lending the city another old name, Philipopolis. There is a statue to Philip in the downtown business center. During the long occupation by the Ottoman Empire, a large mosque was built, still present in the downtown area as well. During Communist times, a statue to the liberating Russian soldiers was erected on one of the three main hills which overlooks the center.