Shoumen is one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria. People inhabited the area for more than 3200 years. The town is situated in a picturesque valley in Northeastern Bulgaria.
During the period of the first Bulgarian Kingdom, Shoumen entered the system of the Old Bulgarian fortresses, guarding the entrances to the capitals of Pliska and Preslav, as an impressive Bulgarian stronghold. During the period of the second Bulgarian Kingdom , it turned into a true medieval town and a significant economical, trade and cultural centre with well developed crafts.

During the first centuries of the Ottoman rule Shoumen was an administrative and military centre having public buildings and numerous craft and commercial shops. In 1851 the first Bugarian Orchestra and Opera were found here and in 1856 was given the first theatre performance. In Shoumen Sava Dobroplodni established the first class Girls’ School. Remarkable for their architecture are the houses from the Renaissance, in one of them used to live the leader of the Hungarian Revolution L. Koshut. The first brewery in Bulgaria which produces the best light bear in the country was built here. Places of interest are the Monument”1300 years Bulgaria”, the fortress of Shoumen, the natural park of “Kyoshka”. Few kilometers away from the city is situated the unique the rock relief called “Madarski Konnik”.

Source: purebulgaria.com

Madara Rider
The Madara Rider or Madara Horseman  is an early medieval large rock relief carved on the Madara Plateau east of Shumen in northeastern Bulgaria, near the village of Madara.

The relief depicts a majestic horseman 23 m above ground level in an almost vertical 100-metre-high cliff. The horseman, facing right, is thrusting a spear into a lion lying at his horse's feet. An eagle is flying in front of the horseman and a dog is running after him. The scene symbolically depicts a military triumph.

The monument is dated back to circa 710 AD and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. The dating means the monument was created during the rule of Bulgar Khan Tervel, and supports the thesis that it is a portrayal of the khan himself and a work of the Bulgars, a nomadic tribe of warriors which settled in northeastern Bulgaria at the end of the 7th century AD and after merging with the local Slavs gave origin to the modern Bulgarians. Other theories connect the relief with the ancient Thracians, claiming it portrays a Thracian god.