The Shortest History of Bulgaria

Nikolay Dimitrov Ovcharov is Doctor of History, Senior Research Associate at the Archaeological Institute with Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Professor at the International Slavonic Institute in Moscow. He is also member of the Researchers' Board of the American Biographical Institute. He possesses a Certificate for Public Recognition as Expert, issued by the National Convention of Experts. Honorary citizen of Kurdjali. Member of the Advisory Board with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on the long-term strategy of the Bulgarian cultural identity.
His interests are in the sphere of ancient art, architecture and epigraphies, mediaeval history, as well as marine history and archaeology. His name became popular with his sensational archaeological discoveries. He is member of the team of researchers who revealed to the world the southern part of the royal palace of King Simeon in Veliki Preslav. He is also the head of the archaeological explorations that led to the discovering of the unique gold bishop's garments and to the exploration of the St. loannis Prodromos mediaeval monastery in Kurdjali. The most recent culmination in his archaeological activities was the discovering of the rock city of Perperikon and the sanctuary of Orpheus near the village of Tatoul in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains. He has conducted archaeological expeditions in Russia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Macedonia. He has delivered reports at more than 60 congresses, symposia and conferences in Bulgaria, Moldova, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, Russia, Georgia, Poland, Malta and Portugal. Author of more than 220 academic publications, 22 of which are monographs and books, about 70 articles in specialised publications abroad and in foreign languages published in Bulgaria. His studies have been published in English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Greek, Serbian and Romanian. His books and articles have been published in Bulgaria, Germany, USA, Austria, The Netherlands, Italy, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Moldova and Georgia.