Roman Wall, Sofia

The structure commonly referred to as the "Roman Wall" in Sofia is actually an architectural monument dating back to the early Ottoman era. It forms a part of a 16th or 17th-century Islamic religious building and currently stands in the middle of a small marketplace within the Lozenets neighborhood.

This rectangular structure is constructed with rows of bricks and stones, showcasing a distinctive Ottoman construction technique that involves surrounding large cut stones with sets of bricks. The wall is positioned in an east-west orientation and features two windows separated by a mihrab niche. At the top of the wall, you can observe a notched brick cornice as a decorative element.

The Roman Wall was built during the 16th or 17th century, a period when Bulgaria was under Ottoman rule. While the exact purpose of the wall remains somewhat unclear, it is widely believed to have served a religious function within the Islamic context. It might be a preserved section of an Ottoman Turk's tomb or part of a namazgâh, an open-air prayer site for Hajj pilgrims led by the imam.

In the late 19th century, following the reestablishment of the Principality of Bulgaria in 1878, the Old Wall stood as a solitary landmark within the deserted Turkish graveyard. In 1957, the wall underwent a reconstruction and was designated as a cultural monument.

Today, you can find the wall in Sofia's Lozenets neighborhood, specifically on Stara Stena Street near Hristo Smirnenski Boulevard. A small marketplace surrounds the wall, bearing its name, and a weekly farmers' market, also known as "The Roman Wall," takes place there every Saturday.