Ihtiman
Bulgaria
A small town in western Bulgaria's Ihtimanska Sredna Gora range, Ihtiman sits in a valley close to the Trakiya motorway and within reach of several UNESCO World Heritage sites in the wider region. Its history runs deep: the site served as a Roman defensive station called Stipon, guarding roads toward the Bosphorus, and later saw a decisive 986 battle in which the Bulgarian Emperor Samuel routed Byzantine forces at the nearby Gates of Trajan pass.
- Population14,154
- Nearest water0.9 km
- Nearest mountain8.2 km
- UNESCO within 50 km2