The ancient synagogue of Philippopolis (Trimontium) dates back to the first half of the 3rd century AD. Traces of an extension at the beginning of the 5th century can be observed.
For more information visit on this building visit http://historicsynagogueseurope.org/browser.php?mode=set&id=20661
A now broken slabe used to be above the enrance of the mosque, and it reads that may Allah accept this act of benevolence (refering to the construction of the mosque). The numerical value of the phrase is 848, corresponding to the date of the foundation of the mosque in the Islamic calendar.
The mosque remained loyal to its function as a place of worship for the Muslim population in the city until 1928 when an earthquake destroyed its minaret. It was also a target in the 2016 vandalism attack.
The synagogue of Zion is, together with that of Sofia, the only synagogue still used as such in Bulgaria. According to archaeological studies, there was a synagogue in the city as early as the reign of Emperor Severus Alexander in the first half of the 3rd century. This synagogue would have been rebuilt several times until the beginning of the 5th century. In 1493, Aragonese Jews built a synagogue called "K. K. Aragon", which existed until 1540. After the Bulgarian independence, the construction of the modern synagogue in 1886 - 1887 started. The synagogue is one of the best preserved examples of the so-called "Ottoman style" synagogues in the Balkans.
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