The Suffering of the Women and Villagers

The women were in terrible condition, looking exhausted and defeated. Many of them were breastfeeding their babies, with very little to eat—just dry bread to survive on.

Destruction of a Village

In one village, the best land—its grazing grounds, forest, and fields—was taken from the Bulgarians and given to the Muslim residents of a new village. The Bulgarian villagers were forced to support 600 soldiers who had not been paid for five months. These soldiers were supposed to restore peace and order in the area. The Bulgarian villages were also taxed to raise money to build barracks for the soldiers.

Ongoing Suffering in the Adrianople Region

Since then, the situation for Bulgarians in the Adrianople region has been very bad. In many villages, Christians have been forced out of their homes, and soldiers have moved in instead. These soldiers, who had no fuel or firewood, survived by stealing. They burned the wooden parts of the houses and took the Christians’ cattle, grain, and poultry. Churches were either used for other purposes, destroyed, or desecrated. There were also many cases of rape. All of this has made the Christian population angry and desperate, and they are now ready for another rebellion Natural History Museum.

A Plan to Return to Adrianople

I planned to travel back to Adrianople from Kirk Kilise by a route to the north, staying as close to the Bulgarian border as possible.