Historical Sources
Main historical sources from the time of khan Omurtag
 

  Khan syubigi Omurtag is the archon on the earth, where he was born, placed there by God. Inhibiting the camp of Pliska, he built a smaller camp at Ticha and moved his armies there, to face Greeks and Slavs. He also exquisitely constructed a bridge across Ticha together with the smaller camp, and placed in that smaller camp four columns, and two lions on the columns. Let God vouchsafe the laced by God archon to tread on /treading on/ the emperor as long as Ticha flows and …,  when this was built it was sigor, elem according to the Bulgarian style, and 15 indiction, according to the Greek style.
   Stone inscription from the village of  Chatalar /now Tsar Krum/

   Khan syubigi Omurtag, inhibiting his old home, made a glorious home on the Danube and in the middle of the two glorious homes, after measuring, he made a hill. And from the middle of that hill to my old palace there are 20 000 feet (stretches) and to the Danube there are 20 000 feet (stretches). The hill itself is magnificent and after I measured the land, I wrote this inscription. Еven though leading a good life, people die, and others are born. Let the one who has been born later, at looking at this inscription, remember the one who has made it. And the name of the archon is Omurtag khan syubigi. Let God bless him to live a hundred years.
 An inscription on a column in the church “St. Forty Martyrs”, Tarnovo

   Khan syubigi Omurtag: Kors, the kopan, was my foster son. When he went to the army, he drowned himself into the river Dneper. He was from the Charkar’s family.

   Khan syubigi Omurtag: Negovan, zera tarkan, was my foster son. When he went t the army, he drowned himself into the river of Tisa. He was from the Kubir’s family.


       Commemorative inscriptions of khan Omurtag:

   “He, the Emperor Leo, used their customs and they – ours. Thus, they had trust in their mutual agreements. Then the emperor of the Byzantines could be seen to pour а cup of water on the earth with his own hand, to handle saddles himself, to touch a triple rein, to lift grass high up and be proud with all those things. Whereas, the pagans could be seen to touch our divine tokens with their impious hands and swear by their might. Is not that similar to human corruption?…”
         From “Passional of Nikiphor”, Deacon Ignatius

   “ /Kinam/: All those various, who you worship as your gods, I consider real demons, since I learnt by the Holy Scripture which says that all pagan gods are demons. And, if you show me the Sun and the Moon and make me admire their splendour, listen: I also admire them as creations and servants, subordinate not only to God but to us, people, as well. Because the Creator has made them from nothing into something to serve us, and I, guided by their beauty, rise to the One who has created them.…
    Orbitag could not stay calm at that and filled with fury /what else could be expected from a barbarian and bloodthirsty soul/?/,ordered to give him a merciless beating. “Do not humiliate, he said, our Gods! Because their power is great! And a proof of this is that we, worshipping them, conquered the whole Byzantine county. Because if your Christ were a real God, as you claim, would enter into alliance with you and save you from captivity, because you serve him and worship him…”
 From “Passional of the 15 Tiveriopolish martyrs”, Teofilact Ohridski

    “When the Bulgarian ruler heard what great things had happened in Tzarigrad, he sent messengers to the emperor and offered him military help. Because almost a decade had passed since the Emperor Leo had signed the 30-year peace with them. Even if the Emperor had decided that this suggestion had been worth considering, he said that those, who had restrained themselves for such a long time from bloodshedding should not violate their good decision in the war against the rebels. Showing his gratitude, he thanked them and send them back with honours…”
          From “Kings”, Yosiff Genesius


   “824. The Bulgarian ruler Omurtag, under the pretext of making peace, sent messengers to deliver a letter to the Emperor. After hearing them and reading the letter /the Emperor/ remained reasonably surprised at that unexpected step.
    825. When after the end of the hunting he came back there, the Emperor listened to the Bulgarian envoys, which had arrived to determine the boundaries between the Franks and Bulgarians. The Emperor, after listening to the Bulgarian envoys, sent an answer back to their ruler, as he wished, using the same envoys…
   827. The Bulgarians, sending an army in boats along the river Drava, defeated the Slavs with swords and fire, who lived in Panonia, expelled their rulers and appointed Bulgarian governors…”
        From “Annals”, Einhard