The Madara Rider is an 23-meter tall relief sculpture carved into a vertical face of a rocky plateau in Bulgaria. It shows a mounted knight, probably representing a Bulgarian Emperor, attacking a lion. The origin of the sculpture is uncertain, but it's thought to date back to the 8th Century AD, when the power of the First Bulgarian Empire was increasing:
Including the inscription in Medieval Greek, the rider covers close to 1400 square feet on a vertical 328 foot cliff face. The horseman is depicted in a hunting scene, spearing a lion. The lion is being trampled by the horse and a dog is trailing behind the rider. The Greek inscriptions tell the history of the Bulgarian state and the three Khans including Tervel, Krum and Omurtag.
Link via The Presurfer | Photo: Amos Chapple
The parts that haven't fallen off anyway.
Very interesting, and puts me in mind of "Ozymandias", the temporary nature of all things, etc.