Remains of Bulgaria’s Czar Samuel return ‘home’ after 1,000 years

The emperor is a symbol of Bulgarian national identity whose repatriation stoked tensions with Greece.Published On 3 Oct 20263 Oct 2026More than 1,000 years after his death, the remains of medieval ruler Czar Samuel have arrived in Bulgaria.A symbol of Bulgarian national identity, Samuel was a warrior emperor who battled the Byzantine Empire to expand his kingdom before suffering defeat and dying soon after in 1014. His supposed remains were discovered in a Greek border area in the 1960s.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4British Museum director resigns, admits to failings in theft investigationlist 2 of 4Where do the items in the British Museum come from?list 3 of 4How Parthenon sculptures sparked a diplomatic row between Greece and UKlist 4 of 4Thailand readies homecoming for stolen ancient statues located in US museumend of listThe coffin and remains were flown on Saturday to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, on board a military aircraft that was surrounded by air force fighter jets.Thousands of people poured into a public square to honour the czar’s arrival, which capped years of fraught negotiations between Bulgaria and Greece until an accord was reached this week.Bulga...