Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova and Deputy Mayor Todor Chobanov will examine work on the archaeological heritage research on Sveta Nedelya square, the press center of the municipality announced. The discovery of the archaeological heritage is carried out by a team of archaeologists led by Dr Veselka Katsarova and is financed under the Culture Program of Sofia Municipality, according to Stroitel Nespaper.

BGN 340,000 is the amount for funding the architectural site at Sveta Nedelya square.

“Our goal is to uncover, preserve and expose the rich historical and cultural heritage of the city and make it part of the pedestrian zone,” Mayor Fandakova said.

Dr. Veselka Katsarova of the National Archaeological Institute with a Museum with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences explained that the excavations started in 2015 under a Sofia Municipality project for a complete reconstruction of the square.

“We are exploring a building that was probably one of Serdika’s public buildings, located in the central area of the ancient city. There were many rooms that most likely functioned as shops, where we find quite interesting materials from the Roman era. Apparently, they also served for drinking establishments as there is a very large amount of ceramics and coins. The building dates back to the middle of the 2nd century, when Serdika was given the status of a Roman city. During the Antiquity, it changed its status many times, and from the Ottoman Period we found remnants of a Turkish dwelling. There are also remnants of water pipes and antique channels. Extremely difficult, interesting and dynamic site,” Dr. Katsarova commented.