Defenders of the Faith Multi-Cache
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Dedicated to the battles for Stara Zagora, the baptism of fire of the Samara Banner, and the Bulgarian volunteers who took part in the Liberation War in “XXXX”..
Stara Zagora is considered one of the oldest settlements in Bulgaria and Southeastern Europe. It was founded by the Thracians under the name Beroe (meaning iron) about 6th-5th century BCE, with the Neolithic dwellings and the copper mine near the city being the oldest preserved ones in Europe. The area has been a mining region since Antiquity.
Under the Roman Empire, the town was renamed to Ulpia Augusta Traiana in honour of emperor Trajan.
At the time of the Byzantine Empire, it adopted the name Irinopolis after Byzantine empress Irene. The fortifications around the town were reconstructed because of fear of Bulgarian attacks, but Irinopolis and the whole Zagore region were reincorporated into Bulgaria in 717. The land was bestowed on khan Tervel as a Byzantine gift in acknowledgement of the Bulgarian help to fight back the Arabs besieging Constantinople. The region was the first Bulgarian territorial gain south of Stara Planina. The town acquired the name Boruy.
In 1122 Stara Zagora (Beroia) was the site of a battle between Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos and an invading Pecheneg army, the Battle of Beroia. The Pechenegs suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of John's Byzantine army, and many of the captives were settled as foederati within the Byzantine frontier. In 1208 the Bulgarians defeated the Latin Empire in the battle of Boruy.
The Ottomans conquered Stara Zagora in 1371. A grade school was built in 1840 and the town's name was changed to Zheleznik ( a Slavic translation of Beroe) in 1854 instead of the Turkish Eskizagra (Also called Zagra-i Atik), but was renamed once again to Stara Zagora in 1870. It was a kaza centre in Filibe sanjak of Edirne Province before 1878 as "Zagra-i Atik. After the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878, it became part of autonomous Eastern Rumelia as a sanjak centre before the two Bulgarian states finally merged in 1886 as a result of the Unification of Bulgaria.
Sage1:
Go to this coordinates N42 25.928 E25 37.335 and find the monument. What is the digit of the necklace.
If is 6 go to this coordinates N42 25.484 E25 36.657
If is 8 go to this coordinates N42 25.584 E25 37.659
If is 9 go to this coordinates N42 25.554 E25 37.646
Stage2:
At the coordinates you'll find a "Black Man". In which year he was born (as AAAA)?
Find the next stage here:
42° 25.YYY where YYY is AAAA-902
025° 39.ZZZ where ZZZ is AAAA-1673
Stage3:
Samara Banner Memorial to the Defenders of Stara Zagora
Dedicated to the battles for Stara Zagora, the baptism of fire of the Samara Banner, and the Bulgarian volunteers who took part in the Liberation War in “XXXX”..
One of the first major battles of the Russian-Turkish Liberation War took place on July 31st, “XXXX”. During this battle, the Samara Banner, given to the Bulgarian volunteers by the citizens of the Russian city Samara, was baptized by fire. After a six-hour fight for Stara Zagora, Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers surrendered to the pressure of the enemy army that greatly outnumbered them. The town then lived its greatest tragedy, as it was burned down and razed to the ground during the following three days. The number of the victims from the town and the neighboring villages reached 14,500.
One hundred years after these memorable events, the Defenders of Stara Zagora “XXXX” Memorial Complex was inaugurated at the same place where the defenders’ command post was located on July 31st, "XXXX". The 50-meter high concrete structure resembles a waving banner. An original air breach represents the cross that was embroidered on the Samara Banner, and a ceramic mosaic in black, dark green and golden recreates the skillful embroidery that decorated the cross. A hundred steps lead to the monument, eternalizing the Samara Banner. An ossuary was built into its foundation. The statues of six Bulgarian volunteers and a Russian officer, a symbol of the six courageous and heroic Bulgarian volunteer units which fought for the first time under the Russian officers’ command, keep eternal watch under the steps. The eternal fire in memory of the perished heroes, which resembles the form of a bayonet, burns in a construction.
Something happening here. In which year? Year is “XXXX”
Final Stage
Find cache at this coordinates:
N42 26.(YYY-ZZZ-727) E25 39.((AAAA-XXXX)*12)-2
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
haqre ervasbeprq pbapergr