Thrace is a historical and cultural region situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, extending between the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Balkans, and shared by Türkiye, Bulgaria and Greece. With its history spanning thousands of years, traces of diverse civilisations, rich cultural heritage and strategic location, it is one of the most remarkable regions of Southeastern Europe.
Thrace / Thrace / Θράκη / Тракия
Throughout history, Thrace has been an important area of passage and interaction between Europe and Anatolia. Today, Thrace is generally defined as the geographical region bordered by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south and the Black Sea to the east. In antiquity, however, the lands inhabited by the Thracian peoples extended far beyond the boundaries of present-day Thrace, reaching parts of modern Bulgaria and Romania in the north and as far as Macedonia in the west.
The name of the region derives from the Ancient Greek Thrake (Θρᾴκη) and historically refers to the land inhabited by the Thracians. From the Roman and Byzantine periods to the Ottoman Empire, and from the Balkan states to present-day Türkiye, Bulgaria and Greece, the traces of many political and cultural formations have shaped the historical identity of Thrace.
Today, the geographical region of Thrace is generally considered in three main parts:
-
Turkish Thrace (Eastern Thrace)
It comprises the territories of Türkiye located on the European continent. It includes the entirety of Edirne, Kırklareli and Tekirdağ, together with the parts of Istanbul and Çanakkale situated on the European side. Istanbul, one of Europe's largest metropolitan areas, as well as the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, two of the most strategically important maritime passages between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, are located within this region.
-
Bulgarian Thrace (Northern Thrace)
This is the part of Thrace located within the present-day borders of Bulgaria. It generally encompasses the broad plains stretching south of the Balkan Mountains and a significant part of the Maritsa River basin. The autonomous province of Eastern Rumelia, established after the Ottoman period, was also largely situated within this geographical area. Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Kardzhali, Burgas and their surrounding areas are among the region's important settlement and cultural centres.
-
Greek Thrace (Western Thrace)
This is the part of Thrace located within the present-day borders of Greece. It is bordered by the Meriç (Evros) River to the east, the Mesta (Nestos) River to the west and the Aegean Sea to the south. Western Thrace, comprising the Evros, Rhodope and Xanthi regions, is one of Thrace's significant cultural regions, distinguished by its historical heritage, multicultural social structure and the presence of the Turkish minority.
