Yambol (Bulgarian: Ямбол) is a city in southeastern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Yambol Province. It lies on both banks of the Tundzha in the historical region of Thrace. Today, the town has 85,966 inhabitants as of 2006. It is occasionally spelt 'Jambol'.

The surrounding area has been inhabited since the Neolithic and was the location of the Thracian royal city of Cabyle (later conquered by Philip II of Macedon and the Romans, but destroyed by the Avars in 583). What is today Yambol was founded by Roman Emperor Diocletian in A.D. 293; though it was named Diospolis (in Greek 'city of Zeus'), the name also reflected the emperor's name. The name later evolved through Diampolis, Hiambouli (in Byzantine chronicles), Dinibouli (Arabic chronicles), Dbilin (in Bulgarian inscriptions), and Diamboli to become Yambol. There is a trend today to reflect its original connections by calling it Yamboli, but that remains unofficial.

As the Slavs and Bulgars arrived in the Balkans in the Middle Ages, the fortress was contested by the Bulgarian Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. It has been an important Bulgarian center ever since.

The predominant religion is Eastern Orthodoxy with a number of churches being present (among them one of the Holy Trinity, one of St George; the largest one is the cathedral of St Nicholas) consecrated in 1888; there also exist Eastern Rite Catholic and Protestant religious buildings. It also has a recently renovated 15th-century mosque which shelters the tomb of Ismail Hakim Pasha; he is reputed of sparing the lives of the city's native Bulgarian population in the 1870s: after a Sultanic order to 'pass them all under the sword' he simply made them walk 'under a sword'.

The city was affected by the turmoil of the early 20th century. Its Greek population (around 20 families) left during the exchange of populations between Bulgaria and Greece and it received in return Bulgarians from Greece. It also hosted Bulgarian Macedonian refugees from the failed 1903 Ilinden Uprising. During World War I, Yambol hosted a base for Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Army Air Service) zeppelins used for missions in Romania, Russia, Sudan and Malta. The town was chosen by the Germans due to its favorable location and weather conditions.

In the early 21st century, the city became the first one in Bulgaria to use natural gas for domestic purposes.

Yambol Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named for Yambol.

Notable natives

John Vincent Atanasoff, the inventor of the first digital electronic computer, has roots from Yambol; his father was born in a village Boyadjik, which is near Yambol.
Dimcho Roshmanov, composer
George Papazov, painter
John Popov, artist
Nikola Abramov, artist
Georgi Gospodinov, author
Volen Siderov, journalist and politician
Radoy Ralin, poet and satirist
Ivan Gazdov, artist, author, educator, former rector of the Bulgarian National Academy of Arts
Plamen Ivanov Zhelev, Vet. Dr., Wotupro tutor


Municipalities
Yambol Province is divided into the following municipalities:

Bolyarovo
Elhovo
Straldzha
Tundzha
Yambol


History and background

The motto of the town of Yambol is "Coming from the remote past, going to the future". Archaeological findings in the area date back to the year 6000 BC, to the time of Roman Emperor Diocletian's reign when the castle, called Diospolis, was built on the location of the present modern town. The best preserved historical sites, dating back to the fifteenth century, are the bazar "Bezisten" and the mosque "Esky Djamia", which have been restored and are functioning at present. Other historical sites of interest are the prehistoric tumulus by the village of Drama, the remains of Yambol Mediaeval castle and the Monastery of the Middle Ages in Voden.

Yambol is home to the ancient settlement of Kabile, a national archaeological reserve and a nature preserved site, being the most important Thracian settlement in Bulgaria. In modern study of ancient Thrace it has already been proved that Kabile was the most prominent political, economic and religious centre from the first millennium BC. The archaeological investigations of the ancient city that have taken place in the last thirty years have revealed a great number of artefacts (stone inscriptions, coins, ceramic ware and remains of building activities) dating from times over a millennium long history. Most of the discovered artefacts have already been published and used as a data for archaeological and historical studies.


Famous residents

The computer inventor John Atanasoff has family roots in the district - his father was born in a village Boyadjik, which is near Yambol.


Topology and natural resources

The Tundja River, the fourth of its size with an earth embankment, flows through the district, and mineral water wells are found near the village of Stefan Caradjovo. The territory of the area covers the middle part of the river valley, the Bakadjitsi, parts of the Svetiliiski, Derventski and Manastirski uplands, with the hilly plain relief predominating 100-150m above sea level. The northern areas of Tundja valley are characterized by a trans-continental climate, while the southern parts have a typical continental/Mediterranean climate. The average annual temperatures are between 12 and 12.5°C. Agricultural lands take 76.9% of the whole district territory, and the forests 15.5% of it. The wood resources include elm, willow, poplar and oak.