Pliska (Плиска - издание на английски език)

In 632, Khan Koubrat founded the state of Bulgaria to unite all the Bulgarian tribes. By 650, the state expanded into the Eurasian steppes from the Ural Mountains to the Carpathians, to the Caucasus southwards and probably to Kiev northwards. Ancient annalists used to call this state Great Bulgaria.

By 660, it fell apart under the attacks of the Khazars, who divided the vast area into halves capturing its central part. The two halves lived independently as separate states both named Bulgaria. Now scholars would for convenience define these two Bulgarias as Volgan and Danubian.

By 660, Danubian Bulgaria spread over the vast plains of what are now Southern Russia, Southern Ukraine, Moldova and the Wallachian Plain, now within Romania. It spanned about 700,000 sq. km, having a population of 2 million. The capital city of the sate was located somewhere near the present Ukrainian ciiy of Poltava, where rcccntly the rich burial place of its first ruler, Khan Koubrat was unearthed.

Khan Asparukh succeeded Khan Koubrat to the throne (660-701) following his father's death, succeeding also in stopping the onslaught of the Khazars at the frontier of the Dniester and in consolidating both the state and the society.