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Founded by Khan Omurtag in 821, VELIKI PRESLAV acquired the prefix "Great" after it was made the capital of the First Kingdom, during the reign of Tsar Simeon (893-927) - although it began to eclipse the original capital, Pliska, at an earlier date. According to contemporary accounts, tenth-century Preslav was the most populous town in the Balkans, with extensive suburbs surrounding a walled inner town containing "large buildings of stone on both sides, decorated with wood". It also held a palace, a royal School of Translators, the Patriarchate and other "churches ornamented with stones, wood and paintings, marble and copper, silver and gold". Preslav's downfall began when it was captured by the Kievian prince, Svetoslav, causing the Byzantine Empire to respond by razing the town in 972, and although it later revived (the palace was occupied as late as the Asenid dynasty), Preslav never regained its former size and was subsequently surpassed by Tarnovo. Eventually it was burned down by the Turks, who used the remains to construct their own buildings, including the Tombul Mosque in Shumen.
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