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The Marco Polo Drive

The Marco Polo Drive

The City Where Ten Civilizations Meet | Conversations In Motion

Aug 27, 2026 · 17 min · 10 segments

In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Patrick Zhong and Professor Jeffrey Sachs are guided through one of Europe's oldest and least known cities by former Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev. In a single square you…

In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Patrick Zhong and Professor Jeffrey Sachs are guided through one of Europe's oldest and least known cities by former Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev. In a single square you can see the Roman period, the Ottoman mosque, the Greek fortification wall, and modern Bulgaria all at once. Ten civilisations, one place, no need to go anywhere else. From the story of Philip II hiring Aristotle to tutor Alexander the Great, to a 19th-century merchant's home that Plevneliev calls the Instagram of its time, this is history you see, feel, and touch rather than read. As Confucius once said, when three people walk, one must be your teacher.

In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Patrick Zhong and Professor Jeffrey Sachs are guided through one of Europe's oldest and least known cities by former Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev. In a single square you…

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Show signals: Audience≈1k followers

Speakers: Rosen PlevnelievGuestJeffrey SachsGuestPatrick ZhongHost

Top entities: Philip II of Macedon×17 Jeffrey Sachs×11 Bulgaria×19 Europe×13 Aristotle×16

Roman Philippopolis and Its Mosaics2:16 – 4:39

U

UnknownUnknown

2:16

So we have all the main buildings.

U

UnknownUnknown

2:18

We have all the main buildings that a Roman city has to be.

U

UnknownUnknown

2:21

So

U

UnknownUnknown

2:21

you

U

UnknownUnknown

2:21

have those galleries that are underneath in the shape of a square that actually handles.

U

UnknownUnknown

2:26

Oh, okay.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:27

And the atrium was the natural air conditioning of the ancient world.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:31

Yes.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:32

So you have those buildings where actually they have internal places.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:37

You go to Rome, you go to the other, and you can see that.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:40

But this was marketplace also? Marketplace is on the other side.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:50

This was the Bishop's Basilica of Philippopolis.

Jeffrey SachsGuest

2:53

When did the Bulgars arrive?

U

UnknownUnknown

2:56

In the 7th century.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:57

What happened is that when those soldiers came super strong in the 7th century, you had here the Slavic tradition population, Slavic, which is very peaceful.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

3:11

And those peaceful people here, living here, they were also blonde, mostly with blue eyes.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

3:17

And then you have those killers, warriors coming out of, let's say, out of somewhere in the middle of Caucasus.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

3:30

So they could capture easily and establish the state in the year of 681 was officially registered.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

3:37

But actually there is another Bulgarian state which was founded by Khan Kubrat in the Volga River area.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

3:44

So they were moving in 50 years before

U

UnknownUnknown

3:48

that.

U

UnknownUnknown

3:50

Oh, my

U

UnknownUnknown

3:52

word.

U

UnknownUnknown

3:52

Ladies and gentlemen, we have 2,000 square meters of mosaics.

U

UnknownUnknown

3:57

What do we see? Geometrical forms and floral elements.

Philip II of MacedonPersonFormer King of Macedonia
99%17 mentions
Jeffrey SachsPersonAmerican economist
97%11 mentions
BulgariaCountryCountry in the Balkans
95%19 mentions
EuropeContinentContinent
93%13 mentions
AristotlePersonGreek philosopher and polymath
92%16 mentions
PlovdivCityCity in Bulgaria
90%16 mentions
Rosen PlevnelievPersonFormer President of Bulgaria
88%4 mentions
ConfuciusPersonChinese philosopher
86%3 mentions
Pope John Paul IIPersonFormer head of the Catholic Church
84%5 mentions
Ottoman EmpireCountryEmpire
82%6 mentions
ChineseEntity
80%5 mentions
JapanCountryCountry in East Asia
78%4 mentions
StagiraCityAncient city
76%2 mentions
Alexander the GreatPersonFormer King of Macedonia
75%6 mentions
PolishLanguageSpoken language
73%5 mentions
ChinaCountryCountry in East Asia
71%7 mentions
Eastern EuropePlaceRegion in Europe
69%1 mention
InstagramSoftware ApplicationSocial networking service
67%2 mentions
United StatesCountryCountry in North America
65%4 mentions
BulgarsEntityTribe
63%2 mentions
British MuseumEntityMuseum in London, England
61%3 mentions
ConstantinopleCity
59%3 mentions
PolandCountryCountry in Europe
58%3 mentions
World Bank GroupCompanyBank
56%2 mentions
International Monetary FundEntity
53%2 mentions
United NationsOrganizationIntergovernmental organization
53%2 mentions
European UnionAdministrative AreaSupranational political union
50%2 mentions
MiezaCity
48%2 mentions
NATOOrganizationIntergovernmental organization
46%2 mentions
Art DecoEntityArchitectural style
44%1 mention
Cold WarEventWar
42%2 mentions
Sistine ChapelMuseumChapel in Vatican City
41%2 mentions
Plovdiv Roman theatreEntityTheatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
39%1 mention
United KingdomCountryCountry in Europe
37%2 mentions
Marco PoloPersonVenetian merchant and explorer
35%3 mentions
ThraciansEntityPeople
33%1 mention
Habsburg monarchyCountry
31%2 mentions
William ShakespearePersonEnglish playwright and poet
29%1 mention
HouseEntitySite listing category
27%1 mention
ChristianityEntityReligion
25%1 mention
United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban AffairsCompanyBank
24%1 mention
Art NouveauEntityArt movement
22%1 mention
SlavsEntityPeople
20%2 mentions
Kublai KhanPersonFormer Emperor of the Yuan dynasty
18%1 mention
RomeCityCapital of Italy
16%1 mention
CaucasusAdministrative AreaMountain
14%1 mention
Volga RiverRiverRiver in Russia
12%1 mention
ThraceCemeteryRegion
10%1 mention
IstanbulCityCity in Turkey
8%1 mention
ViennaLandmarkCapital of Austria
7%1 mention

Cultural SignificanceHistory > Ancient History > Roman History > Roman Architecture
Chinese TourismCulture > Cultural Exchange > Tourism > European Tourism
Bulgarian HistoryPolitics > Historical Politics
Arrival of the BulgarsPolitics > Historical Politics > Bulgarian History
Cultural IntegrationPolitics > Historical Politics > Bulgarian History > Arrival of the Bulgars
Archaeological SitesEducation > Historical Education > Teaching History > Cultural Heritage
Ottoman ArchitectureArchitecture > Historical Architecture > Roman Architecture
Cultural InfluencesArchitecture > Historical Architecture > Roman Architecture > Ottoman Architecture
Architecture
TourismCulture > Cultural Exchange
Historical EducationEducation
Teaching HistoryEducation > Historical Education
Historical ArchitectureArchitecture
Roman ArchitectureArchitecture > Historical Architecture
Historical PoliticsPolitics
European TourismCulture > Cultural Exchange > Tourism
Ancient HistoryHistory
Cultural HeritageEducation > Historical Education > Teaching History
Cultural ExchangeCulture
Roman HistoryHistory > Ancient History
Roman ArchitectureHistory > Ancient History > Roman History
Politics
History
Education
Culture

Roman Philippopolis and Its Mosaics2:16 – 4:39

U

UnknownUnknown

2:16

So we have all the main buildings.

U

UnknownUnknown

2:18

We have all the main buildings that a Roman city has to be.

U

UnknownUnknown

2:21

So

U

UnknownUnknown

2:21

you

U

UnknownUnknown

2:21

have those galleries that are underneath in the shape of a square that actually handles.

U

UnknownUnknown

2:26

Oh, okay.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:27

And the atrium was the natural air conditioning of the ancient world.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:31

Yes.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:32

So you have those buildings where actually they have internal places.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:37

You go to Rome, you go to the other, and you can see that.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:40

But this was marketplace also? Marketplace is on the other side.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:50

This was the Bishop's Basilica of Philippopolis.

Jeffrey SachsGuest

2:53

When did the Bulgars arrive?

U

UnknownUnknown

2:56

In the 7th century.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

2:57

What happened is that when those soldiers came super strong in the 7th century, you had here the Slavic tradition population, Slavic, which is very peaceful.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

3:11

And those peaceful people here, living here, they were also blonde, mostly with blue eyes.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

3:17

And then you have those killers, warriors coming out of, let's say, out of somewhere in the middle of Caucasus.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

3:30

So they could capture easily and establish the state in the year of 681 was officially registered.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

3:37

But actually there is another Bulgarian state which was founded by Khan Kubrat in the Volga River area.

Rosen PlevnelievGuest

3:44

So they were moving in 50 years before

U

UnknownUnknown

3:48

that.

U

UnknownUnknown

3:50

Oh, my

U

UnknownUnknown

3:52

word.

U

UnknownUnknown

3:52

Ladies and gentlemen, we have 2,000 square meters of mosaics.

U

UnknownUnknown

3:57

What do we see? Geometrical forms and floral elements.

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