Greece returns remains of Czar Samuel to Bulgaria

The remains of one of Bulgaria 's most important medieval rulers were set to arrive in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia , on Saturday after decades of negotiations with neighboring Greece .

Czar Samuel ruled the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 1014, gradually extending his authority over a swathe of the Balkans as far south as Lake Ohrid, now in North Macedonia on the border with Albania .

But Samuel's rule was also characterized by conflict with the Byzantine Empire which ultimately defeated his army at the Battle of Kleidion in 1014.

Samuel is said to have died of shock when thousands of his defeated soldiers returned home having been blinded by order of Byzantine Emperor Basil II, known as Boulgaroktonos – the "Bulgar Slayer."

The Bulgarian lands fell under Byzantine rule four years later but Czar Samuel is still considered a symbol of Bulgarian national identity today, and his remains – discovered in a Greek border area 60 years ago – are set to be received with full state honors.

They are set to be flown to Sofia aboard a military aircraft accompanied by a fighter jet escort before a 21-gun salute and a procession to the Church of St. Sophia, where the public will be able to pay respects.

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