Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary explore lost port of Karon Limen

The project “Karon Limen/Portus Caria/Kareia – In Search of the Lost Port” was presented at the Green Educational Centre in Shabla. The project brings together archaeological research by scholars from Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary and aims to make the ancient port better known as a cultural and tourist destination.

According to project leader Dr. Boyan Totev, the goal is to turn Caria and Karon Limen into a popular tourist destination while bringing together and presenting the results of many years of archaeological research, CE Report quotes BTA.

Information signs have been installed along the newly developed tourist route, explaining the history and significance of each site, including the ancient fortress of Caria. The cross-municipal tourist route connects sites in the municipalities of Kavarna and Shabla. It is expected to start at the History Museum in Kavarna and continue through Kaliakra, Yaylata, Tyulenovo and the natural landmark Malkoto More, before reaching the Karon Limen archaeological complex and the Green Centre in Shabla. The route may also be extended to Durankulak.

The archaeological complex at Cape Shabla, near Bulgaria’s oldest Black Sea lighthouse, contains remains dating from prehistoric times, the Greek colony of Karon Limen, and the Roman and Early Byzantine periods. Recent research has been conducted by the Regional History Museum in Dobrich in cooperation with Bulgarian, Hungarian and Romanian scholars.

Organized by the Karon Limen municipal foundation with financial support from Bulgaria’s National Culture Fund, the project received nearly EUR 15,000 under the Cultural Heritage 2025 programme. It included an international scientific forum, a bilingual collection of research papers, a tourist route and a travelling photo exhibition.

Photo: Chat GPT