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{{Short description|Historic mountain pass in Sofia Province, Bulgaria}}
{{Infobox mountain pass
| name = Gate of Trajan
| photo =Крепост Траянови Врата - 2015-09-02.jpg
| photo_caption = Remnants of the Trajan's Gate fortress
| elevation_m = 800
| elevation_ref = 
| map   =Bulgaria
| traversed = [[Trakia motorway]]
| location = [[Sofia Province]], [[Bulgaria]]
| range = 
| coordinates = {{coord|42|21|22|N|23|55|6|E|type:pass_region:BG}}
| topo = 
}}

The '''Gate of Trajan''' or '''Trajan's Gate''' ({{langx|bg|Траянови врата|Trayanovi vrata}}) is a historic [[mountain pass]] near [[Ihtiman]], [[Bulgaria]]. In antiquity, the pass was called '''Succi'''. Later it was named after [[Roman Emperor]] [[Trajan]], on whose order a fortress by the name of ''Stipon'' was constructed on the hill over the pass, as a symbolic border between the [[Roman province|provinces]] of [[Thrace]] and [[Macedonia (Roman province)|Macedonia]].

The pass is primarily known for the [[Battle of the Gates of Trajan|major medieval battle]] of 17 August 986, during which the forces of [[Byzantine Emperor]] [[Basil II]] were routed by [[List of Bulgarian monarchs|Tsar]] [[Samuil of Bulgaria]], effectively halting a Byzantine campaign in the Bulgarian lands.<ref>Jim Bradbury, ''The Routledge Companion to Medieval Warfare'', (Taylor & Francis, 2005), 178</ref>

Today, a tunnel of the [[Trakiya motorway]], similarly known as the Gate of Trajan Tunnel ({{lang|bg|тунел „Траянови врата“}}) is near the fortress, {{convert|55|km|mi}} from [[Sofia]].

The [[Saddle (landform)|saddle]] known as [[Trajan Gate]] on [[Graham Land]], [[Antarctica]] is named after the Gate of Trajan.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{Commons category|Trayanovi vrata pass}}
* {{cite book |title=A Short History of Byzantium |last=Norwich |first=John Julius |authorlink=John Julius Norwich |isbn=978-0-679-77269-9 |year=1998 |publisher=Vintage }}
* {{cite news |title=При Самуил стигаме до Коринт и Далмация |last=Димитров |first=Божидар |authorlink=Bozhidar Dimitrov |date=2004-08-23 |publisher=Стандарт |language=Bulgarian }}

[[Category:11th century in Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Mountain passes of Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Sofia Province]]
[[Category:Roman fortifications in Thrace]]
[[Category:Geography of medieval Thrace]]
[[Category:History of Sofia Province]]
[[Category:Castles in Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Trajan]]
[[Category:Landforms of Sofia Province]]
{{Castles in Bulgaria}}


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