Located in front of the south approaches of the Rishki and Varbishki passes, features an ancient rich history and culture, dating as back as the Neolith era. Villages and tumuli reveal traces of life from the Eneolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, rich settlement life from the Antiquity and Middle Ages. After the foundation of the Bulgarian state in 681, because of its exceptional role, the lands of the Karnobat region were field of many battles and centuries-old interests between Bulgaria and Byzantium. In the First Bulgarian Kingdom, the most significant site is the fortress of Markeli, located 7.5 km west of Karnobat, an important urban episcopal and military centre.