Abdul Medjidi /Medjidi Tabia Fortress is located in the south of Silistra city and is the best preserved out of all Turkish 6 fortifications which played an important part in the Crimean War (years) and the Russo – Turkish Wars (years 1853-1856 and 1877-1878). It was built out of the need to consolidate the Danube cities, as the river was under development as a natural border of the Ottoman Empire. The idea of building this military fortifications system belonged to the German military engineer Helmut von Moltke, who visited the city in 1837.
The fortress was built during the period 1841-1853 with the help of 300 Bulgarian volunteers. The main builders are from Dryanovo, and the stone cutters are from Silistra Area. During the fortress building the first monolithical renaissance temples from Silistra – Alfatar (1846) and Kalipetrovo (1847) were built. The construction of Abdul Medjidi Fortress drew sultan’s attention who came to study the construction works in 1847. The name of the fortress comes from this visit – Medjidi.
The fortress finalised during the reign of Said Pasha governor before the Crimean War during which it played an important part. The genius Russo writer Lev Nicolaevici Tolstoi (1828 – 1910) fought in the battle around the fortress.
The fortress system was actively used in the Bulgarian Liberation War – Russo – Turkish War between 1877-1878. The fortress wall is shaped like a hexagon and reaches 8 m height. Around the fortress there is a water channel who served both for the obstruction as well as for hiding.
Medjidi Tabia is the only part of the outside and inside fortifications kept from the period of the ottoman domination in Bulgaria.