User blog comment:The Forgotten Bulgar/Saint Trivelius - the forgotten Savior of Europe/@comment-33859014-20180819024259/@comment-36595653-20180819064338

Yes, in terms of science (and probably other terms as well) Arabs were advanced compared Western Europe in that time. However, in the end of 13th. century Bulgaria could have its 'Renaisance' in art (like the pictures on the walls of Boyana church) but because of Ottoman Empire we had to 'compensate' ages like Baroque, Classicism an Romantism in just about 2-3 decades after 1878. About the Bulgarian origin there were many theories (most of them 'invented' by the people ruling former USSR) such as 'Turk' or 'Hun'. Some of the new theories say that we are close 'relaties' to the Iranian people and other that we are close to the old Thracian population of the Balkan peninsula. About the bloodline I expect more 'Bulgarian' DNA in the contemporary Turkish citizens than 'Turkish' DNA in contemporary Bulgarian citizens because it was Turkish male mixing with Bulgarian (as well as Greek, Serbian, Croatian) female and not the opposite. Imagine if some Turkish man captures a woman from the new conquered lands in let say 1395 and his son also captures a Bulgarian woman about 1420; as well his grandson etc. In this way about 1520 you can have a Turkish Ottoman new-born male who is 100% Turkish in his self-conciousness and only 1/32 Turkish in his blood.