Editing Sofia (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Sofia}}
{{For timeline}}
[[File:Bronze coin of Serdi Celts.jpg|thumb|right|
'''[[Obverse and reverse|O]]''': head of [[river-god]] [[Strymon (mythology)|Strymon]]; '''[[Obverse and reverse|R]]''': [[trident]].<br />
This coin imitates [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonian]] issue from 187 to 168 BC. It was struck by [[Serdi]] tribe as their own currency.]]
[[File:Festung Serdica Sofia 20090405 006.JPG|thumb|The eastern gate of Serdica in the "Complex Ancient Serdica"]]

===Prehistory and antiquity===

The area has a history of nearly 7,000 years,<ref name=plants>{{cite book|last1=John G. Kelcey|last2=Norbert Müller|title=Plants and Habitats of European Cities|publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]]|location=Czech Republic; Germany – University of Applied Sciences Erfurt|isbn=978-0-387-89684-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lUA-LzswzNsC&pg=PA455|date=7 June 2011|access-date=12 September 2017|archive-date=19 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819142929/https://books.google.com/books?id=lUA-LzswzNsC&pg=PA455|url-status=live}}</ref> with the great attraction of the hot water springs that still flow abundantly in the centre of the city. The [[Neolithic]] village in [[Slatina, Sofia|Slatina]] dating to the 5th–6th millennium BC is documented.<ref>Boev, Zlatozar. (2009). Avian Remains from an Early Neolithic Settlement of Slatina (Present Sofia City, Bulgaria). Acta Zoologica Bulgarica. 61. 151–156.</ref> Another neolithic settlement was founded in the 3rd–4th millennium BC near the site of the modern [[National Art Gallery (Bulgaria)|National Art Gallery]], which has been the traditional centre of the city ever since.<ref name="sofiaculture.bg">{{cite web|url=http://sofiaculture.bg/130/index.php?load=istoria|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905032923/http://sofiaculture.bg/130/index.php?load=istoria|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 September 2017|title=София – 130 години столица на България|work=sofiaculture.bg}}</ref>

The earliest tribes who settled were the [[Thracians|Thracian]] [[Tilataei]]. 
In the 500s BC, the area became part of a Thracian state union, the [[Odrysian kingdom]] from another Thracian tribe the [[Odrysses]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=BulWTours|date=2015-07-20|title=Odrysian Kingdom - the first country on the Balkans|url=https://bulgariawinetours.com/odrysian-kingdom-part-1/|access-date=2021-09-08|website=Bulgaria Wine Tours|language=en-US|archive-date=9 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209033300/https://bulgariawinetours.com/odrysian-kingdom-part-1/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 339 BC [[Philip II of Macedon]] destroyed and ravaged the town for the first time.<ref name=Routledge>{{cite book|last1=Trudy|first1=Ring|last2=Noelle|first2=Watson|last3=Paul|first3=Schellinger|title=Southern Europe: International Dictionary of Historic Places|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qcr9AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA661|publisher=Routledge|access-date=20 December 2015|date=5 November 2013|isbn=9781134259588|archive-date=19 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819201317/https://books.google.com/books?id=Qcr9AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA661|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Celts|Celtic]] tribe [[Serdi]] gave their name to the city.<ref>''The Cambridge Ancient History'', Volume 3, Part 2:, {{ISBN|0-521-22717-8}}, 1992, page 600</ref> The earliest mention of the city comes from an [[Athens|Athenian]] inscription from the 1st century BC, attesting ''Astiu ton Serdon'', i.e. city of the Serdi.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kultura.bg/web/%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B3%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0-%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0/ |title=Емил Коцев 24.04.2016 9:331205 ИЗГУБЕНАТА СТОЛИЦА  |access-date=12 October 2018 |archive-date=4 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204164315/http://kultura.bg/web/%d0%b8%d0%b7%d0%b3%d1%83%d0%b1%d0%b5%d0%bd%d0%b0%d1%82%d0%b0-%d1%81%d1%82%d0%be%d0%bb%d0%b8%d1%86%d0%b0/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the inscription and to the writings of [[Dio Cassius]], the Roman general [[Crassus]] subdued the Serdi and behanded the captives.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/cassius_dio/51*.html |title=Dio, Roman History, Book 51, chapter 25 |access-date=20 February 2021 }}</ref>

Dio Cassius, [[Pliny the Elder]] and [[Ptolemy]] say that in 27–29 BC Crassus attacked the region "Segetike", which is assumed to be Serdica, or the city of the Serdi.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2xoMAQAAMAAJ |title=Trakii︠a︡ – Том 12 – Страница 41- "Da diese mit ihrem blinden König Siras verbündete der Römer waren ergab dies den Vorwand für den Kriegszug von Crassus. Über die Segetike (wohl irrtümlich für Serdike, Land der Serden, wie es aus Dio Cass. LI, 25, 4 erhellt)" |year=1998 |access-date=12 October 2018 |archive-date=12 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012214517/https://books.google.bg/books?hl=bg&id=2xoMAQAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7aZTAAAAIAAJ |title=Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. Akademai Klado, 1966. "Als sie die Dentheleten angriffen, kam Crassus diesen zur. Hilfe, eroberte das Land der Serden (bei Dio Segetika) und kam plündernd ins." |year=1966 |access-date=12 October 2018 |archive-date=12 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012214509/https://books.google.bg/books?hl=bg&id=7aZTAAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FWhoAAAAMAAJ Jenő Fitz. Limes. Akadémiai Kiadó, 1977 "As Macedonia itself was in danger, Crassus readily advanced as far as Segetika (-Serdica)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012214458/https://books.google.bg/books?id=FWhoAAAAMAAJ |date=12 October 2018 }}, {{ISBN|9789630513012}}</ref> The ancient city is located between [[TZUM (Sofia)|TZUM]], [[Sheraton Hotel]] and the Presidency.<ref name="sofiaculture.bg"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Ivanov|first1=Rumen|title=Roman cities in Bulgaria|date=2006|publisher=Bulgarian Bestseller--National Museum of Bulgarian Books and Polygraphy |isbn=9789544630171|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xCQXAQAAIAAJ|access-date=12 September 2017|archive-date=20 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820020321/https://books.google.com/books?id=xCQXAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> It gradually became the most important Roman city of the region.<ref name=world/><ref name="books.google.bg"/> It became a ''municipium'' during the reign of Emperor [[Trajan]] (98–117). Serdica expanded, as [[Turret (architecture)|turret]]s, protective walls, [[public bathing|public baths]], administrative and cult buildings, a civic [[basilica]], an [[amphitheatre]], a circus, the [[City council]] (Boulé), a large forum, a big circus (theatre), etc. were built. Serdica was a significant city on the Roman road [[Via Militaris]], connecting [[Singidunum]] and [[Byzantium]]. In the 3rd century, it became the capital of [[Dacia Aureliana]],<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last = Bowman|editor1-first = Alan K.|editor2-last = Garnsey|editor2-first = Peter|editor3-last = Cameron|editor3-first = Averil|last = Wilkes|first = John|chapter = Provinces and Frontiers|page = 253|title = The Cambridge ancient history: The crisis of empire, A.D. 193–337|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MNSyT_PuYVMC|publisher = Cambridge University Press|volume = 12|year = 2005|isbn = 978-0-521-30199-2|access-date = 29 October 2015|archive-date = 10 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151110193202/https://books.google.com/books?id=MNSyT_PuYVMC|url-status = live}}</ref> and when Emperor [[Diocletian]] divided the province of Dacia Aureliana into Dacia Ripensis (at the banks of the [[Danube]]) and [[Dacia (Roman province)|Dacia Mediterranea]], Serdica became the capital of the latter. Serdica's citizens of [[Thracians|Thracian]] descent were referred to as [[Illyrians]]<ref name=Routledge/> probably because it was at some time the capital of [[Eastern Illyria]] ([[Second Illyria]]).<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopaedia Londinensis, or, Universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature|date=1827|location=University of Minnesota|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVwMAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA672|access-date=12 September 2017|archive-date=19 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819154709/https://books.google.com/books?id=nVwMAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA672|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:20140618 Sofia 09.jpg|thumb|Dated from the early 4th century, the [[Church of Saint George, Sofia|Church of Saint George]] is the oldest standing edifice in Sofia.]]

Roman emperors [[Aurelian]] (215–275)<ref>{{cite book|last=Saunders|first=Randall Titus|title=A biography of the Emperor Aurelian (AD 270–275)|pages=106–7|publisher=Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Dissertation Services|year=1992}}</ref> and [[Galerius]] (260–311)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/eutropius/eutropius9.shtml#22|title=Eutropius: Book IX|work=thelatinlibrary.com|access-date=16 February 2012|archive-date=10 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910113513/http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/eutropius/eutropius9.shtml#22|url-status=live}}</ref> were born in Serdica.

The city expanded and became a significant political and economical centre, more so as it became one of the first Roman cities where Christianity was recognised as an [[State religion|official religion]] (under [[Galerius]]). The [[Edict of Toleration by Galerius]] was issued in 311 in Serdica by the Roman emperor Galerius, officially ending the Diocletianic persecution of Christianity. The Edict implicitly granted Christianity the status of "[[religio licita]]", a worship recognised and accepted by the Roman Empire. It was the first edict legalising Christianity, preceding the [[Edict of Milan]] by two years.

Serdica was the capital of the [[Diocese of Dacia]] (337–602).

For [[Constantine the Great]] it was 'Sardica mea Roma est' (Serdica is my Rome). He considered making Serdica the capital of the [[Byzantine Empire]] instead of Constantinople.<ref>Nikolova, Kapka [https://books.google.com/books?id=yI2gAAAAMAAJ Sofia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820030442/https://books.google.com/books?id=yI2gAAAAMAAJ |date=20 August 2020 }} University of Indiana. "''Emperor Constantine the Great even considered the possibility for Serdika to become the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire''"</ref> which was already not dissimilar to a [[Tetrarchy|tetrarchic]] capital of the Roman Empire.<ref>{{cite book|last=Green|first=Bernard|title=Christianity in Ancient Rome: The First Three Centuries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LojX4E6o1EgC&pg=PA237|year=2010|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-0-567-03250-8|page=237|access-date=12 September 2017|archive-date=19 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819142448/https://books.google.com/books?id=LojX4E6o1EgC&pg=PA237|url-status=live}}</ref> In 343 AD, the [[Council of Sardica]] was held in the city, in a church located where the current 6th century [[Hagia Sophia Church (Sofia)|Church of Saint Sophia]] was later built.

The city was destroyed in the [[Theodosius II#Wars with the Huns, Vandals, and Persians|447 invasion]] of the [[Huns]] and laid in ruins for a century<ref name=Routledge/> It was rebuilt by [[List of Byzantine emperors|Byzantine Emperor]] [[Justinian I]]. During the reign of Justinian it flourished, being surrounded with great fortress walls whose remnants can still be seen today.

=== Middle Ages ===
[[File:Kalojan desislava.jpg|left|thumb|The 13th century lord of Sredets [[Kaloyan and Desislava|Kaloyan]] and his wife Desislava, [[Boyana Church]]]]
Serdica became part of the [[First Bulgarian Empire]] during the reign of Khan [[Krum]] in 809, after a long [[Siege of Serdica (809)|siege]]. The fall of the strategic city prompted a major and ultimately disastrous invasion of Bulgaria by the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] emperor [[Nikephoros I]], which led to his demise at the hands of the [[Medieval Bulgarian army|Bulgarian army]].<ref>{{harvnb|Bozhilov|Gyuzelev|1999|pp=127–128}}</ref> In the aftermath of the war, the city was permanently integrated in Bulgaria and became known by the Slavic name of Sredets. It grew into an important fortress and administrative centre under Krum's successor Khan [[Omurtag of Bulgaria|Omurtag]], who made it a centre of Sredets province (Sredetski komitat, Средецки комитат). The Bulgarian patron saint [[John of Rila]] was buried in Sredets by orders of Emperor [[Peter I of Bulgaria|Peter I]] in the mid 10th century.<ref name="stancheva120">{{harvnb|Stancheva|2010|pp=120–121}}</ref> After the conquest of the Bulgarian capital [[Preslav]] by [[Sviatoslav I|Sviatoslav I of Kyiv]] and [[John I Tzimiskes]]' armies in 970–971, the [[Patriarch of All Bulgaria|Bulgarian Patriarch]] Damyan chose Sredets for his seat in the next year and the capital of Bulgaria was temporarily moved there.<ref>{{cite book|title=Slaviani|date=1967|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aMhmAAAAMAAJ|access-date=27 June 2019|archive-date=18 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818220338/https://books.google.com/books?id=aMhmAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> In the second half of 10th century the city was ruled by [[Nicholas (komes)|Komit Nikola]] and his sons, known as the "[[Cometopuli dynasty|Komitopuli]]". One of them was [[Samuel of Bulgaria|Samuil]], who was eventually crowned Emperor of Bulgaria in 997. In 986, the Byzantine Emperor [[Basil II]] laid siege to Sredets but after 20 days of fruitless assaults the garrison broke out and forced the Byzantines to abandon the campaign. On his way to Constantinople, Basil II was ambushed and soundly defeated by the Bulgarians in the [[battle of the Gates of Trajan]].<ref name="stancheva120"/><ref>{{harvnb|Bozhilov|Gyuzelev|1999|p=319}}</ref>

The city eventually fell to the [[Byzantine Empire]] in 1018, following the [[Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria]]. Sredets joined the [[uprising of Peter Delyan]] in 1040–1041 in a failed attempt to restore Bulgarian independence and was the last stronghold of the rebels, led by the local commander Botko.<ref>{{harvnb|Bozhilov|Gyuzelev|1999|pp=400–401}}</ref> During the 11th century many [[Pechenegs]] were settled down in Sofia region as Byzantine federats.

It was once again incorporated into the [[Second Bulgarian Empire|restored Bulgarian Empire]] in 1194 at the time of Emperor [[Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria|Ivan Asen I]] and became a major administrative and cultural centre.<ref>{{harvnb|Stancheva|2010|pp=123–124}}</ref> Several of the city's governors were members of the Bulgarian imperial family and held the title of ''[[sebastokrator]]'', the second highest at the time, after the [[tsar]]. Some known holders of the title were [[Kaloyan (sebastocrator)|Kaloyan]], [[Peter (sevastokrator)|Peter]] and their relative Aleksandar Asen (d. after 1232), a son of [[Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria]] ({{reign|1189|1196}}). In the 13th and 14th centuries Sredets was an important spiritual and literary hub with a cluster of 14 monasteries in its vicinity, that were eventually destroyed by the Ottomans. The city produced multicolored sgraffito ceramics, jewelry and ironware.<ref>{{harvnb|Stancheva|2010|pp=131, 139}}</ref>

In 1382/1383 or 1385, Sredets was seized by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in the course of the [[Bulgarian–Ottoman Wars|Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars]] by [[Lala Şahin Pasha]], following a [[Siege of Sofia|three-month siege]].<ref name=":0">Ivanova, Svetlana, "Ṣofya", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 23 January 2018.</ref> The Ottoman commander left the following description of the city garrison: "Inside the fortress [Sofia] there is a large and elite army, its soldiers are heavily built, moustached and look war-hardened, but are used to consume wine and [[rakia]]—in a word, jolly fellows."<ref>Cited in Халенбаков, О. ''Детска енциклопедия България: Залезът на царете'', с. 18</ref>

=== Early modern history ===
From the 14th century till the 19th century Sofia was an important administrative center in the Ottoman Empire. It became the capital of the [[beylerbey]]lik of [[Rumelia]] ([[Rumelia Eyalet]]), the [[Administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire|province]] that administered the Ottoman lands in [[Europe]] (the [[Balkans]]), one of the two together with the beylerbeylik of [[Anatolia]]. It was the capital of the important [[Sanjak of Sofia]] as well, including the whole of [[Thrace]] with [[Plovdiv]] and [[Edirne]], and part of [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]] with [[Thessaloniki]] and [[Skopje]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Godisnjak | publisher=Drustvo Istoricara Bosne i Hercegovine, Sarajevo | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-4wxAQAAIAAJ | year=1950 | page=174 | quote=Санџак Софија Овај је санџак основан око г. 1393. | access-date=27 June 2019 | archive-date=18 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818181152/https://books.google.com/books?id=-4wxAQAAIAAJ | url-status=live }}</ref>

During the initial stages of the [[Crusade of Varna]] in 1443, it was occupied by Hungarian forces for a short time in 1443, and the Bulgarian population celebrated a mass [[Saint Sofia Church, Sofia|Saint Sofia Church]]. Following the defeat of the crusader forces in 1444, the city's Christians faced persecution. In 1530 Sofia became the capital of the [[Subdivisions of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman province]] (beylerbeylik) of [[Rumelia]] for about three centuries. During that time Sofia was the largest import-export-base in modern-day Bulgaria for the caravan trade with the [[Republic of Ragusa]]. In the 15th and 16th century, Sofia was expanded by Ottoman building activity. Public investments in infrastructure, education and local economy brought greater diversity to the city. Amongst others, the population consisted of [[Muslim]]s, [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] speaking [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]], [[Armenians]], [[Georgians]], [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] Ragusans, Jews ([[Romaniote Jews|Romaniote]], [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] and [[Sephardi]]), and [[Romani people]].<ref name=":0" /> The 16th century was marked by a wave of persecutions against the Bulgarian Christians, a total of nine became [[New Martyrs]] in Sofia and were sainted by the Orthodox Church, including [[George of Kratovo|George the New]] (1515), Sophronius of Sofia (1515), George the Newest (1530), [[St. Nicholas of Sofia|Nicholas of Sofia]] (1555) and Terapontius of Sofia (1555).<ref>{{harvnb|Stancheva|2010|pp=165, 167–169}}</ref>

[[File:Sofia-oberbauer.png|thumb|alt=Sofia with the clock tower|Sofia in mid-19th-century]]

When it comes to the cityscape, 16th century sources mention eight [[Jama Masjid|Friday mosques]], three public libraries, numerous schools, 12 churches, three synagogues, and the largest [[bedesten]] (market) of the Balkans.<ref name=":0" /> Additionally, there were fountains and ''[[Turkish bath|hammams]]'' (bathhouses). Most prominent churches such as Saint Sofia and Saint George were converted into mosques, and a number of new ones were constructed, including [[Banya Bashi Mosque]] built by the Ottoman architect [[Mimar Sinan]]. In total there were 11 big and over 100 small mosques by the 17th century.<ref>{{harvnb|Stancheva|2010|pp=154–155}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sofia – Trip around Sofia|url=http://old.omda.bg/biblioteka/obikolka_sofia_1968/obikolka_sofia_balkantourist_1968_3.htm|publisher=Balkan tourist, 1968|access-date=8 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305050426/http://old.omda.bg/biblioteka/obikolka_sofia_1968/obikolka_sofia_balkantourist_1968_3.htm|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1610 the [[Catholic Church|Vatican]] established the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv|See of Sofia]] for Catholics of [[Rumelia]], which existed until 1715 when most Catholics had emigrated.<ref>{{Catholic|title=Sardica|url=http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Sardica}}</ref> There was an important uprising against Ottoman rule in Sofia, [[Samokov]] and Western Bulgaria in 1737.

Sofia entered a period of economic and political decline in the 17th century, accelerated during the period of anarchy in the Ottoman Balkans of the late 18th and early 19th century, when local Ottoman warlords ravaged the countryside. 1831 Ottoman population statistics show that 42% of the Christians were non-taxpayers in the [[kaza]] of Sofia and the amount of middle-class and poor Christians were equal.<ref>[[Kemal Karpat]] (1985), [https://kupdf.net/downloadFile/59e4a7b908bbc56144e653d7 Ottoman Population, 1830-1914, Demographic and Social Characteristics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010124553/https://kupdf.net/downloadFile/59e4a7b908bbc56144e653d7 |date=10 October 2019 }}, [[The University of Wisconsin Press]], p. 36</ref> Since the 18th century the ''[[beylerbey]]s'' of Rumelia often stayed in [[Bitola]], which became the official capital of the province in 1826. Sofia remained the seat of a [[sanjak]] (district). By the 19th century the Bulgarian population had two schools and seven churches, contributing to the [[Bulgarian National Revival]]. In 1858 [[Nedelya Petkova]] created the first Bulgarian school for women in the city. In 1867 was inaugurated the first ''[[chitalishte]]'' in Sofia – a Bulgarian cultural institution. In 1870 the Bulgarian revolutionary [[Vasil Levski]] established a [[Internal Revolutionary Organization|revolutionary committee]] in the city and in the neighbouring villages. Following his capture in 1873, Vasil Levski was transferred and hanged in Sofia by the Ottomans.

===Modern and contemporary history===
During the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78]], [[Suleiman Pasha (Ottoman general)|Suleiman Pasha]] threatened to burn the city in defence, but the foreign diplomats Leandre Legay, [[Vito Positano]], Rabbi Gabriel Almosnino and Josef Valdhart refused to leave the city thus saving it. Many Bulgarian residents of Sofia armed themselves and sided with the Russian forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://militera.lib.ru/h/genov/09.html|title=ВОЕННАЯ ЛИТЕРАТУРА --[ Военная история ]-- Генов Ц. Русско-турецкая война 1877–1878 гг. и подвиг освободителей|work=lib.ru|access-date=8 August 2015|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305025341/http://militera.lib.ru/h/genov/09.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Sofia was relieved (see [[Battle of Sofia]]) from [[Ottoman rule of Bulgaria|Ottoman rule]] by [[Imperial Russian Army|Russian forces]] under Gen. [[Iosif Gurko]] on 4 January 1878. It was proposed as a capital by [[Marin Drinov]] and was accepted as such on 3 April 1879. By the time of its liberation, the population of the city was 11,649.<ref>Kiradzhiev, Svetlin (2006). "Sofia. 125 years a capital. 1879–2004". "Guttenberg". {{ISBN|978-954-617-011-8}}</ref>

Most mosques in Sofia were destroyed in that war, seven of them destroyed in one night in December 1878 when a thunderstorm masked the noise of the explosions arranged by Russian military engineers.{{Sfn | Crampton | 2006 | p = 114}}<ref>{{Citation | last = Crampton | first = RJ | title = A Concise History of Bulgaria | place = Cambridge | publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]] | year = 2006 | orig-year = 1997 | isbn = 0-521-85085-1}}</ref> Following the war, the great majority of the Muslim population left Sofia.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:376bombgroup-bulgaria-01-jun-1944.gif|thumb|The [[Bombing of Sofia in World War II|allied bombing of Sofia in World War II]] in 1944]]
For a few decades after the liberation, Sofia experienced large population growth, mainly by migration from other regions of the Principality (Kingdom since 1908) of Bulgaria, and from the still Ottoman [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]] and [[Thrace]].

In 1900, the first electric lightbulb in the city was turned on.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://novinar.bg/news/prez-1900-g-svetva-parvata-elektricheska-lampa-po-sofijskite-ulitci_MzUwMjszOA==.html |title=E-novinar.com – Новините на едно място |language=bg |trans-title=Mohailova, Tihomria. In 1900 the first electric lamp lit the streets of Sofia. Novinar |work=novinar.bg |date=12 March 2014 |access-date=22 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618064512/http://novinar.bg/news/prez-1900-g-svetva-parvata-elektricheska-lampa-po-sofijskite-ulitci_MzUwMjszOA==.html |archive-date=18 June 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the [[Second Balkan War]], Bulgaria was fighting alone practically all of its neighbouring countries. When the [[Romanian Army]] entered [[Vrazhdebna]] in 1913, then a village {{convert|7|mi|km|abbr=off|order=flip}} from Sofia, now a suburb,<ref name="Hall97">Hall (2000), p. 97.</ref> this prompted the [[Kingdom of Bulgaria|Tsardom of Bulgaria]] to capitulate.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} During the war, Sofia was flown by the [[Romanian Air Corps]], which engaged on photoreconnaissance operations and threw propaganda pamphlets to the city. Thus, Sofia became the first capital on the world to be overflown by enemy aircraft.<ref name="Hall118">Hall (2000), p. 118.</ref>

During the [[Military history of Bulgaria during World War II|Second World War]], Bulgaria declared war on the US and UK on 13 December 1941 and in late 1943 and early 1944 the [[Bombing of Sofia in World War II|US and UK Air forces conducted bombings over Sofia]]. As a consequence of the bombings thousands of buildings were destroyed or damaged including the Capital Library and thousands of books. In 1944 Sofia and the rest of Bulgaria was occupied by the Soviet [[Red Army]] and within days of the Soviet invasion Bulgaria declared war on Nazi Germany.

In 1945, the communist [[Fatherland Front (Bulgaria)|Fatherland Front]] took power. The transformations of Bulgaria into the [[People's Republic of Bulgaria]] in 1946 and into the Republic of Bulgaria in 1990 marked significant changes in the city's appearance. The population of Sofia expanded rapidly due to migration from rural regions. New residential areas were built in the outskirts of the city, like Druzhba, Mladost and Lyulin.

During the [[Bulgarian Communist Party|Communist Party]] rule, a number of the city's most emblematic streets and squares were renamed for ideological reasons, with the original names restored after 1989.<ref>L. Ivanov. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319820028_1991_Sofia_street_naming_proposal 1991 Sofia street naming proposal.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025182101/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319820028_1991_Sofia_street_naming_proposal |date=25 October 2017 }} Sofia City Place-names Commission, 22 January 1991.</ref>

The [[Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum]], where [[Georgi Dimitrov|Dimitrov's]] body had been preserved in a similar way to the [[Lenin mausoleum]], was demolished in 1999.