the Turks in 1444, Ottoman domination was fully established there. During the Middle Ages, ivory ships passed by the shores of Shabla. Many of them are swallowed up by the waves, and to this day it happens that the greatest lucky ones find elephant tusks thrown from the water. The legend tells of the British ship "Black Prince" sunk by Shabla during the Crimean War, loaded with gold for the army. The origin of the present name of the settlement, according to the version, is related to the Proto-Bulgarian word "saber" (scoop). In the middle of the 19th century Shabla is the largest Bulgarian village in the region and its mayor is Bulgarian. Residents actively participate in the struggle for an independent Bulgarian church, education and national freedom. In the personal notebook of Hristo Botev when forming his company was recorded Nikola Alexov from Shabla. After the liberation from Ottoman rule, Shabla became the center of the municipality. Pride for her is the gold medal won by Dimitar Anastasov, who won the First Bulgarian Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition in Plovdiv in 1892. In 1900, a rural revolt broke out in Durankulak and Shabla against the introduction of new taxes (a dozen). From August 1913 to September 1916 and from November 1919 to September 1940, the area was occupied by Romania. After the liberation on September 7, 1940, hundreds of families deported from the Romanian authorities from the native Bulgarian population of Northern Dobrudzha settled here. Around the Shabla lighthouse was the only oil field in Bulgaria, hot mineral water with high sulfur content is flowing from many drilling operations today. Until 1964 Shabla was a village, until 1969 a town of urban type, on 27.08.1969 was proclaimed a city. Honour Shabla Knoll on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Shabla. References External links Shabla regional tourism Towns in Bulgaria Seaside resorts in Bulgaria Populated places in Dobrich Province Populated coastal places in Bulgaria