Plovdiv’s Three Hills are the core from which the city started to develop in the past. The base is Nebet Tepe where the earliest signs of civilization in this area date from. It is where life in this ancient settlement began. Gradually, it expanded to include the other two hills – Dzhambaz Tepe and TaksimTepe.
Dzhambaz Tepe is located in the southeast part of the Three Hills. In its south base, the Ancient theater is located. It is believed that in ancient times the temple of Apollo, god of the sun and music, stood here. There is historical and archaeological evidence of this theory. Unfortunately, the remains of it will never see the light of day because today on top of them rises the Academy of Music, Dance, and Fine Arts. In Turkish “Dzhambaz Tepe” means “hill of twister” because of the performances of acrobats and twisters on its steep southeastern cliffs.
TaksimTepe, also known as Evmolpia hill, is located on the southwest part of the Three Hills. Its name means "distribution" because here the waters of the former Roman aqueduct came together to then be discharged in different directions across the Three Hills. It is assumed that in the past it was only Taksim that was called with one of the first names of Plovdiv - Evmolpias after which the name was used to refer to the whole "high city" (Acropolis) of the Three Hills. There is evidence that the palace of Philip of Macedonia and his son Alexander the Great was located on TaksimTepe. What exactly was located on this rocky peak, today no one can say, because this possibly most interesting part of the Three Hills, is now buried for archeology. Destroyed not by invaders but by locals themselves.
