Thracian tomb Golyama Arsenalka, Thracian tomb in Shipka, Bulgaria

Thracian tomb Golyama Arsenalka is a subterranean stone tomb built into an existing burial mound between Shipka and Sheynovo. It has a monumental facade, a rectangular antechamber with a gabled roof, and a circular domed chamber of precisely fitted granite blocks. The facade entrance has a threshold worn by repeated entry, and the domed chamber holds a stone bed facing the entrance.

The mound was heaped up in the late 5th century BCE, and shortly afterwards a monumental tomb was built into a pit on its southern edge, serving as a mausoleum accessible during the 4th century BCE. It was later sealed with a wall and the doors blocked with stone blocks; robbers entered in antiquity, scattered horse bones and lifted floor slabs but left no valuables. Excavations in 1995 followed geophysical surveys.

The tomb was used as a heroon, a shrine for a deceased ruler or nobleman, and stayed accessible into the 4th century BCE. Its entrance threshold is worn smooth in the middle from repeated entry. In the domed chamber a circular granite block sits over a cavity ringed with stones, resembling the cult fireplaces of Seuthopolis.

The tomb lies between the town of Shipka and the village of Sheynovo, in flat, stony terrain with no other mounds within 150 m. The mound has a regular truncated-cone shape with a 10 m circular platform on top. The site is reached from the parking area; the ground is level, so no climbing is required.

The tomb features a double-door system at the chamber entrance, demonstrating engineering skill that was advanced for its time. Such dual closure systems are rarely found in other graves from this period.