As mentioned in my previous review of the tWHS of Plovdiv's Roman mosaics, that tWHS combined to this tWHS in my opinion would make more sense and would stand a better chance at getting inscribed as a positive cultural representation of a city with 8,000 years of history. I covered the Roman mosaics quite extensively in the review of Plovdiv's other tWHS. Instead, in this review I'll focus on the various Ottoman houses worth visiting and on the Church of St. Constantine and Helena and the Metropolitan Church of St. Marina.

The area around the remains of Nebet Tepe is very similar to Safranbolu, Turkey or Berat/Gyirokaster, Albania. I wasn't impressed so much by the restored exterior of the Ottoman houses but the interior of the Houses of Klianti, Hindlian, Balabanov, Nedkovich, Kuyumdhiev and Georgiadi in my opinion are worth their entrance tickets. The Nedokovich House is a Renaissance palazzo. The Georgiadi House houses the Museum of the Bulgarian National Revival. On each of its three floors, there are typical wood carved ceilings and closets, a-la-franca recesses and different colour designs in each room. Its exterior and its location were among my favourites in Plovdiv and warranted repeat visits at different times of the day.

In fact, the area surrounding the ancient gate to the fortress of Hisar Kapia is one of the most picturesque sites in Historic Plovdiv. Apart from the Georgiadi House, the other highlight of this ensemble is the Kuyumdzhiev House which houses the Etnographic Museum. It is a typical representative of the revival style of the symmetrical house, and is a masterpiece of Baroque architecture in Bulgaria. The building is four-storeyed, with two large halls, twelve rooms and 130 windows, the latter being a clear indication of the owner's wealth. The east facade of the house rests on the ancient fortress wall. The house is closed on Mondays.

The Hindlian House is one of the few Plovdiv symmetrical houses preserved in their original integrity and is unsurpassed in terms of ornamentation and decoration. The walls on the second floor of the house impress with original paintings of landscapes from Constantinople, Venice, Alexandria and Stockholm. It reminded me a lot of the Ottoman houses interiors of Gyirokaster, Albania. The house is also home to a preserved historic bath. It follows the Oriental pattern with domes, vaults, recesses, marble floors, basin and floor heated by a continuous flow of hot air. The Balabanov House is a remarkable symbol of the old town of Plovdiv, although I very much preferred the Hindlian House for its exquisite interior. My personal favourite is the Klianti House, with one of the decorated walls with unique landscapes from Vienna and Constantinople.

Of all the churches of Plovdiv, two noteworthy ones (apart from the Armenian one) are the Church of St. Constantine and Helena and the Metropolitan Church of St. Marina. The former is one of the oldest Christian temples in Plovdiv, built above the wall of the citadel. The Baroque iconostasis is truly remarkable and some of the most precious icons are now on display in the adjacent Icon Gallery. The latter church, with the 17 metre wooden bell tower, is a three nave pseudo-basilica with a narthex in the west part and with splendid blue murals presenting 29 scenes from the Bible. These highlights together with the Roman remains, mosaics and monuments, as well as the Islamic monuments and architectural masterpieces and facades of the main street of Plovdiv, with make a worthy WHS combined.