Codes of Identity: Exhibition presents Bulgaria's ancient families and the 130-year life of Yoncho Pelovsky

The exhibition "Codes of Identity", which opens today in Sofia, presents ancient Bulgarian lineages that have left a lasting legacy. The venue is the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NAIM-BAS)

In addition to authentic family trees and histories of families from different regions, the exhibition features rare photographs from the family archive of the descendants of Mina Goranova - known as the "first love" of the poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev. Special attention will also be paid to the celebrated actor and director of the early 20th century, Sava Ognyanov.

The story of Yoncho Tsolov Pelovski, the longest-surviving person recorded in Bulgaria, who is said to have reached the impressive age of 130, is also noteworthy.

"I believe this is the longest-lived person in the world, as the current record is held by a French woman who lived to be 122. This summer, during a field expedition, we discovered a monument, documents and evidence of a man who lived to be 130 in a village near Vratsa," says the exhibition's curator, Assistant Professor Rosen Gatsin.