It is located about 4 km from the present-day town of Preslav and about 20 km from the district center of Shumen. The name comes from the Slavic words for Great for Veliki and Gorgeous for Preslav. The Bulgarian state was founded in 681 by Khan Asparuh, son of Khan Kubrat, after a victorious war with the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IV (668-685). The date is known for certain because it was noted in the annals of the VI Ecumenical Council held in Constantinople in 680-681.