The Azerbaijan State News Agency

CULTURE

Six best museums in regions of Azerbaijan

Baku, August 7, AZERTAC

Visiting Historical and Local Lore museums should become a mandatory point of your trip to Azerbaijan. The collections of these sometimes inconspicuous academic institutions contain such unique exhibits that will force you to take a Fresh Look at the history of various cities and regions of our country. An inquisitive visitor will be able to use the exposition of these museums as a time machine to make an unforgettable journey through the brightest pages of Azerbaijani history.

Khachmaz - ancient burial mounds and 40 keys

The Historical and Local Lore Museum in Khachmaz has a large number of exhibits reflecting the history and cultural heritage of the region and the country as a whole and of interest to tourists.

Founded in 1981, the museum, in 2013, moved to a new modern building. According to the director of the institution, Agil Alisultanov, at present there are about 5000 exhibits, more than 2000 of which are exhibited, and another 2800 stored in museum funds.

On the first floor of the museum there is a section dedicated to the history of Azerbaijan's independence, which reflects the history of Azerbaijani statehood in different periods.

The rich historical information is given by exhibits related to the period of the Second World War. It is known that in those tragic years 8739 people left Khachmaz for the front. Of these, 2,800 people were killed: only in the battles for the defense of Moscow fell 124 Khachmaz. The museum displays badges, medals and orders that belonged to the battles participants, as well as the Maxim machine gun, which was used in battles in 1945. This section also contains exhibits related to the events of January 20 and to the participants of the Karabakh war, when as a result of the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan 226 Khachmaz people became martyrs, and one of whom was awarded the title of National Hero.

On the second floor of the museum there is a historical and ethnographic department. Miniature models of blacksmith's and pottery workshops, residential buildings and other exhibits, clearly demonstrate the way of life of Khachmaz people in different historical periods.

Khachmaz is inhabited since ancient times. During the archaeological expeditions in the Khachmaz region, 28 ancient burial mounds were discovered, the age of which is 4 thousand years. In the halls of the museum you can see a porcelain jug, belonging to the I millennium BC, discovered during excavations in the territory of the village of Ledjet, Khachmaz district. It is supposed that it was intended for storage of products.

Among the exhibits of the museum are also a bronze tip, bone needles, stone tools, clay jugs of the 1st century BC. and the next century after it, relating to the Albanian period of history. Attention is drawn to the clay ritual object of the period of Zoroastrianism, copper dishes, a large number of ceramic products of the 4th-5th centuries, faience ware of the 12th-13th centuries, "sarpush" (the lid for Plov) of the 19th century, etc.

The corner of numismatics also attracts visitors, where samples of coins and bills of different historical periods are collected: the Great Atabeys of Azerbaijan of the XII century, the Shirvanshah Manuchehr of the XII century, the Ganja XVII centuries, etc.

In the section of culture works of art are shown, in particular carpets and ornaments. Noteworthy is silverware of small dimensions, called "40 Achar" ("40 keys"), on which the craftsman engraved in the Arabic language forty different Muslim prayers.

There is also a department in the museum dedicated to the nature and forests of Khachmaz, the area of which is 28 thousand hectares.

In general, the exposition is updated at regular intervals twice a year, often held thematic exhibitions on numismatics, military years, painting, etc.

Mingachevir - catacombs, archan and peacocks

To begin acquaintance with Mingachevir is best from visiting the city museum of history. The pavilions and the museum fund contain more than 15 thousand exhibits reflecting the life and development of Mingachevir from antiquity to the present day. The director of the museum from 1992 to this day is Nofer Mammadaliyev.

According to Mr. Mammadaliyev, during the period from 1946 to 1953 the prominent Azerbaijani archaeologist Salekh Gaziev in Mingachevir on the south side of the Bozdag mountain conducted archaeological excavations, during which was discovered about 20 thousand samples of material cultural heritage related to III-II centuries BC. Fifty of the items found were left in Mingachevir and formed the basis of the exposition of the City Museum of History, which was established on January 11, 1968.

There are two pavilions in the museum: in one of them there is history, from the ancient times to the beginning of the 20th century, and the exhibits of the other reflect the glorious history of the construction of the Mingachevir hydroelectric station.

In particular, a separate installation in the first pavilion is devoted to the lives of ancient people - Neanderthals, who lived in caves and used primitive tools of labor. It is interesting that their life expectancy reached 30 years for men and 35 years for women.

Further here you can get acquainted with objects of everyday life and decorations, working tools, hunting weapons used by people who lived on this territory in the third and second millennia BC.

Of great interest are rare examples of pitchers buried in ancient times in some regions of Azerbaijan: people were buried in large jars of red clay buried at a depth of 2-3 meters. During the excavations, over 200 such graves and 4 burial mounds were investigated. According to the notions of the afterlife of people of that period, household tools, food and water containers were also put in pitchers, and large domestic animals such as bulls or horses were buried nearby.

Here you can personally see one more sample of ancient burials - catacombs made from the Archan plant, the wood of which has a peculiar aroma, so strong that it is felt even after so many years. Nowadays, the trees of this breed have survived only in the forests of Gabala. Catacombs were common in ancient times and in the early Middle Ages, for the burial of representatives of the nobility.

In the Middle Ages, Mingachevir was distinguished by a high level of development of craftsmanship. Basically it was pottery, the production of textiles, jewelry and copper products. On one of the stands of the exhibition you can see the tools of labor and household items made by a master of copper.

In the museum you can get acquainted with the monument of the Albanian period discovered during excavations, which, apparently, was part of an ancient cult structure. On the obverse of the monument, made of soft yellowish stone, there is a symbolic image of two peacocks facing the flower, above which is carved an Albanian inscription of 52 letters, the meaning of which has not been deciphered so far.

In the first pavilion, you can also trace the evolution of the human dwelling - first these were dugouts, which were gradually replaced by houses of a modern type. You can see samples of national men's and women's clothing, etc.

A separate stand shows the diversity of Mingachevir's flora and fauna: the species of fish inhabiting the Kura and animals that were encountered in the once lush forests here.

Finally, you can get acquainted with the biography of the participants of the most memorable archeological expedition, and see their personal belongings.

Ismayilli - ancient butter and a meteorite

Ismayilli Museum of Local History, which has been operating since 1980, moved to a new building in 2009. The museum collection includes more than 1000 exhibits, among which there are many unique ones. For example, the oldest surviving samples of butter. It was discovered in the old amphora in the village of Mollaisagli during the construction of the Oguz-Gabala-Baku water pipeline. Specialists of the capital's museum of archeology conducted an examination and found out that the origin of butter is related to the III-I centuries BC.

Also in the village of Mollaisagli, inhabited by Khapit - one of the ethnic groups of Caucasian Albania, many samples of pottery were discovered, bronze ornaments, burials of people dating back to the II-I centuries BC.

These and many other finds are also on display in the museum. It is impossible not to mention the stone that is stored here, presumably a meteorite, which landed from the depths of the cosmos. The unusual molten surface of the stone, large weight with small dimensions leaves no doubt about its origin.

Ganja - from the Neolithic Age to the Golden Age

It is also better to get acquainted with the history of Ganja with a visit to Nizami Ganjavi Museum of Local Lore, in its eighteen rooms, exhibits reflecting the history and culture of Ganja from ancient times to our days are demonstrated. Collections of the museum, founded in 1924, number more than 30 thousand items. In the current building, the museum settled in 1972. By the way, originally this historical building belonged to the grandchildren of Javad Khan - the last ruler of the Ganja Khanate - Ismail Khan and Adil Khan Ziyadkhanov.

The oldest artifacts are those found in the vicinity of Ganja (Gillikdag), stone hoes, earhooks, hammers, axes and various plate tools, flint knife plates and scrapers made from obsidian in the Neolithic era. The period of the Eneolithic (II millennium BC) is represented in the museum with tools of labor, weapons, ornaments, dishes, objects of funerary culture, etc.

Among other exhibits of the museum are samples of ceramics and sculptures, ancient national clothes, Ganja carpets, silver jewelry, household utensils, musical instruments, ancient weapons, ancient manuscripts and other samples of culture from the heyday of the Ganja Khanate.

Shamkir - stone lamp and national costumes

In the Shamkir Museum of Local History, located in the building of the city House of Culture named after Ahmed Javad, about 5,830 exhibits reflecting the history and culture of these places were collected.

Here you can see ceramic painted and copper utensils, jugs, oil lamps, decorations, weapons, embroidery, archeological artifacts, coins and bills, early samples of musical instruments, knitting and spinning tools, etc. The oldest of the museum exhibits dates back to the Neolithic VII -V millennium BC is a small stone lamp. The museum also features a variety of stone tools - a hoe with stone teeth, a threshing stone, etc. The period of the Eneolith includes dishes made of different kinds of wood and clay, bronze ornaments, etc.

Of great interest are the finds discovered during excavations in 1970 on the left bank of the Kura River. Here, on the top of the mountain, a burial was discovered, where nine graves were concentrated on an area of only 5-6 square meters, in which over 35 jars, churn, belts, women's jewelry, various utensils for drinking, etc. were found. Bones of animals were found in jars. On the right bank of the Kura, 17 copper coins of the 10th-12th centuries were found.

Quite a lot in the museum exhibits of the period of Caucasian Albania III-IV centuries. His exposition also shows bright examples of Azerbaijani national costumes, women's headgear, caskets and much more.

Shamakhi - mysterious pitcher and the keys to the city

The museum, located directly at the city gate of Shamakhi, opposite the central bus station was founded in 1945, and in 2008 it underwent a thorough reorganization. Currently, in the beautifully decorated rooms of the museum and the stock vault contains more than 9000 valuable exhibits.

Here you can see interesting finds made during archaeological excavations in the territory of Shamakhi and in the vicinity. Among the most valuable is a glazed pitcher with six faces molded on its surface, the works of an unknown genius of the Shirvanshahs era. The rarity was discovered during excavations in the village of Hynysly.

The lamp of amazing shape, of the Middle Ages attracts attention. Its central reservoir is surrounded by ten jar-shaped vessels, each of which simultaneously through special channels received oil, used for lighting as fuel.

Visitors will not be indifferent to the padlock with the keys from the main gate of Shamakhi, made in the XVII century.

According to the director of the museum Filgiya Zamanova, the most ancient exhibits date back to the early Bronze Age (35-33 centuries BC) - these are ceramic dishes, jugs and tools of labor found in stone tombs. In the museum you can also see oil lamps, swords, armor, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, carpets and other items from different eras. Here are exhibited and many photographs of the devastating earthquake that occurred in Shamakhi on January 31, 1902.

On separate stands there are medicinal plants of Shamakhi region, of which there are more than 50 species, silk kelagai, which the Shamakhi were famous for in previous years, and other exhibits.

In the courtyard of the museum visitors are greeted by a gallery of busts of famous natives of Shirvan: astronomer Feleki Shirvani, poets Khagani Shirvani, Izzeddin Shirvani, Nasimi, Seid Azim Shirvani, Sabir, Mohammed Hadi, Shirvanshah Ibrahim I and many others.

Emil Eyyubov

Share news on social media

Follow us on social network

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry: Festive events in military units are held in closed conditions

Turkish president congratulates Russian counterpart Putin on reelection

Hikmet Hajiyev: Azerbaijan, China enjoy traditional ties of friendship and partnership

Apple, Google in talks to bring Gemini AI to iPhones: Report

Marie Sahba: I strive to build cultural bridges between our native peoples through my music and lyrics - INTERVIEW

Jens Stoltenberg: We are now in the process of agreeing a new framework for partnership between NATO and Azerbaijan VIDEO

Active dialogue between ruling parties significantly contributes to development of Azerbaijan-China relations

Magic of Novruz at Baku airport: carpets, airplanes, and national values

AZAL staff plants over 600 trees in support of “Green World Solidarity Year”

Azerbaijani female shooter clinches silver medal in Germany

Azerbaijani ambassador attends event marking 109th anniversary of Canakkale Victory

Message of congratulation to the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Novruz holiday

Azerbaijani table tennis players bring ten medals from Türkiye

ANAS Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow Islamic Institute ink MoU

Azerbaijani FM meets with NATO Secretary General

Azerbaijan, US discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation agenda

International Turkic Academy expands international relations

President of Azerbaijan: Everyone must reckon with us from now on

President Ilham Aliyev discloses several facts about Khankendi’s being the land of Azerbaijan

Central square of Khankendi named “Victory Square”

'Canakkale is impassable' immortalized when Turkish Navy defeated most advanced armies: President Erdogan

President: Today, Azerbaijan is one of a handful of countries in the world with a completely independent policy

President of Azerbaijan: Regrettably, the outcomes of the Second Karabakh War did not serve as lesson to Armenia

President Ilham Aliyev: Anti-terror operation was a triumph of indomitable spirit of Azerbaijani people

President: We demonstrated tremendous heroism during the Second Karabakh War and the anti-terror operation

President Ilham Aliyev: It is the fourth time that I have lit the holiday bonfire in liberated lands of Karabakh

President Ilham Aliyev lit Novruz bonfire in the city of Khankendi and congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the holiday VIDEO

Chinese scientists design device to produce hydrogen from renewable sources

Ukrainian media: NATO Secretary General welcomes Azerbaijan’s support to Ukraine

Peace initiators in the South Caucasus

® Simplify business operations with Kapital Bank's free API Portal

Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister meets with NATO Secretary General VIDEO

Azerbaijan, Shanghai Cooperation Organization explore prospects for cooperation

Wildfire continues to spread in China's southern Sichuan province

Azerbaijan, China discuss bilateral cooperation

Global Terrorism Index 2024: Azerbaijan among safest countries in the world

NASA volunteers find fifteen rare “Active Asteroids”

® B2B Forum featuring Latvian, Estonian and Finnish companies held in Azerbaijan

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg concludes his visit to Azerbaijan

Release of the Press Service of the President

To His Excellency Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation

Nervous system disorders found to be biggest cause of poor health

2 Japan astronauts to land on moon in NASA-led Artemis program

Putin gets 85.13% of vote in Moscow after all ballots counted

AZAL launches flights to another London airport

N. Korea fires multiple short-range ballistic missiles into East Sea: JCS

Oil prices surge in global markets

® “Baku Steel Company” CJSC starts the tender stage for the implementation of the SAP S/4HANA system

Azerbaijan relocates 34 more families to Fuzuli city VIDEO

Fenerbahce win at Trabzonspor in match marred by clashes

“Heritage in Stitches: A Journey Through Embroidery and Sewing Traditions of Uzbekistan” exhibition opens at the Heydar Aliyev Center
First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva and Assistant to the President of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva attend the opening ceremony VIDEO

‘Cold blob’ of Arctic meltwater may be causing European heat waves

NATO Secretary General: COP29 will be an important milestone in fighting global warming VIDEO

NATO Secretary General: Azerbaijan and Armenia have an opportunity to achieve enduring peace

Jens Stoltenberg: I welcome that Azerbaijan is developing closer ties with several NATO allies VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev invites Jens Stoltenberg to Azerbaijan to attend COP29 in November VIDEO

President: NATO-Azerbaijan partnership has already had a long history VIDEO

Azerbaijani President: Today, we are in an active phase of peace talks with Armenia

President Ilham Aliyev: There is a good chance for settlement of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev: Reforms in our Armed Forces have led to good results VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev held expanded meeting over dinner with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made press statements VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev held one-on-one meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg VIDEO

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrives in Azerbaijan for official visit

China's auto exports soar 30.5 pct in January-February

US says it destroys Houthi UAVs in Red Sea

Azerbaijan defense minister expresses condolences to Pakistani side

11th Global Baku Forum on “Fixing the Fractured World” concludes

"Once-in-a-lifetime" devil comet will be easily visible this month

Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan praise development of bilateral relations

Azerbaijan`s Prime Minister meets with Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus

First drug to treat common, lethal liver disease gets US nod

11th Global Baku Forum features “New Security Paradigm in the Age of AI, Drones and Cyberwarfare” panel meeting

Azerbaijani PM meets with his Georgian counterpart in Baku

Administrator of UN Development Programme: Azerbaijan's role and approach as President of COP29 are commendable

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze concludes his official visit to Azerbaijan

President Ilham Aliyev held expanded meeting with Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze made press statements VIDEO

Photo exhibition on "Protection of Azerbaijan’s cultural heritage: Austria’s contribution" unveiled in Vienna

Irakli Kobakhidze: Our partnership has reached excellent level

Georgian Prime Minister: Partnership and friendship between our countries hold significant importance on global stage

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze: Azerbaijan-Georgia relations are built on a very solid foundation

President: Both Georgia and Azerbaijan possess significant renewable energy potential

President: Our energy projects will continue to ensure energy security of many countries

President of Azerbaijan: The International law norms must be the basis for each country and there can be no discrimination

President Ilham Aliyev: Azerbaijan and Georgia have always supported each other`s sovereignty

President Ilham Aliyev: Demand for Azerbaijan's energy resources continues to rise

President: Activation of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will be beneficial for many countries

President: Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Georgia increased by 15 percent last year

President Ilham Aliyev: Today, Azerbaijan and Georgia have become vital countries for Eurasia

President Ilham Aliyev held one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev: Georgia and Azerbaijan always stand by each other as two independent states

SOCAR President meets with World Economic Forum officials

BSEC PERMIS Secretary General: EU membership should align with strategic goals VIDEO

11th Global Baku Forum hosts panel on “Regional Perspectives: EU and its Neighbors”

11th Global Baku Forum hosts panel session on “Building Resilience to Global Challenges: Addressing Inequality, Resource Scarcity and Migration”

SpaceX launches 6,000th Starlink satellite on Friday night flight

US President Joseph Biden congratulates President Ilham Aliyev on Novruz holiday

Georgian Prime Minister pays tribute to Azerbaijani martyrs

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze visits tomb of Great Leader Heydar Aliyev