CULTURE
Khachmaz - ancient burial mounds and 40 keys
Baku, March 5, AZERTAC
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 moved to a new modern building in 2013. There are about 5,000 exhibits, more than 2,000 of which are exhibited, and another 2,800 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 8,739 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 residents. 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.
On the second floor of the museum there is the Department of History and Ethnography. 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 Khachmaz district, 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 Lajat, 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 12th century, the Shirvanshah Manuchehr of the 12th century, the Ganja 17th 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.