Çuxur Qəbələ

Çuxur Qəbələ
Municipality
Çuxur Qəbələ
Çuxur Qəbələ
Coordinates: 40°53′32″N 47°41′32″E / 40.89222°N 47.69222°E / 40.89222; 47.69222
Country Azerbaijan
RayonQabala
Population
 • Total
913
Time zoneUTC+4 (AZT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+5 (AZT)

Çuxur Qəbələ (also, Chukhurkabala and Chukhur-Kebele) is a village and municipality in the Qabala Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 913. The village is known as the walled city site of the ancient city of Gabala, which served as the capital of Caucasian Albania for centuries.

Geography

Çuxur Qəbələ is situated in the Qabala District, located in the northern part of Azerbaijan within the Shaki-Zagatala Economic Region. The region lies at the foothills of the Greater Caucasus Mountains.[1]

Archaeology

Archaeological excavations at the site commenced in 1926 under Davud Sharifov. Subsequent work was carried out by various Azerbaijani archaeologists, including Ishaq Jafarzadeh, Saleh Gaziyev (who made discoveries in 1959), Omar Ismizadeh, Gara Ahmadov, Ilyas Babayev, Firudin Gadirov, and Gafar Jabiyev. A renewed phase of archaeological work, involving Azerbaijani and Korean specialists, commenced in 2009 with support from the SEBA (Seoul-Baku) Azerbaijan-Korean Cultural Exchange Association. The site was declared a National State Reserve in 1985.[2][3][4][5]

Archaeological findings from Çuxur Qəbələ include remnants of fortified walls (constructed from stone and brick), pottery kilns, hearths, water supply systems (including pipes), and a variety of artifacts such as pottery, glassware, precious metals, coins (including Drachmas of Alexander the Great and Sasanian coins from the 3rd century CE), and seals from various regions including Greece, Egypt, Syria, India, and Rome, underscoring Gabala's role as an international trade center. The discovery of remnants of a pir (religious place) indicates that the population practiced diverse faiths, including paganism, fire-worshipping, Christianity, and Islam, reflecting the city's multicultural nature.[6][7][8]

Gabala Archaeological Centre

The Gabala Archaeological Centre was established in November 2012 and officially opened on September 22, 2014. The center serves as a center for ongoing research and preservation efforts at the ancient Gabala site. It is equipped with a laboratory, a conference hall, a library, storage facilities for archaeological artifacts, a studio for archaeological photography, and accommodations for scholars. Two exhibition halls within the center display artifacts, with exhibits regularly updated as new materials are uncovered through excavations.[9][10][11]

References

  1. ^ "Ancient Gabala City". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  2. ^ "Caucasian Albania: Religious and Social Life" (PDF). X International Conference Theses. Birol Group MMC: 12. 2023.
  3. ^ Kwon, Hyuk-joo (2019). "A Basic Research on the Characteristics of Medieval Islamic Pottery- About Physical Characteristics of Islamic Pottery Excavated from Remains of Salbir, Azerbaijan". The Journal of Korean Field Archaeology. 36. Korea Cultural Heritage Association: 39–67.
  4. ^ "Габалинский Государственный Историко-Художественный Заповедник является одним из исторических мест, посещаемых туристами". qebele-ih.gov.az (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  5. ^ "Tarixi | Azərbaycan Respublikası Qəbələ Rayon İcra Hakimiyyəti". qebele-ih.gov.az. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  6. ^ Mammadov, S.G; Dadashov, Kh.Z; Ahadov, A.B; Ahadova, A.S; Bayramov, M.A; Humbatov, F.Y (2018-10-26). "Thermo Luminescence Dating of Pottery Sample from Chukhur Gabala Archaeological Site in Gabala District of Azerbaijan". International Review of Applied Sciences. 4 (1): 1–5. doi:10.20448/journal.513.2018.41.1.5. ISSN 2411-667X.
  7. ^ Nakhiyev, Toghrul (2018). "Azerbaijani and Korean scientists carry out archeological researches in Gabala region". science.gov.az. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  8. ^ The Gabala Archaeological Expedition: Reports, Findings (PDF). Bakı-CBS. 2013.
  9. ^ "Gabala archaeological centre | Azerbaijan-Korean Cultural Exchange Association". seba.az. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  10. ^ "Participants of archaeological tourism gathered in Gabala". qebele-ih.gov.az. 2015. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  11. ^ ""Qəbələ" Dövlət tarix-bədii qoruğu - Azərbaycan Respublikası Mədəniyyət Nazirliyi yanında Mədəni İrsin Qorunması, İnkişafı və Bərpası üzrə Dövlət Xidməti". irs.gov.az. Retrieved 2025-07-08.

See also


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