Azerbaijan National Academy of Science

Within research season in 2015, Kharaba-Gilan archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of ANAS under the direction of Dr. Behlul Ibrahimli continued studies at the ancient and medieval settlement of Kharaba-Gilan, which was discontinued during the Soviet era. Until now, the city’s archaeological excavations covered religious and public buildings, but city's main districts and citadel have not been explored.

In this year archaeological research started in the first district of the city that remained relatively intact. This district was the city's main district, and was close to the entrance of the citadel. There are fundamental buildings built using “ahankovra” (specific fixing agent). Excavation was carried near one of these buildings. A part of the district’s defense wall and three rooms were found. Defensive wall is two meters wide and was built with stones, some weighing several tons. Signs of hastily carried restoration work after the Mongol invasion are clearly visible. Destroyed stones of the defense wall have not been replaced.

Obtained glazed and unglazed pottery, even pots and pans have been repaired using copper and iron wires, and household jugs have been repaired using lime. Most of the copper coins found belong to Hulakis period, only one copper coin, which was found under the floor of the first room dates back to the Seljuk period. All this shows that although the city destroyed by Mongols’ invasion was not restored, and pottery production stopped, life in the city continued until the late thirteenth century. Excavation of the main district surrounded by the defensive wall will help to determine the origin and development stages of the city, learn ancient (Parthia), early Middle Ages (Sasanid) and medieval (Seljuk) architecture, and the scale of Arabic and Mongol invasions. And this is very important to the research of problems of the formation and development of cities in Nakhchivan and overall in Azerbaijan.

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