Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

“In line with structural reforms carried out in ANAS, the Caspian Archaeology Department was established within the structure of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, based on internal resources, according to the decision of the ANAS Presidium dated July 12, 2023. This department is intended to conduct underwater research in the Caspian Sea as well as archaeological research along coastal areas and other water bodies”-said Abbas Seyidov, Doctor of historical sciences and head of the Caspian Archaeology Department of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, presenting a report on “The Archaeology of the Caspian Sea: History and Modernity” at the meeting of the Presidium.

It was said that in the second half of the 20th century, underwater archaeological research in Azerbaijan came into the spotlight. Preparations for studying the underwater historical-archaeological monuments of the Caspian Sea began following the decree of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR dated July 24, 1968, and the decision of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR dated August 9, 1968.  

With Doctor of historical sciences Zelik Yampolski as the scientific advisor, practical work was entrusted to diver Viktor Kvachidze. Over a period of 19 years, including 1986, V. Kvachidze conducted research along the Caspian coast and islands, discovering more than 4,000 material-cultural artifacts. The investigations were carried out at Shuvulan Cape, the eastern part of the Absheron Peninsula opposite Gurgan Cape, the Baku Bay and Sabail underwater fortress, as well as the ancient channel of the Kura River and Bandovan Cape in the Salyan region.

The author noted that from August 27 to September 12, 2024, the Caspian Archaeological Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology conducted archaeological surveys in the Zira and Pirallahi areas of the Khazar district of the Absheron Peninsula, as well as Shahri-Gurgan belonging to the middle ages. During these investigations, the remains of two sunken ships from the 19th century and ceramic artifacts dating back to the 12th-14th centuries were discovered.

After the presentation of the report, a decision to strengthen the activities of the Caspian Archaeology Department in order to conduct archaeological research in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea and coastal areas was adopted by the Presidium. This also includes carrying out new studies on archaeological monuments with known coordinates in the coastal zones, registering and investigating newly discovered monuments, clarifying their coordinates, studying their architectural structure, mapping them, and performing other necessary tasks.

Reyhan Majidli, Public Relations, Press and Information Department of the Presidium Administration of ANAS

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