Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

On May 30, the President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Academician Isa Habibbeyli met with the Danish scientific team of the international archaeological expedition, which was created by the organization of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS.

In his speech at the meeting, Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences currently has close cooperation with many international scientific organizations of the world, as well as with academic institutions and higher education establishments of more than 50 countries. He emphasized that ANAS is also interested in expanding its collaborative ties with Danish scientific institutions and scholars, and all necessary support will be provided for this.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli expressed his satisfaction with the research carried out by the archaeological expedition, which has been active since 2023, in the Azykh Cave-the oldest human settlement in the territory of Azerbaijan. He expressed confidence that this year’s results would also be high. The Azykh Cave is located in the ancient and historic Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Although during the occupation period the Armenians attempted to present our historical heritage as their own, their efforts were unsuccessful. The head of ANAS noted that the publication of the results of the international archaeological expedition in the academic community will once again demonstrate to the world that Karabakh is an ancient and historical land of Azerbaijan.  

Wishing success to the expedition’s work, Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that he would visit the Azykh Cave during the course of the research and personally familiarize himself with the activities of the international archaeological team.

Following this, the Danish co-head of the expedition, Professor Mads Faurschou Knudsen from the Department of Geoscience at Aarhus University, expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and hospitality. He noted that he is pleased to conduct research in the ancient Azykh Cave together with his Azerbaijani colleagues and to become acquainted with the rich historical heritage of Azerbaijan. He said that the archaeological works in the Azykh Cave, one of the earliest settlements of humanity, will contribute to determining the age of the first humans and to studying migration issues such as the spread of ancient humans from Africa to the rest of the world.

Jan-Pieter Buylaert, Senior Researcher of Department of Physics at the Technical University of Denmark said in his speech that this year’s archaeological expedition is represented by a large team, and the current research plans to use modern technological methods alongside traditional ones.

Later, Azad Zeynalov, Ph.D. in History and senior researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS gave information about the early research conducted in the Azykh Cave under the leadership of Mammadali Huseynov. He emphasized that modern research will be carried out in the Azykh Cave using 21st-century technologies, offering broad opportunities to obtain new information.

Associate Professor Farhad Guliyev, Ph.D. in History and Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS underlined that archaeological research in the Azykh Cave was resumed after the liberation of our territories from occupation. He said that the archaeological research is conducted based on a cooperation agreement signed in 2023 with Aarhus University of Denmark, and the expedition includes not only Azerbaijani scientists but also researchers from Denmark, Norway, and Germany.

Following the speeches, mutual gifts were exchanged, and commemorative photos were taken.

At the end, the guests toured of the Presidium building of ANAS.

It should be noted that the meeting was attended by Acting Vice-President of ANAS, Academician Govhar Bakhshaliyeva, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations and Work with International Scientific Organizations of Presidium administration of ANAS, Associate Professor Esmira Alirzayeva, as well as several foreign members of the international archaeological expedition.

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

© All rights reserved. When using news, it is necessary to refer to www.science.gov.az.