Karimli Kurgans

Karimli village kurgans — a historic-archaeological monument near the village of Karimli in the Oghuz district.

In the territory of Azerbaijan's Oghuz district, kurgans dating to the 14th–16th centuries BC have been discovered. Nəsib Muxtarov, a staff member of the Institute of History and Ethnography of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, stated that the historic finds were encountered in the area of the village of Karimli, Oghuz district. The discovered kurgans belong to the late Bronze Age and the smallest of them has a diameter of 70 meters. Within these kurgans, which reflect the history of the South Caucasus, vessels and decorative objects with gilded patterns have been found. In addition, burial customs from the Bronze Age have also been encountered at a depth of 5 meters in the area.

The burial chamber (11 m × 4 m × 3 m) discovered has aroused special interest. In the chamber, figures of a quail, pigeon, nightingale, goose, duck, and snake, as well as vessels with ankh patterns and metal artifacts, stand out for their originality. Although the burial custom and the structure of the kurgan are similar to earth kurgans of Azerbaijan's Middle Bronze Age, they possess distinctive features.

More than one hundred beads have been uncovered in the kurgan. Jewelry, metal and non‑metal beads, and chest ornaments recorded in monuments outside Azerbaijan have also been noted in Anatolia, Mesopotamia, the North Caucasus, China, India, Afghanistan, and Iran.

Rich mythology, high craftsmanship, and political and trade connections are confirmed by these finds.

The Karimli kurgans stimulate comprehensive studies of the local population's economy, trade, and spiritual world, explaining the progress that has taken place.

N. Muxtarov, emphasizing that jewelry materials dating to the 16th–14th centuries BC have also been discovered inside the kurgans, reported that the finds are being studied. Archaeological excavations are currently ongoing in the area.

Only a few of the 19 kurgans located in the area have been archaeologically excavated.