Qala Arxeoloji-Etnoqrafik Muzey Kompleksi

Qala Archaeological-Ethnographic Museum Complex — a museum complex created in 2008 under the initiative and leadership of Mehriban Aliyeva, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, in the open air on the territory of the "Qala" State Historical-Ethnographic Reserve.

History

The village of Qala is located on a strategically important hill in the center of the Absheron Peninsula. The ancient part of Qala village was declared a historical-ethnographic reserve in 1988 and encompassed 216 historical, archaeological and architectural monuments. The village contains 5 mosques, castle remains, 3 baths, more than 170 houses, as well as cemeteries, tombs, etc.

Rock paintings covering the period from the 2nd–3rd millennia BC to the Middle Ages, as well as stone tools, ceramics, household and decorative items, weapons and coins, and conserved remains of an ancient settlement discovered on the Absheron Peninsula are collected in the museum complex. The “Absheron” archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences conducted excavations in 2010–2011. During the excavations, various finds dating to the 3rd–2nd millennia BC and also to the 14th–15th centuries were uncovered. Bronze Age rock and cave dwellings, rock paintings, ancient vessels, primitive wall remains, two underground passages oriented toward the Caspian Sea and the city of Baku dating to the 10th–14th and 10th–15th centuries, and a 19th‑century tandoor are displayed in the museum complex.

The museum also includes a castle used for observation and protection dating to the 10th–14th centuries. The castle fortress is 13.8 meters high and consists of a tower and a bastion. The rock paintings depict women, men, animals, various other fragments, hunting, and marriage ceremonies.

About

The interactive component includes 3 museums:

Archaeological-Ethnographic Museum Complex

Qala Fortress

Antique Objects Museum

Archaeological ethnographic museum complex — maps, plans, schemes of the monuments and historic sites of the Absheron Peninsula, stands depicting monuments belonging to Absheron; a hunting scene discovered in the east of Absheron, depictions of human sacrifice, sacred marriage, etc., carved, presenting a comprehensive ideological worldview system, rock paintings belonging to the 3rd–2nd millennium BC; tombs; megalithic monuments; an archaeological gallery rich with archaeological finds; conserved remains of residential houses from the Middle Ages; samples of ancient pottery, carpet weaving, blacksmithing; a two‑storey residential house from the 19th century reflecting its period in interior and exterior; live examples of livestock farming — sheep breeding, camel breeding, horse breeding, etc., all combined.

Qala fortress — was built in the village’s oldest residential area. During archaeological excavations carried out in 2009 it was found to belong to the 10th–12th centuries. Wall remains and a part of the fortress have survived to the present period. In 2011 the fortress was restored by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

During archaeological excavations several materials dating to the Middle Ages were discovered in the upper layer, which proved that the area was a permanent settlement in the Middle Ages as well. The discovered oven remains, pottery remains (painted and unpainted), iron tools, holes for tying animals, and the discovered living spaces indicate that people lived around the fortress in a complex manner. Those ovens were most probably built in the 18th century when Nadir Shah placed his garrison here, to meet the garrison’s requirements.

The underground passages discovered in the fortress are dated to the 10th–14th centuries. According to the village elders, one of the passages leads to the seashore, the other leads out to the city.

One of the interesting finds during the archaeological research is a rock‑cut dwelling belonging to the Bronze Age.

A mosque has been built attached to one wall of the fortress. Inside, an exhibition is set up, displaying numismatic material from the 13th–14th centuries, up to the Charizm period in Azerbaijan, i.e., the 19th century, and medieval ceramic remains discovered during archaeological excavations.

Antique Objects Museum — was created in 2011 on the basis of the private collection gathered by engineer, restorer, philanthropist, Karabakh war veteran, Order of the “Azerbaijan Flag” holder Shahid Habibullayev. The collection currently includes nearly 3,000 material‑cultural specimens. Only 800 exhibits of this collection are displayed in the Antique Objects Museum. On the museum’s 2nd floor, various decorative‑applied art pieces are exhibited; on the 3rd floor, samples collected from different regions of the republic, as well as items produced in the USA, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Russia, France, England, Iran, Uzbekistan, Poland, Turkey and other countries, which have entered folk life since ancient times, are exhibited.

An Information Center has been established in the museum, and a caravanserai‑restaurant has started operating. Tourists and guests can obtain detailed information about the museums in the reserve from the Information Center and can rent electric buses and bicycles. Tours in various languages are organized inside the museum: Azerbaijani, Russian, English, German and French. The museum complex provides facilities for the movement of physically disabled people, a 35,000‑square‑meter parking area, and a garage for electric vehicles has been installed. The museum’s area is 1.5 ha.

At the Qala festival held in 2010, the handcrafted works of artisans preserving the traditions of weaving, felt-making, and blacksmithing were displayed, master classes were organized for children, and guests were given the opportunity to become closely acquainted with ancient domestic and ethnographic traditions.