Archaeological sites discovered in Azerbaijan's Aghdara, Aghdam

New archaeological sites have been discovered in the Aghdara and Aghdam districts, the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) told Report.

The research was conducted at the Demirli Mining and Processing Complex near the village of Janyatag in the Aghdara district, as well as at the village of Goytapa in the Aghdam district.

During archaeological monitoring at the Demirli Mining and Processing Complex, pottery samples and numerous bone remains from the Neolithic era were discovered. This settlement may have been a camp for the extraction of ochre, a natural mineral pigment. Numerous fragments of large stone tools and pieces of ochre were also discovered, supporting this theory. Karabakh miners of the Neolithic era extracted ochre from existing deposits near the camp, transported it here, divided it into small pieces, and carried it to the plains.

During the monitoring, it was discovered that a Muslim cemetery had previously existed on the site, but most of it was destroyed during road construction. Remains of structures and fragments of pottery dating from the 11th to 15th centuries were discovered there. Three burial mounds were identified near the complex.

Another study in the village of Goytapa in the Aghdam district uncovered the Early Bronze Age settlement of Goytapa, which is a national monument. Surface observations revealed the presence of a thin cultural layer dating back to the classical period. The main part of the monument dates back to the Early Bronze Age.

Not far from the village, in the Eyvazkhanbayli village cemetery, a tomb dating back to 1924 was discovered. According to the stone inscription on the tomb, Shamil Bey Salman Bey oglu is buried there. Considering that Soviet power was established in Azerbaijan in 1920, it is highly likely that he was one of the last beys of the Eyvazkhanbayli clan. The tomb is built in the shape of a hexagon, a rare geometric shape for tower tombs in the medieval architecture of Azerbaijan.