Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

Chirag Gala monument might be included into UNESCO Heritage List. The Culture Ministry is working on restoration and promotion of the ancient fortress.

In 2019, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order regarding measures to carry out restoration and conservation work at Chirag Gala monument.

Local and foreign experts are engaged in the restoration of the historical monument.

The destroyed bridge was restored, pedestrian paths were laid around the fortress. The destroyed parts of the central tower were restored. A road was laid between the bridge and the tower.

The restoration work is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

The legendary fortress, which means lamp castle in Azerbaijani is a ruined ancient fortress overlooking the Caspian coastal plains north of Baku in Azerbaijan.

The fortress was used as a defense for Guba khanate in the 18th century.

The location of the fortress makes it absolutely impregnable. Five times the Mongolian armies tried to captivate it but did not succeed.

Alexander the Great, the Huns and the Arabs couldn’t invade the fortress as well.

More than 1,500 years ago, this tower was used as a signal point. The fortress was part of the system of the Caspian watch-observation structures.

When the enemy approached, a fire was lit on it. The fire was visible for hundreds of kilometers. Another point was in Derbent. If there was a fire there during the invasion of the invaders, they did the same in the Chirag Gala fortress. The flames were visible in Baku, so that all the northern borders were under control.

Chirag Gala is built of roughly treated river stones. The thickness of the defensive wall is two meters. There is a cliff behind the fortress.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz