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Laman Ismayilova

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Renowned for its scenic beauty, Gabala State Historical-Artistic Reserve never ceases to amaze local residents and foreign guests.

The reserve is a must-see attraction for history and archaeology enthusiasts.

Gabala State Historical-Artistic Reserve covers a total of 420 hectares and consists of three historical sites: the Ancient City, Salbir, and Gala.

This territory contains the remains of the ancient city of Gabala, which for 900 years was the capital of Caucasian Albania until the 4th century BC.

Archaeological research on the territory of the reserve was conducted for the first time in 1926 under the guidance of archaeologist Davud Sharifov.

Since 2005, archaeologists of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography have begun archaeological excavations in this area at the initiative and with the financial support of the Azerbaijan-Korea Cultural Exchange Association SEBA (Seoul-Baku).

Thanks to the joint activities of South Korean specialists, archaeological excavations in the reserve began again in 2009.

Moreover, the Gabala Archaeological Centre was built in the reserve in accordance with modern requirements.

President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, attended the opening ceremony of the Archaeological Centre during his visit to Gabala in 2014.

The archaeological centre consists of two exhibition salons (museums), a modern restoration laboratory, a conference hall, a library, an archaeological foundation, and auxiliary premises.

Material and cultural samples discovered during archaeological excavations in the area are recorded, transferred to the center's fund, and shown to visitors in the exhibition hall.

The most ancient materials in exhibition halls date back to the Palaeolithic period. This material was discovered during a field survey in 2011 and 2012 in the villages of Boyuk Amili, Soltannukha, Hajialili, and Garadeyin.

Among the exhibits are many stone tools made from flint and sandstone, including hand axes, blades, etc.

Around 3,544 local and foreign tourists visited Gabala State Historical-Artistic Reserve last year.

Some 2607 of those who visited the reserve were local tourists, and 937 were citizens of foreign countries.

The majority of foreign tourists came from Poland, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, England, Ukraine, Latvia, the USA, and Turkiye.

Those who visited the reserve were given detailed information about the archaeological excavations conducted periodically in the area, the works carried out in the territory of the reserve with the organisation and financial support of the SEBA (Seoul-Baku) Azerbaijan-Korea Cultural Exchange Association, as well as the exhibits displayed in the Gabala Archaeological Centre.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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