Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

The Azerbaijani Culture Ministry has released a video as part of Azerbaijan - a cradle of ancient civilization project, Azernews reports, citing the ministry.

The Culture Ministry presented a video about the Chirag Gala, a historical monument of the 4th-6th centuries.

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

Some sources say that Gilgilchay dam, where Chirag Gala is located, is the second largest defensive fortification in the world after the famous Great Wall of China.

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

The location of the fortress makes it absolutely impregnable. Five times the Mongolian armies tried to capture 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.

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

The Chirag Gala Historical Monument Complex was declared a reserve in 2003.

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