Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijan National History Museum has hosted the presentation of the project "Ethnographic Map of the Iravan Fortress-City" and its dedicated website, organized by the Baku Art Center Experimental Creativity Public Union, Azernews reports.

The project was implemented with financial support from the Azerbaijan State Support Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

Within the framework of the project, visual materials reflecting the centuries-old ethnic landscape of the Iravan fortress-city, as well as information about religious and public sites that once existed within the fortress, were collected.

For the first time, such a map has been prepared using a scientific-ethnographic approach, by comparing visual and written archival sources. The materials compiled cover the period from the founding of the Iravan fortress in 1509 up to the occupation of the fortress-city by the Russian Empire in 1827.

At the event, Rafael Gulmammadov, head of the Baku Art Center, stated that the aim of the project is to visually reconstruct the ethnic landscape and architectural infrastructure of the Iravan fortress-city based on scholarly sources. He noted that extensive information was gathered about architectural structures that existed within the fortress at different times.

According to him, in addition to clarifying toponyms, the names of individual architectural monuments were matched with visual images, their geolocation coordinates were identified, and they were systematized on the map.

The research involved a wide analysis of decrees of Shah Ismail I, sources related to the Safavid–Ottoman wars, notes of Eastern, European, and Russian travelers, descriptions of monuments, engravings of city panoramas from the 17th–19th centuries, as well as topographic maps.

Rafael Gulmammadov emphasized that the newly prepared map enables the visual and objective reconstruction of Iravan’s historical and ethnic heritage.

The results of the project serve as an original source that can be used both for academic research and for raising public awareness.

The event also featured the presentation of the project's dedicated website.

Note that Baku Art Center Experimental Creativity Public Union is a non-governmental organization engaged in the preparation and implementation of projects in the fields of cultural heritage, history, art, and social initiatives.

The Union carries out projects aimed at presenting historical research to the public on a scientific basis, preserving and promoting cultural heritage, and supporting new initiatives.