Azernews.Az

By Seymur Aliyev

A unique underground museum will open in Ganja after new findings in the ancient Azerbaijani city were revealed during excavations.

Underground roads for phaetons were accidentally discovered during the excavations, which were carried out on the Heydar Aliyev Avenue in Ganja, the country's second largest city.

Historians have already started researching the findings, Azerbaijan's National Academy of Sciences said on Wednesday.

The underground museum will be established as soon as restoration work is over.

The roads for phaetons were paved to use them as shelters during the war. The historians revealed that these roads were built by prominent poet, theologian and architect Sheikh Bahaddin Muhammad, upon the order of Shah Abbas I from the Safavid dynasty.

The findings date back to the period of Shah Abbas rule, which the history specifies as a time of cultural renaissance as arts, literature, poetry and architecture all flourished in the empire.

Abbas moved his capital from Tabriz to Isfahan, a more secure location situated along major trade routes. He carried out reforms intended to strengthen his powers and reshuffled the administration.