New rock paintings discovered in Gobustan
By Leman Mammadova
Since the discovery, being at the center of attention of researchers, Gobustan rock paintings are a very interesting part of Azerbaijan history. More than 4-5,000 animals, human pictures, scenes drawn on rocks by generations coming one after another for thousands of years are the creativity of an ancient art school.
As many as 521 new paintings and 14 new pictorial stones were discovered in Jingirdag-Yazilitepe area in recent years.
The initial stage of the project "The Creation of a Digital Database of Rock Paintings" is coming to an end. The purpose of the project, which began in 2016, is the re-documenting pictorial stones in the reserve area to create a digital database of Gobustan rock paintings and a new catalog, director of the Gobustan National Historical-Artistic Reserve Vugar Isayev told AZERTAC.
Isayev noted that the monuments in Jingirdag-Yazilitepe have been documented since 2016.
"All the panels have been photographed for detailed documentation, 3D modeling has been made, the registration form has been filled out, digital sketches have been prepared by determining GPS coordinates, sea level height, dimensions, direction, overlapping of panel images digital registration sketches,” he said.
As a result of the introduction of the new, modern methods, 521 new images and 14 new pictorial stones have been found in Jingirdag-Yazilitepe, where previously 877 images have been recorded.
Detailed information about the newly discovered drawings and rock paintings of the Jingirdag-Yazilitepe will be included in the catalog that is being prepared.
Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve, the complex of archaeological monuments in the territory of Azerbaijan, is located 56 km from the capital, Baku, in Garadagh district. There is also a museum here. More than 6,000 images and rock paintings have been recorded in the area. Monuments of the Mesolithic (medieval stone) are mainly represented in the reserve.
Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve was proclaimed in 1966, envisaging the exceptional importance of the material cultural remains found in Gobustan for history and culture. Human and animal paintings preserved in the Gobustan allow exploring the animals and the way they are hunted by the ancient people based on hunting, fighting and dance scenes depicted on the rocks.
The Gobustan Reserve, a world historical monument with an area of over 4,000 hectares, was included in the UNESCO list of cultural heritage in 2007.
The monuments of Gobustan are divided into two groups: rock paintings and ancient sites and other objects.
The first archaeological excavations on the territory of the reserve began in the 1930s. In 1939-1940, the Azerbaijani archaeologist Iskhak Jafarzade discovered here about 3,500 rock paintings, drawings and signs, as well as man-made pits, holes in rocks, etc. Since 1965, a special scientific expedition has been engaged in investigating the monuments of Gobustan. Archaeological research of more than 20 dwellings and shelters, more than 40 burial mounds was carried out.
Gobustan is a real open-air museum. Every year this amazing art gallery is visited by thousands of people from all over the world.
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