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In the early IX century in some primary medieval populated areas
(Mehravan, Salbir quarter of Qabala etc.) life fully stops and there emerge a
number of new populated areas. And in old ones where life continued there begins
shaping a cultural layer reflecting features of the new period (appearance of
enamelled ceramics, quantitative growth of ceramics produced by pottery lathes,
their quality's improvement, increase of the goods diversity etc.). Completion of
the work's chronological frames by IX century, surely, is linked to the above-listed
factors.
Research object of the work covers a vast territory (nearly 7 thousand sq.
km) known in geographical literature as southern slope of the Major Caucasus,
Alazan-Haftaran hollow, Haftaran plateau and the Lower Shirvan plain. Water-
abundant river net, summer and winter pastures covering fertile lands fit for
sowing, vast area, rich vegetable and animal world favoured appearing of primary
populated settlements on the territory as far back as from V millcnium B.C. In the
Early Middle Ages the places, better known by the local population as ancient
Ghirdman territories, were the district of especially intensive settling. Numerous
towns (Qabala, Mehravan, Ghirdman, Qalagah, Qaratapa, Lahych), major
populated areas and necropolises of urban type (Hasan-bay Yeri, Sangar Yeri,
Kand Yeri, Tarkash, Arabjabirli, Ashaghy Qaramaryam, Kalash Duzu etc.) on the
territory prove this. Numerous relevant majestic fortresses (Ghirdman, Cavanshir,
Niyal, Fit, Khanagah, Khachmaz, Bum, Vandam, Khosrov and Qyz fortresses), as
well as other defensive works (defence wall in Khira, Hazra Tower, Qalatapa etc.)
betoken Ghirdman province's active participation in military hostilities both of
global, and local character in IV-IX centuries. Grave monuments consisting of
different edifices (ash graves, trough-shaped graves, ground graves, mausoleum-
type graves, stone chest graves etc.), idols and, finally, religious objects (Kilsadagh
temple, mosque in Ghirdman etc.) have big scientific importance for studying
cultural level and religious views of Ghirdman population. Production hearths and
different rich material-cultural items discovered during archaeological excavations,
natural destructions and construction-improvement activities favour more profound
and comprehensive study of the country's economic life, cultural, trade relations.
As it's seen, being administrative-political unit, Ghirdman province had been
taking up leading position in economic, political, religious, military and cultural
life of Azerbaijan through the Early Middle Ages, and all the foregoings for the
first time were investigated as special research object by the author.
The aim of elaborating the research work is to investigate developments in
Ghirdman province, wholly in Caucasian Albania, economic life, cultural-religious
position of the country in the Early Middle Ages on the basis of written sources,
archaelogical complexes and architectural monuments, rich material-cultural items
discovered there. For achieving the stated aim the author tried to solve concretely
the below problems:
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- Specification of Ghirdman province territories locality;
- Natural-geographical description of the territory, and retracing of the
population's settling dynamics;
- Study of the local migration reasons and results;
- Determination of the territory's administrative boundaries, compilation of
its archaelogical map;
- Systеmatization and classification of Ghirdman monuments and material-
cultural items from them;
- Revelation and generalization of the population's dealings, progressive and
regressive tendencies in the development of husbandry, cattle-breeding, hunting
and handicraft;
- Study of the society's class content and social standing;
- Retracing of ethnical, religious and cultural developments in the country
after example of Ghirdman province concretely;
-
Study of the role and services of Ghirdman province and great Mehranid
princes in military, political and cultural relations of Albania with the Byzantine
and Sasanid empires, the Arab Caliphate and Khazar Khaganate, as well as
neighbour countries;
-
Specifying of the participation and role of Ghirdman princes
and bishops in spreading Christianity and Islam in the country, and in organizing
struggle against paganism and Zoroastrianism.
For writing the work there were widely used ancient and medieval sources,
materials of historical, archaeological and ethnographical researches held in
Ghirdman monuments, material-cultural items kept at museums, funds and private
collections, works of Slavic-Russian, Russian-Soviet, Armenian, Georgian authors,
and especially Azerbaijani Albanian scholars.
As it's known, works of Strabonus, Koriun, Eghishe, Sebeos, Lazar Parpetsi
and particularly Albanian historian M.Kalankatuisky give very valuable data about
history of Albania, including Ghirdman history. The problem was also touched
upon to a certain extent in the works of medieval Arab geographers and travellers.
Surely, research of all the foregoings in coordination and comparison with
archaeological materials has big scientific importance.
Let's mention that though there were made certain initiatives for both
archaeological, and source studies researching of Caucasian Albania history in
XIX century and I half of XX century, wholly the activities hadn't consecutive and
systematic feature. Besides, the researches compiled beyond Azerbaijan and by
foreign authors and more meeting interests of Tsarist Russia and the Soviet
Empire,
naturally,
couldn't
elucidate
ancient
history
of
Azerbaijan
comprehensively and objectively. Commissioning of apology-for-Caucasian
scholar S.T.Yeremyan with compiling Albanian history-related sections of
fundamental works on the USSR people history in 30-50s by order of Moscow, in