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Weaving items discovered in the early-medieval monuments of Ghirdman,
surely, were produced by wood lathes. Such discoveries were met in monuments of
Mingachevir, Qyrlartapa and Pirsaat basin. Let's remind that dwellers of Ghirdman
province's most villages for centuries had been dealing with art of weaving. For
ex., population of Basgal and Muju villages dealed with silkweaving, villages
around Lahych - with shawl and rope weaving, Hajyhatamli and Qalajyg villages -
more often with carpet-weaving. That's why in houses and workshops of the
villages' most dwellers lately there had been used different weaving looms from
wood.
As it's known, in the Bronze Age tumuli surface of chambers was covered
by wood kniddles. Tradition of using wood material in grave monuments was used
afterwards. For ex., in a grave dating back to ancient period and researched in 1982
in Qabala by Q.M.Ahmadov, the dead was buried in wood coffin with golden nails.
It's pointed out that floor of grave №6 researched in Mingachevir and
belonging to the Early Middle Ages was also made from wood. And in grave №8
the dead was buried in wood coffin 0,4m high, 0,65m wide and 1,4m long. From
verses of prominent Azerbaijani poet Khagani Shirvani it becomes known that for
burial of deads wood coffins were made by famous masters. Through IV-IX
centuries on Ghirdman territory level of woodmaking art is also determined by
growth of the scale of different buildings. This is confirmed by numerous wood
constructions registered in various monuments. In this view wе can show, as
example, oak girders put under and over gates and wood stool remnants registered
in different parts of walls in Qyrlartapa building complex. Traces of similar wood
details were also used in Cavanshir and Khachmaz Govur fortresses, fortress walls
of Salbir quarter in Qabala. And in Qalagah there were discovered remnants of a
public building constructed on numerous big wood poles. Surely, all the foregoings
are facts betokening that in the Early Middle Ages for building there were often
used wood constructions.
Boneprocessing Art. Numerous bone items discovered in Ghirdman
monuments in result of archaeological researches betoken rather wide spreading of
boneprocessing art in the Early Middle Ages. As it's known, during archaeological
excavations held in Mingachevir as early as in the middle past century there had
been discovered such different patterns. Subsequently numerous bone items were
discovered in Shamakhy and Beylagan. Among material-cultural remnants,
discovered in a cultural stratum dating back to IV-V centuries during
archaeological searches in Qyrlartapa in the middle 80s, bone goods make up
majority. Among the discoveries there are bone patterns related both to domestic,
and wild animals. Almost all deer, roe and goat horns discovered there were
processed to this or other degree. Bone fingerstalls and comb teeth give idea about
development level of the art on Ghirdman province territories.
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Weaving Art. One of the most ancient arts being widespread on Azerbaijan
territory is weaving. According to the researchers, the weaving art had shaped on
the basis of simple weaving skills of primitive human. Very likely, this took place
in the Neolith Age. In the epoch of Eneolith spreading range of the art rapidly
widened. This is confirmed by a lot of spindle hoods discovered in monuments
belonging to the epoch. Spool items made from stone, clay, bone and wood went
on remaining necessary element of weaving production for long historical period.
Such items had been also discovered through archaeological researches in Qabala,
Shamakhy, Qyrlartapa, Shargah, Qalagah, Torpaggala and Bayimli fortress. In this
view faiance spindle hoods and bone-made comb teeth discovered in upper cultural
stratum of Qyrlartapa are interesting. Analogical discoveries were made in the
early-medieval monuments of Oghuz, Qabala and Goychay districts. Surely, all the
foregoings enable to think that weaving ranked with main arts in economic life of
Ghirdman province population, just like at other territories of Albania. Let's
mention that in all epochs Ghirdman territories were rich by necessary raw
resources for weaving art development. For centuries vast and productive mulberry
orchards were background for sericulture growth. And Basgal with Muju villages
for centuries had been famed as centres of silk goods production in Shirvan. On
Ghirdman territories fame by summer and winter pastures covering vast areas there
were grazed many sheep herds. The local dwellers used meat and milk of the
sheeps as food product, their skin - as hat and warm upper dressings, and their
wool - as raw material for weaving goods production.
Unlike other districts of Azerbaijan, in villages of the Ghirdmanchay river's
upper basin production of shawl goods from wool cloth has been lately practised.
Along with their needs, residents of Haftasiyab, Khimran-Zanghi, Culyan, Dakhar-
Mulukh, Zarat-Kheybari, Ashaghy Zarat and Malham villages also produced
market shawls. Every year from Goychay and Shamakhy districts to Shamakhy
bazaars alone there were delivered averagely 5-6 thousand shawls. According to
«The Caucasus newspaper, in the last quarter of XIX century in winter months in
Khimran and Haftasiyab villages every family weaved nearly 100 shawls.
Commercial Links. High development level of different economic realms,
particularly handicraft on Ghirdman territories in IV-IX centuries at the same time
betokened existence of the wide network of commercial links. The point is both
about internal, and external trade. Naturally in feudal system conditions the
internal trade was chiefly maintained by exchange means. But the local Albanian
coins discovered in different monuments, along with exchange in Ghirdman towns
and populated areas of urban type, also betoken existing of active sale-purchase
town with food and raw materials, and town provided province more with top-
quality handicraft products.
Very rich natural resources of Ghirdman opened wide opportunities for
developing external commercial links, too. Raw silk, dry fruit, carpet goods