Page 8 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

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In ancient times and the first centuries A.D., the
socio-economic and cultural progress of Nakhchivan
accelerated. The international relations of this Azer-
baijani land expanded to cover wider areas. Valuable
archaeological materials belonging to that period
have been found at Aghbulag (Shahbuz district), Ga-
hab (Babak district), Govurgala, Alban-tepe, Akhura
Kultepesi, Pusyan Necropolis (Sharur district), and
at other monuments. Information about Nakhchivan
was cited in the books by Roman and Greek authors
during this period as well. Joseph (1st c. B.C.) and
Claudius Ptolemy (2nd c. B.C.) mentioned Nakh-
chivan in their writings.
In the 3rd century A.D., the Iranian Sassanid State
(224-651) began to strengthen.
Destructive wars for regional dominance broke out
among the Sassanid, Roman, and Byzantine Empires.
This struck a hard blow upon Nakhchivan. Howev-
er, the military-strategic position and its location on
trade routes soon strongly promoted the development
of Nakhchivan.
According to some sources, in the Middle Ages
there were about 30,000 houses and 150,000 people
in Nakhchivan. In certain periods, the headquarters
of the Sassanid merzban (vice-regent) was located
here. The Gilan Mint (Ordubad district), an ancient
Azerbaijani mint, was situated in Nakhchivan. Sassa-
nid coins were minted here with the word “nakhch.”6
The restoration of Azerbaijani statehood during the
weakening of Sassanid power positively affected the
development of Nakhchivan.
The coins of this period (5th -6th centuries), in-
cluding a statuette of the Albanian ruler Javanshir
(638- 680/81) (Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg),
a griffin (Julfa district), the Bilav Castle, and other
extensive archaeological materials found in Damir-
lar, Kharabagilan (Ordubad district), Dalma (Shah-
buz district), and other settlements speak about the
progress of Nakhchivan.
During the period of Arab invasions (7th -8th cen-
turies), Nakhchivan was annexed to the Arab Ca-
liphate7, as were other lands in Azerbaijan. When
occupying the city of Nakhchivan, the Arab warlord
Habib ibn Maslamah signed a special agreement with
the city’s population concerning his obligations8.
The spread of Islamic religion and the expansion
of relations with the countries within the Arab Cali-
phate positively affected the development of Azerbai-
jan, including Nakhchivan. Nevertheless, the people
of Azerbaijan, refusing to accept foreign bondage,
stood up for freedom and struggled against the policy
of Arab annexation. One of the main centers of the
war for freedom, led by Babak (816-837), was Na-
khchivan9. The information about Azerbaijan in gen-
eral, and Nakhchivan in particular, increased in Arab
sources. Al-Belazuri, Ibn Khordadbeh, al-Mugaddasi,
al-Istekhri, al-Bivuni, Yagut Hamavi, and other great
historians and geographers would describe Nakh-
chivan comprehensively. Ashab-ul Kahf Pilgrimage Site. Julfa.
Nakhchivan during Atropatena and Sassanid periods
(4th-7th centuries).
Source: Azərbaycan Respublikası Naxçıvan tarixi atlası.
Bakı, 2010, s. 18
Map 1.