Historical sciences / 4. Ethnography

PhD. postgraduate E.L. Hasanov

Corresponding member of International Academy of Theoretical and Applied Sciences,

Scholar of Ganja branch of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences,

Ganja, Azerbaijan

HISTORIC-ETHNOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH OF LOCAL HANDICRAFT BRANCHES OF GANJA CITY

Carpet – making treatment: The craftsmanship of carpet-making is one of the important cultural achivenments of the Easten people in Azerbaijan production of carpets appeared in the I millennium BC. But carpet –making in the first period of Middle Ages has turned to the independ sphere of craft. In Ganja, that has minimum 4000 years history, production of carpets differed with quickly development. In this ancient city, that is native land of great Azerbaijani poet and thinker Sheikh NizamyGanjevi, were weaved very uncial, inimitable kinds of carpet.In Ganja , that has rich traditions, were prepared carpets with various characteristics . For this reason one of Azerbaijani carpet groups are Ganja carpets or (Ganja –Khazakh carpets).Pay attention ,that in Ganja namely local kinds of carpets –palaz (carpets without of pile) are weaved.These carpets ,that are producing by local inhabitants, are differ with specific handicraft features:

1. Ganja carpets are differ with pile.

2. Thickness indicators of such kind of carpets with comparaturly small number attract attention (25 x30) .

3. Composition is more distinct and simple.

4. Most of ornamental patterns have geometrical features.

5. In coloring carpet samples were used bright colors.

6. Local carpet masters skillfully used buta’smotivellypatterns .

The size of Ganja’s carpets begins from 3 square metres to 10 square metres. There are 2 important carpets groups are exists:

1. Ornamental carpets

2. Carpets with a plot

Majority of local wool products , richness of natural colors and existence professional carpet –making women made for quick development carpet making craftsmanship in Ganja and in its surround territories.

Just only in 1845 year there were producted2969 carpets in Ganja . Among them products of 1784 manats have been exported. Also ,from Ganja province there were exported 23 thousand pood in 1886, 30 thousand 275 pood in 1889, 33 thousand 156 pood in 1893, and 37 thousand 228 pood in 1913 carpets by railway . One part of these qualitative Ganja carpets have been transported with Batumi part top Turkey to Istanbul , and from there to West Europe and North America.

In whole at the beginning of IX- XX century the quality of carpet craftsmen were more than XX thousand. At the result of it during a lot of years were prepared such kind of qualitive carpets as “Kohne Ganja”(“Old Ganja” ), “Phahrali”, “Chiraqli”, “Chayli”, “Samukh”, “Zeyva”, “Sarisi” ,”Shadilli”.

In this period in Ganja were producted as carpet with pile, also carpets without pile .

Such kind of carpets without pile as phalas, kilim, holdall, bead, verni, sumach, heybe,carpet – bag were different with qualities and colored ornamental elements.

Especially we must say , that Ganja carpets have always been valued for its quality and art characteristics. As the result of in IX – XX centuries most of Ganja carpets were showed in world in fluentid exibition.In 1850, 1852 and 1912 years in Tbilisi , in 1896 – in Nijni Novqorod , in 1900 year in Paris , in 1911 year in Turn Ganja carpets were showed and highly in international exibiton.

Nowadays , Ganja’s carpets are kept in authoritative museums of World, and also in collection of different people. The studing of Ganja’s carpets for art characteristics quality frm science point of view is very important for investiqation heritage of world culture.

c) Bone processing .In middle ages in spheres of gentle and applied art , gence of inhabitants of territory ,in agriculture life bone was widely applied .Bone products , raw materials, that found during investigations in and around Ganja , prove , that time bone processing separated from other spheres of craftsmanship. Osteology analysis prove,that most of samples are prepared from the bone of bull, caw, deer among big hord animals and sheep , goat , boar among little hord animals .Only deering investigations in Mingechaurs there were found a lot of samples of combs , aqriculture instruments , art and othet bne things . Such kind of bone samples als were found in monument complexes territory of Injachay and Kerpicli in Goranboy region during excavation . Art samples and dice for playing nard , found in territory Shatal , also attracts our attention . This samples of art make more ancient history of city culture of Azerbaijan and in whole play nard .There were found knife handles , rare geometrical decoratons, samples of pipe and other instruments here.

During excavations there was found bone products ,that used as rasw materials and cutting with pipe. In XI- XIII cebturies this sphere of art was developing mostly . This thought is proved with a lot of bone and horn , found in zone of excavation . This period from bone there were prepared buttons, knifes and etc. Found during archeological excavations and used in wooden treatment and knife , showed that at the beginning of XI – XIII in and around Ganja this sphere of craftsmanship in exist.Bone boards with circucle surface molding decoration decoration were found in Mingechaur,in Khogali barrow № 2 , Sarichoban ,Borsunlu and others. Monument, that including to Borsunlu Complex is finishing with small wheel desk from bone and two omlets ,prepared from teeth of boar . In this period also were prepared such kind of agriculture instruments as wood shovel, rake and etc. But they didn’t reach nowadays.

Masonry and stone treatment: Ganja and its surrounded territory are also rich with different stones. Presentation of white and in mountaine and Aran Karabakh and also lime, travertip and marble building stones in and around Ganja, pure white , a lot of colored aqats , chalsedons , viel , ametist , obsidian , aqats, crystal and other kind of rare colored stones in the river basins of Shahdaq Kecheldaq, and other territories created favourable ground for developing in this ancient country from ancient times stone cutting , stone grind , stone polishing and for building great modern , columned, arched, circuled and four- cornerd buildings here.

Similar with it , but founding stone potter with simple surface in grave courgan № 12 also proves it . Founding such kind of things on Uzerlik tepe also proves our thoughts.

Some at the materials consist of mace stone . They coincidence to height grave borrow № 1 фтв 12 .Mace stone have spherical form. They are similiar with materials in Middle Bronze period. Founded in ruin graves cast –ironed boiler and painted spear with thin breath and length are similar for monuments of that period of Azerbaijan (Kizilveng , Aznabyurd and etc.)

In Complex Borsunlu there are grinding stones with hole for hanging and mace pead , prepared from grey marble in form of pear. Borsunlu mace is differ from all other monument’s mace of Azerbaijan. Maces in form of pear mostly we can see in complexes in the North Iran and South Turkmenistan ,that concern to the second half of second thousand BC.

Among archaeological eguipment there have been found two big boards from stone “camel eyes”.Base –colomns, capitels, that are symbols of irrerlaceable art , part of colomns, different man monuments, masonry art symbols,that have gence , agriculture and religious meaning, especially grave monuments and phalluses , collections of different colored (red, brown , black ,grey and other rare colored) stamps and symbols of decorations , that were found in Azerbaijan during archeological investigations prove it. These rare discovers in and around Ganja are known from the archaeological investigations in ancient cultural, art and trade centers of Azrebaijan,such as Mingachevir ,Barda , Baku, Smamakha , Qabala , Ganja , Shatal, Beylagan, Shabran, Khazakh, Qakh, Quba, Qushchu, Shargah , Torpaggala and other archaeological and architecture complexes. The best samples of monuments, that concern to stone treatment are consists of colomn props , mill and gridding stones . In whole there were founded in and around Ganja a lot og samoles , that concern to X century. They are consist of stone figure, mills and colomn props. But stone eguipment , found in Ganja , Shamkir and Shatal prepared from mill and candlestick. Mill are usually prepared from colvanic , quartz, limestone and basalt. They used for grinding seed , millet , solt and for othet aims.

We meet mostly mill stones , scales and pumice stone in stone treatment. At the same time there were use3d hewed stones for decorating buildings. In this period there were prepared decorations from precious stone.

Different colored stone samples and agreements, that found in monuments of Shamakhi, Barda, Mingechaur, Qakh, Ismayilli, Quba and other regions are the best symbols of art , painting , religion, heroism and art thems of Azerbaijan. Such kind of fleece monuments have been found in village qurzalilar of Goranboy region , in Goygol, Dashkesan and Samich and investigated here. It is interesting, that from the workshop of these monuments have been found instruments of masters and samples of raw-materials. All these aspects show, that inhabitants of Middle Ages in and around Ganja from the ancient period did masonry, gridding and stone treatment. This sphere of art in developed Middle Ages could be in high level .And rare magnificient architectoral monuments in and around Ganja ,that stay till nowadays, prove it.

Manufactory trade, silkworm breeding, saddle-making: In traditional production of cloth manufactory trade historically played an important place. This kind of craft ,that developed on the basis of local raw materials, was tied with cotton-growing economy. Since the time of the early Middle Ages,Ganja as Tabriz , Ordubad have been the main center of Azerbaijan in production of cotton cloth.

In this ancient city printed cotton and calico fabrics have been widely produced. In traditional cloth productions the main place took the urbanmines. In the early 30s of the XIX century in Ganja there were more than 164 people - weaving. The majority of these artists were weaving. In Ganja , which was the most important center of cloth production were produced different kinds of cotton cloth. Only in the 30s of the XIX century in Ganja were presently working 30 cloth bench. During one year this machine were producing 2000 of white cloth , 200 top of red cloth (shile) and nearly 400 benchchalamaya (thin cloth) spoke.

In general, inGanja from textile there were made cotton cloth with simple painting, various kinds decorations . In most cases, in the XIX-XX centuries after coars calico coloured in white colors of, it coloured to different colors.

Silkworm breeding: Traditional textile of art of silk weaving products has a special place in Ganja. In the city formed two main method of silk treatment:

1. Spinning

2. Winding

From the point of view silkworm breeding development and its preparing technology there were two main forms of production: so-called raw silk weaving and felt weaving .In this important technological processes it has such kind of production stages as cocoon openning, silk initial processing ,preparing of raw silk , weaving technology, painting and decoration.

In the ancient Ganja during the stage of the Middle Ages the great progress of silkworm was represented by raw silk weaving. For this reason, on the basis of local traditions production of delicate silk textiles from raw silk .There were made such kind of important samples of art as atlas and kelaqai(silk kerchief).We must pay attention to the moment, that differ from the other silk fabrics , kelaqai was prepared by specialists. But distincly of production of raw silk ,that was city silkworm breedig and was man activity,felt production was woman work.

Saddle-making: In Ganja , that know as the ancient cultural center, the saddle-making handicraft differed from others with rich old traditions. First time preparation of the vehicles was house profession. But afterwards saddle preparation needed of qualified skilled masters ,so a new type of art saddle-making, started to form.

Historically the traditional art of saddle-making in Ganja,developed in direction of cargo and passenger saddle making. The art of saddle-making within the local saddle-types and their components were determined on a specialization.The production of cargo or pack –saddle a rule was engaged by pack-saddle maker. For this reason, in most cases, the profession was called trade of pack-saddle maker.

Afterwards military, economic and transportation significance of hourse was decrease, the demand for goods of saddle-making also was decrease. The reason of primitive saddle-making decreasing was wide sale of cheaper factory products.

Glass production: There is no any source about glass production in and around Ganja.The majority of archaeologists agreed with the idea,that the homeland of glass production is ancient Egypt, but the famous English archaeologist, Egyptologist Petri Flindris thought, that it could be Mesopotamiya or the Caucasus. Taking into account that cobalt, used in glass coloring wasn t in Egypt, the scientists thought that , it could be in the Caucasus , also in Dashkesan.

Samples of glass decorations, of BC, we met in the patterns of Ganjachay, Mingechevir, Xachbulaq and others. In these areas, the first centuries BC were found in samples of the glass plate. The majority of containers and the analysis based on graphical elements of the Roman scholars came to the opinion that the samples of the same scale as the Roman Empire through trade.

There are more than 2000 beads in complex materials. Colored beads have prepared of different types products.Mostly distinguish beads,that prepared from blue green and grey paste. A group of beads made of bone and antimony.

A part of the hanging beads were prepared from cockleshells "Nassagibbosula" and "Suraeva Moneta".According to experts thoughts,such kind of cockleshell,that widely spred in the Indian and Pacific Ocean, also the Eastern Mediterranean region,were put to Azerbaijan with economic relations.

Among the materials of Borsunlu Complex are differ with number of beats in majority and form.

In III-V centuries, the local craftsmen themselves also became to produce a better-designed containers. Among the local clay and glass utensils, that found in and around Ganja ,there were big similarity in the form and also in the decoration.

All the glass dishes, found in and around Ganja are similar with the local clays on decoration of that period. Glass dishes were containing of Iron, cobalt, magnesium and other elements,that were specific elements for Ganja and its surroundings. The development history of this sphere of craftsmanship can be determined only through archaeological research. In general, information about the development of this sphere of were found in 1959-1960 years, glass products in and around Ganja were obtained only at the end of the twentieth century.

Results of archaeological excavations in the territory of Azerbaijan and research show, that in the preparation of glass utensils were two technical methods: casting method and the method of blowing. The first of these methods is more ancient, but in the Early Middle Ages and Middle Ages were used both of them.

Producted glass alloys were transparent colored . By the addition of dusts of various metals in glass alloys people got colored glasses. We can see also to get her with different tinted green glasses also parts of blue, black and pink colored glass dish in sections of IX-X century in Shatal and Ganja . In IX-X centuries appeared dishes, that had handle and spout .

Glassproducts ,obtained in Ganja and Shatal in the IX-X centuries,find their similiarities in in dwelling places of the Middle Ages in Barda, Beylagan, Mingechevir,also in the obtained materials of the neighboring republics of the same period.

Among decorations of that period yellow, white and red beads of round and plain form are met mostly.At the beginning of X-XIII centuries development of production of glass in and around Ganja characterized by improvement from the technology point of view. Archaeological researches show, that outside of the cities in the VIII-IX centuries, also big settlements were established. This is often due to density in cities.

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