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

 

TYPICAL FEATURES OF SOME TRADITIONAL CRAFT KINDS OF GANJA

 

 

 

As in many places, production of wool, cotton  and silk in and around Ganja made  necessary emergence and development of weaving. Becoming weaving one of the  ancient spheres of  crafts in and around Ganja was connected with the rich raw material base here . Presence of useful plant species for textile, including  cotton, high level development of wool area of agriculture- sheep and goat breeding,camel breeding, horse breeding,presence of cotton cropping in  Middle Ages and finally, regular expansion of silkworm breeding in this area created a foundation for growth of weaving here. In addition, during the research work in  Mingachevir,Kazakh, Shamakhi, Sargah ,Pirsaat River Basin monuments there have been  found whole and parts of weaving loom anddifferent sizes of clay and  bone samples, that consist to weaving .

Moisey  Kalankatly notes , that, along the banks of the Kura River ... there are a large amount of silk (mulberry tree) ...  and cotton. Arab author who lived in the X century Al-Istaxri gives big information about, that in Barda in  ownerless gardens were cultivated  mulberry leaves and silkworm ,then mulberry silk sent to  Farsistanand Khusistan for sale. His contemporary and fellow townsman Ibn  Hovqal gives information about  preparation of silk clothing from them.. Also, Al-Istaxri   provides detailed information about cutting of textile in Derbend.

The art of Textile materials,that concern to weaving craft,consists of   spindle  heads and needles. The remnants of dying  from the Shamkir, Ganja,Shatal and Khunan proves development of dying here. Plant remains have been widely used in dying.

Wood treatment and trade of ornamentalist: In the territory of Azerbaijan  the oldest samples of wood treatment were found in the territory of ancient Ganja.Around Ganja area – in the region of  Lake  Goy- gol  in the IV-III millennium BC have been discovered  wooden thicher  board, also wooden  sugar bowl, that concern to  the end of the II millennium BC, found in  Mingechevir pitcher grave  are  material evidences of science thoughts .

Along with the works  and notes of medieval authors and travelers,a lot of material samples ,founnd in the territory of ancient Ganja ,also  found in Mingachevir and concern to Middle Ages trough,  ladle, wooden threshing board,shows that  in Ganja wood treatment and sculptor art  have  a rich tradition.

Wood treatment  products historically have been represented in various fields of social and cultural life in Ganja:

1. Kitchen appliances: trough, quadruped, rolling-pin, mortar and pestle, ladle, spoon, trough.

2. Transport means: sleigh, car, ski.

3. Weaving tools: comb, face.

4. Household tools: harrow, wooden plow,threshing board, spade, wooden  shouvel, pitchfork, rake.

5. Musical instruments: saz, ud, tar, chamahcha, tambourine, drum.

  Along with the mosque Cuma (Shah Abbash),that constructed in 1606,local samples of trade ornamentalist ,that built in  Sheikh Javad  Khan Street,that have 3 century history and  was built in the nineteenth century in building of Sheikh  Nizamy Gancavy’s (1141-1209) representatives Sheikhzamanlylars property and, that  was restored in 2011, are  attractive especial attention.

Metal treatment: (coppersmith, blacksmith, arm craft,  goldsmith, currier,  hatting, felting, cobbling)

History and art of Azerbaijan people as rich and  colorful as its nature. On decorations of this descriptive art are reflected  spiritual world, living style, customs and traditions of our nation.These pearls of art on material preparing and processing techniques are divided into different kinds. Among these types of craft metal treatment is  mostly  developed and  has  ancient history. Abundance of local raw materials created favorable conditions for development of metal  treatment from ancient times.  In general , in the third millennium BC there was  high culture of  the Bronze Age in our country ,and  in the first millennium transition period from Bronze Age to Iron Age began . In that period in Azerbaijan   there were appeared  several branches of metallurgy treatment.  Jewelries, daggers, arms, copper products and other samples  of art  have  been treated  so refined, that in  nowadays they are protected as very valuable exibits in famous museums in such cities , as  Paris, London, Brussels, Istanbul, Tehran and other cities.

 Works of art, made from metal, for their content and   their form  are divided into two major groups:

1) products of art;

2) household goods.

 Household equipment, works of art, aqriculture instruments, that made by Ganja crafts ,  have been executed  into two  main  technical methods:

1) Casting

2) Forging

 Made of precious metals gold and silver jewellries , that prepared by Ganja masters ,  are divided into 4 qroups  for wearing and putting :

1) Neck jewelries  - it is included such kind of jewelries, that gold piece coin, imperial, cardamon or barley,” iyirmibeshlik”( 25 ), medallions ,” bogazaltı”(woman jewelries in ribbon form ), bracelets, different kinds of beads and etc.

2) Jewelries for arms and fingers – this group includes bracelets, bangles and   rings with  various precious stones as  (turquoise, rubies, pearls and  etc.).

3) Head jewelries – skull-cap and others.

4) Jewelries for clothers .

In   the first half of the XVIII-XIX centuries, as well as in other parts of Azerbaijan, in  Ganja household objects , forging weapons and jewelries , that  made from metal were   decorated with 6 technical way.

1. Tattooing.

2.”Basma “ (Pushing)

3.”Karasavad”

4. Ornament 

5. ‘Khatemkarliq”

6. Minering.

Pottery and brick production

Ancient and antique period: The formation of  pottery on the territory of  ancient Ganja is concern to the stages  of    ancient history .  Basis on research works, carried out by the various  persons in XIX century and   experts-archeologists  at the beginning of XX century  in old ruins of the city and surrounding areas, there were found different samples of pottery.

First of all, there have been discovered ,that initial ceramic production in  Ganja and its surrounding regions are belong to  the VIII-VII millennium BC . From the history point of view, these ancient clay vessels, belonging to the Neolithic stage, are differ from the pottery samples of the neighboring ethnic in a number characteristics. These differences are seen in preparing technology, also in the area of ​​external surface decoration.

From the construction point of view, samples of pottery ,that concern to Antique period, also to the period of Hellenism  in Ganja ,differed in various forms: 

1.Pictorial vases

2. Ceramic figures

3. Connected dishes

Early Middle Ages:  Pottery dishes, that concern to the first stages of Middle Ages of Ganja, are differ from the ceramic samples of Antique period in two features:

1) on shape.

2) for  preparing techniques.

 Potter's products of the Early  Middle Ages of Ganja and its regions for their technical characteristic are divided into 2 major groups:

I.                       Glazed ceramic products. 

II.   Unglazed ceramic products 

  The main types of samples of ancient clay toys in Ganja regions  are the  follows:

 1.Rattle.

2.Zoomorf figures.

3. Toy dishes.

The End of Middle Ages and New Period. In this historical period in Ganja and its regions ceramic has following kinds:

1.Building ceramic materials

2.Unglazed ceramic products

3.Glazed ceramic products   

Construction  ceramics:  For Middle Ages and  New period among pottery products of Ganja ceramic samples  ​as  clay construction materials have  great importance. First of all, glazed bricks, that used in construction of most  buildings in the XVII-XVIII centuries, and also in great monuments, and the main construction material- air-dried bricks,  attracted  attention. During this period, using of baked brick has been widen and  their standard sizes were as follows:

25 x 24 x 5 cm;

25 x 25 x 5 cm.

In addition to the found samples in residential areas as a result of archaeological excavations, also were found a lot of brick spoilages. According to such kind mass finding of brick spoilages, we can make the conclusion, that  the bricks used in construction of buildings in Ganja, were wares of local production.

 

 

 

 

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