Historical sciences  / 4. Ethnography

 

Guliyeva Nargiz Melik qizi

 

doctor of historical sciences, professor

Institute of archaeology and ethnography of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Baki, (Azerbaijan)

 

 

Hasanov Elnur Latif oglu

 

post-graduate, scholar

Ganja regional scientific center of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Ganja, (Azerbaijan)

 

 

About development of some basic crafts in Ganja

 

 

Key words: handicraft branches, historic-ethnographical investigation, decorative-applied arts, Ganja, Azerbaijan.

 

 

Ganja has more than 3000 years old and is situated in the Western part of Azerbaijan. Investigation of development of some basic crafts in Ganja is an important scientific problem.

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 opening, 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 differs from the other silk fabrics, kelaqai was prepared by specialists. But distinctly of production of raw silk that was city silkworm breeding and was man activity, felt production was woman work.

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 [8].

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.

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 Flinders thought, that it could be Mesopotamia 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 expert’s thoughts, such kind of cockleshell that widely spared 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 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 was found in 1959-1960 years, glass products in and around Ganja was 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.

Produced 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 .

Glass products, obtained in Ganja and Shatal in the IX-X centuries, find their similarities 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 researchs show, that outside of the cities in the VIII-IX centuries, also big settlements were established. This is often due to density in cities.

Wood treatment and trade of ornamentals. 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 thicker  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 ,found 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, and 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 ornamentals ,that built in  Sheikh Javad  Khan Street, that have 3 century history and  was built in the nineteenth century in building of Sheikh  Nizami Ganjavy’s representatives Sheikhzamanlylars property and, that  was restored in 2011, are  attractive especial attention [4-11].

Pottery and brick production. 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 differing from the pottery samples of the neighboring ethnic in 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

Pottery dishes, that concern to the first stages of Middle Ages of Ganja, are differing 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: Glazed ceramic products and unglazed ceramic products. 

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.

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 [8].

 

References:

 

1. Êóëèåâà Í.Ì., Ãàñàíîâ Ý.Ë. Î ðàçâèòèè õóäîæåñòâåííîé êåðàìèêè â äðåâíåé Ãÿíäæå / Ìàòåðèàëû ìåæäóíàðîäíîé çàî÷íîé íàó÷íî-ïðàêòè÷åñêîé êîíôåðåíöèè - Âîïðîñû îáùåñòâåííûõ íàóê: ñîöèîëîãèÿ, ïîëèòîëîãèÿ, ôèëîñîôèÿ, èñòîðèÿ. Íîâîñèáèðñê: Àïðèîðè, 2011

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5. Guliyeva N.M., Hasanov E.L.  New ethnographic approach to the research of main decorative - applied arts of Ganja of the XIX – XX centuries / International scientific conference - Achievements in science: new views, problems, innovations. Lodz, (Poland) 2012

6. Häsänov E.L. Die Gändschänischen teppiche von XIX – XX Jahrhundert als geschichtliche -  ethnographische quelle / European Science and Technology (Die Europäische Wissenschaft und die Technologien): 2nd International scientific conference. Bildungszentrum Rdk e. V. Wiesbaden, (Germany) 2012

7. Hasanov E.L.  Innovational ethnographic facts on investigation and teaching of some basic decorative - applied arts of Ganja of the XIX - XX centuries / Applied and Fundamental Studies: Proceedings of the 1st International Academic Conference. Saint Louis: Publishing House - Science and Innovation Center, Saint Louis, Missouri (the United States of America), 2012

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