Architectural Legacy Of Caucasian Albania

The architecture of Caucasian Albania is one of the least explored spheres of the history of architecture in Azerbaijan. In spite of the fact that some aspects of the problem found their parallel in the works published over the past decades, the Azerbaijan science is still deficient in a research to create an integral historical- architectural picture of the epoch. A constituent part of the problem is a research into the Christian cult architecture, this most numerous and valuable component of Albanian's architectural heritage. The cult architecture is the incarnation of the best spatial-composition ideas, most advanced constructive approaches, highest professional skill of Albanian architects and craftsmen. This book provides information about modern appearance, constructive peculiarities and decorative features, architectural- planning composition of the buildings in the territory of former Caucasian Albania, including drawings and photo fixation, collected by author during numerous trips to the historical towns of the country.

By consequence of the Karabakh War in 2020 and due to Azerbaijanian revisionism concerning the history, culture and cultural monuments of the region, the discussion on Caucasian "Albania", which is little known in the West in both academic and public circles, has been reignited. The handbook provides an overview of the current state of research on the Caucasian "Albanians" in an objective, scientifically sound manner. The contributions are not necessarily intended to reveal new scientific findings but rather to summarise approved knowledge. The volume brings together internationally renowned scholars, researchers and practitioners from various fields of studies reporting on and reviewing the state of research concerning the Caucasian "Albanians", their history and archaeology, their language and written monuments, their religion, church history and their art, including their relation to the Udi people of today. The companion is intended to neutrally introduce the readership to the subject of Caucasian Albania from various perspectives.

The book describes the history of the medieval architecture of the Caucasian Albania-Azerbaijan. The picture of the origin, development and prosperity of Albanian architecture, an integral part of the culture of the Azerbaijani people, is created on the basis of the full-scale surveys and historical sources of information.

This is the first multidisciplinary volume whose focus is on the barely accessible highlands between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and their invaluable artistic heritage. Numerous ancient and mediaeval monuments of Artsakh/Karabagh and Nakhichevan find themselves in the crucible of a strife involving mutually exclusive national accounts. They are gravely endangered today by the politics of cultural destruction endorsed by the modern State of Azerbaijan. This volume contains seventeen contributions by renowned scholars from eight nations, rare photographic documentation and a detailed inventory of all the monuments discussed. Part 1 explores the historical geography of these lands and their architecture. Part 2 analyses the development of Azerbaijani nationalism against the background of the centuries-long geopolitical contest between Russia and Turkey. Part 3 documents the loss of monuments and examines their destruction in the light of international law governing the protection of cultural heritage.

This book discusses the celebrated church of the Holy Cross of Ałt‘amar founded by King Gagik of Vaspurakan and built in the tenth century. It analyzes this church from multiple perspectives, such as the contemporary intellectual climate, biblical exegesis, historiography, royal ideology, patronage of relics, medieval architecture and art.

Bevor Tirana 1920 Hauptstadt wurde, waren etwa Shkodra und Korça kulturelle Brennpunkte. Typische Balkanarchitektur findet man in Berat - der Stadt der tausend Fenster - oder in Gjirokastra und Ohrid. Vielerorts stößt man auf Akropolen, byzantinische Kirchen, osmanische Brücken, Moscheen, Bazare. Auch venezianische, französische und italienische Architektureinflüsse sind ablesbar. Seit 1990 befindet sich Albanien in einem rasanten Urbanisierungsprozess. Während dieser zunächst ungesteuert verlief, versucht man nun, mit rationaler Stadtentwicklung den öffentlichen Raum zurückzugewinnen. Das Beispiel des Alt-Bürgermeisters von Tirana, Edi Rama, die Plattenbauten ganzer Straßenzüge aus der kommunistischen Zeit (1944-1990) bunt zu übermalen, hat im Land Schule gemacht.

As the Soviet Union entered its death throes, the self-determination of the nations within its republics became an issue over which people were prepared to die. When Azerbaijan declared its independence, the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabagh followed suit. Before long, pogrom and war were the order of the day, resulting in thousands of Armenian and Azeri casualties. This book examines the history of Mountainous Karabagh, the ancient Artsakh of the Armenians, and assesses the mass of archaeological material and documentary evidence supporting the conflicting Azeri and Armenian claims. The authors follow the populations of the area from antiquity through periods of Mongol, Turkmen and Persian occupation, on to Turkey's and Russia's entry onto the scene, the period of Bolshevik rule, perestroika and, finally, the war with Azerbaikjan. This book highlights the Armenian culture of the enclave, traces Karabagh's demographic evolution and situates the current hostilities in terms of the interests of neighbouring Russia, Iran and Turkey. The picture that emerges of a clash of nationalistic passions and of Russian economic, military and diplomatic calculation is a signpost for future conflicts on both sides of the Caucasus. The assertion of Armenian and Azeri identity and culture remain at the heart of this tragedy. This book helps us to understand why the Armenians feel so strongly that Artsakh is theirs and is worth dying for.

"Rich and illuminating." Literary Review A landscape of high mountains and narrow valleys stretching from the Black to the Caspian Seas, the Caucasus region has been home to human populations for nearly 2 million years. In this richly illustrated 2-volume series, historian and explorer Christoph Baumer tells the story of the region's history through to the present day. It is a story of encounters between many different peoples, from Scythians, Turkic and Mongol peoples of the East to Greeks and Romans from the West, from Indo-European tribes from the West as well as the East, and to Arabs and Iranians from the South. It is a story of rival claims by Empires and nations and of how the region has become home to more than 50 languages that can be heard within its borders to this very day. This first volume charts the period from the emergence of the earliest human populations in the region – the first known human populations outside Africa - to the Seljuk conquests of 1050CE. Along the way the book charts the development of Neolithic, Iron and Bronze Age cultures, the first recognizable Caucasian state and the arrival of a succession of the great transnational Empires, from the Greeks, the Romans and the Armenian to competing Christian and Muslim conquerors. The History of the Caucasus: Volume 1 also includes more than 200 full colour images and maps bringing the changing cultures of these lands vividly to life.