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Member of expedition Gudrat Ismayilzadeh: â€œNo need to worry about Armeniansâ€™ carrying out excavations in Azikh caveâ€ â€“ INTERVIEW

Member of expedition Gudrat Ismayilzadeh: â€œNo need to worry about Armeniansâ€™ carrying out excavations in Azikh caveâ€ â€“ <font color=red>INTERVIEW </font>

21 November 2008 10:24 (UTC +04:00)

â€œAzikh can only be compared with Olduvai Gorge, the most ancient settlement in the worldâ€

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva â€“ APA. Gudrat Ismayilzadeh, doctor of historical science, head of â€œArcheology and ethnographyâ€ department of the faculty of history of Baku State University, member of the expedition, who carried out excavations in Azikh cave in the 60s of the past century, interviewed by APA.

-How was Azikh cave found?

-No monument dating back to the Stone Age had been found in Azerbaijan by the 50s of the past century. According to some views, settlement began in the territory of Azerbaijan late. According to the program prepared by the National Academy of Sciences in the 50s, issue was raised to study the period. How could it be that there was no monument dating back to the Stone Age, while the following ages had such rich monuments? There was a need for a man, who would be eager to do it. This man was young researcher Mammadali Huseynov. He started to work with great confidence and found Damcili, Dashsalahli caves in the western region in the early 50s. But those caves also dated back to the following periods of the Stone Age. Damjili and Dashsalahli caves inspired confidence that more ancient periods would be found out. In connection with this we visited the south-eastern foot of the Small Caucasus in 1960. Azikh cave was also studied during the visit. Geologists wrote about the existence of that cave. It lies in Hadrut region of Nagorno Karabakh, 14-17km of Fuzuli region, in Tugh village, under thick rocks in 200m higher than Guruchay. Archeological excavations began in Azikh in 1960. The first excavations gave results dating back to the most ancient period of the Stone Age, the Lower Paleolithic period. Azikh cave dates back to the 1.5 million year. The results of the excavations proved that people lived in the territory of Azerbaijan at least 1.5 million years ago. Alongside with various stone tools, fossilized bones of over 30 kinds of animals were also found in Azikh cave. After Azikh was discovered archeologically, foreign scientists began to come to Azerbaijan.

-There are a lot of ancient settlements in the world. Which is Azikh caveâ€™s place among them?

-Such questions appeared after Azikh cave was studied. Olduvai Gorge is considered the most ancient settlement dating back to the Stone Age in the world. Azikh can only be compared with it. Mammadali Huseynoveven determined archeological culture dating back to the Stone Age â€“ Guruchay culture. Guruchay was the first layer of our cultural heritage.

- What does the word Azikh mean?

-Mammadali Huseynov researched the meaning of this word for a long time. There is a village called Azikh in Karabakh. Mammadali Huseynov found out that in the language of ancient Turks Azikh meant â€œshelter of bearsâ€. It was plausible, because bears used that cave most. Later bear bones were found in the cave, and it proved that the version was true. There were scratches on the bear skull. It was considered the examples of culture of primitive man. Bear skulls were hidden in certain places of the cave. It seems that it was connected with the faith of the primitive man.

-When was the jaw of Azikh human â€“ Azikhantrop found?

-It was summer in 1968. There were some disputes whether it was the humanâ€™s jaw or animalâ€™s. I conducted archeological researches in Gara Kopek area near Azikh cave in that time. In the morning Mammadali Huseynov came to me and said that he was leaving for Baku. He said they found something what he guessed that was a humanâ€™s jaw. He showed the jaw to paleontologist Damir Hajiyev of the Academy of Sciences. Damir Hajiyev specified is as a humanâ€™s jaw, which was one of the most ancient human remains in the world dated to 250 thousands years before.

-According to some reports that Armenians tried to gain over the expedition members and to misappropriate the monument. Is it true?

-Armenians showed interest to the monument after its finding. Even scientists came here from Yerevan to look at the monument. There was 2-meter stone salaktit in Azikh cave topped by ice as a result of water dropping thousands of years. Mammadali Huseynov was romantic man. He wrote â€œthere is a bride dressing like Karabakh ladyâ€. The winds created deep hollows in the caveâ€™s walls like honeycomb. Armenians published an article in the Russian â€œPrirodaâ€ (â€œThe Natureâ€) magazine describing the cave as an Armenian monument and the â€œice monumentâ€ as an Armenian woman. They were lying as if Armenians used the cave for special fighting bees and during the enemyâ€™s attacks released the bees in special baskets. They use such primitive lies.

-Where are discoveries found in Azikh?

-All discoveries are in the Azerbaijani museums. Nothing remained in Azikh. The jaw is saved in the gold reserves of Azerbaijan Museum of History.

-Armenians are conducting excavations in Azikh. According to some reports, they are using the cave as an armament depotâ€¦

-I am not afraid of it, because Azikh values were known in the scientific world long ago. Azikh is known as an Azerbaijani monument all over the world. Let Armenians to excavate there for hundred times, they cannot change the fact that Azerbaijanis are one of the most ancient nations in the world. Do not concern over it. Azikh found its place in the worldâ€™s archeological literature. Azikh is a land of Azerbaijan. After this discovery other monuments of the Stone Age were also found. Boring camps in Nakhchivan, Buzeli cave, Zar cave in Kalbajarâ€¦The biggest value of Azikh is that all phases of the Stone Age were discovered there. Azikh is the book, which didnâ€™t lose any page.

-Mammadali Huseynov introduced Azikh to the world. Does it seem to you that such great scientist did not receive his deserved appreciation, doesnâ€™t it?

-Mammadali Huseynov suffered from kidney cancer. After his death his family was living in hard condition. We asked to give him a title of honorary scientific figure in 1993, but didnâ€™t receive any respond. Even they didnâ€™t allow to bury him in the Alley of Honor and he was buried in Yasamal cemetery. They promised to build his monument, but did not do that. Even sometimes they misappropriated the Mammadali Huseynovâ€™s works.