Galayeri is an important archaeological site of the

Chalcolithic The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...

era located in the

Qabala District Qabala District () is one of the 66 Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan, districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north of the country in the Shaki-Zagatala Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Oghuz District, Oghuz ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

. It belongs to the

Leyla-Tepe culture The Leyla-Tepe culture () of the South Caucasus belongs to the Chalcolithic era. It got its name from the site in the Agdam District of modern-day Azerbaijan. Its settlements were distributed on the southern slopes of Central Caucasus, from 3800 u ...

. The site was first investigated in 2012 by archaeologist N. Museibli. The monument takes about 3 hectares, and it is located on a plain at 342 m above sea level. The hill rises to a height of 3 m above the plain. The location is in the area of the Qabala International Airport, about 20 km south from the city of

Qabala Qabala () is a city and the administrative centre of the Qabala District of Azerbaijan. The municipality consists of the city of Gabala and the village of Küsnət, Qabala, Küsnat. Before the city was known as Kutkashen, but after the Republic o ...

(Gabala).10.08.2018
Archaeological excavations held in the ancient settlement of Gabala region.
Azerbaijan National Academy of Science - science.gov.az

Related sites

The archaeological material of the Galayeri settlement is very similar to the finds at the settlements of Beyuk Kesik I, and Poylu II, both located in the

Aghstafa District Aghstafa District () is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. Located in the northwest of the country, it belongs to the Gazakh-Tovuz Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Qazakh, Tovuz, as well as the Kakheti and Kvemo Kartl ...

of Azerbaijan. Especially the ceramics is similar at these sites. All these settlements are located fairly close to each other along the valley of the

Kura Kura may refer to: Places * Kura, Iran (disambiguation) * Kura Island, Azerbaijan * Kura, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Kano State * Kura (South Caucasus river), a river in Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan * Kura (Russia), a river in Ru ...

river.

Soyuqbulaq, Agstafa Soyuqbulaq (also, Soyuq Bulaq) is a village in the Agstafa Rayon of Azerbaijan. It forms part of the municipality of Köçvəlili. In 2006, a French–Azerbaijani team discovered nine kurgans at the cemetery of Soyuqbulaq. They were dated to the ...

, another important ancient site with many

kurgan A kurgan is a type of tumulus (burial mound) constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons, and horses. Originally in use on the Pontic–Caspian steppe, kurgans spread into mu ...

s is also in this area. Galayeri is also closely connected to early civilizations of Near East.Najaf Museyibli
Potter's Marks on Leilatepe Culture Pottery: Eastern Anatolian Chalcolithic Traditions in the Caucasus
. ''Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry'', Vol. 16, No 1, (2016), pp. 283–294 doi 10.5281/zenodo.44772 Structures consisting of clay layers are typical; no mud-brick walls have been detected at Galayeri. Almost all findings have Eastern Anatolian Chalcolithic characteristics. The closest analogues of the Galayeri clay constructions are found at Arslantepe/

Melid Arslantepe, also known as Melid, was an ancient city on the Tohma River, a tributary of the upper Euphrates rising in the Taurus Mountains. It has been identified with the modern archaeological site of Arslantepe near Malatya, Turkey. It was na ...

VII in Temple C. In 2018, during the excavations led by the deputy director of ANAS Institute of Archeology and Ethnography Najaf Museibli, it was established that the thickness of the cultural layer belonging to Leylatepe culture at the site is more than 3 m, indicating a long occupation. Small metal tools finds indicate the production of metal here 6,000 years ago. Also the remains of a very early potter's wheel have been found. Radiocarbon dating indicates that Galayeri settlement goes back to the beginning of the 4th millennium BC, which is also supported by the archaeological artifacts found at the settlement. Several other archaeological sites were also discovered in the area recently. Ceramic items of early

Kura–Araxes culture The Kura–Araxes culture (also named ''Kur–Araz culture, Mtkvari–Araxes culture, Early Transcaucasian culture, Shengavitian culture'') was an archaeological culture that existed from about 4000 BC until about 2000 BC, which has traditionally ...

have been discovered at Galayeri dating back to the early 4th millennium BC (Chalcolithic period). One of these findings is a clay wheel model.Najaf Museibli 2014
THE GRAVE MONUMENTS AND BURIAL CUSTOMS OF THE LEILATEPE CULTURE.
Baku, 2014. 158 pages; p.76

Notes

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Bibliography

* Najaf Museibli 2014
THE GRAVE MONUMENTS AND BURIAL CUSTOMS OF THE LEILATEPE CULTURE.
Baku, 2014. 158 pages Prehistoric Azerbaijan Leyla-Tepe culture Archaeology of the Caucasus Archaeological sites in Azerbaijan Kura-Araxes culture

Related sites

See also

Notes

Bibliography