Precious metals of history
The Fund of Valuable Metal was established in the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan in 1957.
Special Fund
Exhibits prepared from precious metals which are kept in other funds of museum, gained as a result of archaeological excavations, later on casual findings and by selling way of population, were included into there. The fund has been called Special Fund since 2009. 1570 exhibits are preserved there at present. 556 of them concern silver collection, 300-to golden, and 714 of them are included into numismatics collection.
Tap to explore
The building where the National History Museum of Azerbaijan is presently located was the dwelling house for Hadji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev and his family. The palace designed by architect Joseph Goslavsky, Pole by origin (1865-1904) is one of the most beautiful buildings of Baku. He was born in Polish noble family, in Warsaw province. He graduated from the Institute of Petersburg Civil Engineers. J. Goslavsky was sent on an official journey to Baku as an expert in building of Alexander Nevsky Church in 1891. J.Goslavky was the Chief Architect in 1893-1904. He was the author of 12 beautiful buildings as City Parliament, Tagiyev’s mansion and Russian-Muslims Girls’ School and etc.
Holy Quran - the book (XVIII century)National History Museum of Azerbaijan
“Qurani-Karim”, is the manuscript of the XIX century. The surface of the cover made of a deer skin was decorated with botanical ornaments and the pages are golden crafted. The book was placed in the tirma folder.
The pendant was made of a silk baft, and the surface was written with the Arabic alphabet. The rare manuscript copy of Qurani-Karim was handwritten in delicate nastaliq calligraphy, and the pages were engoldened.
Fragment of human (azykhantrop) jaw (350 thousand years B.C) by Gara Ahmadov, 1960National History Museum of Azerbaijan
The jaw fragment was discovered by Mammadali Huseynov, the chief of the Paleolithic expedition of the Institute of History, doctor of history in 1968 from the Azykh cave, located in Fuzuli region of Karabakh, on the fifth horizon of the V layer belonging to the Acheulean period.
According to the researches conducted by anthropologists, the jaw belongs to an 18-20-year-old woman. Only a wisdom tooth out of the three teeth on the jaw belonging to a pre-neanderthal (azykhantrop) was left steady.
Gold brooch (XV century)National History Museum of Azerbaijan
The golden brooch, which was found by the archeologist N.V.Minkevich-Mustafaeva in 1946 in the mausoleum of the Shirvanshahs Palace Complex in Baku, consists of the main part and the needle attached to it.
The jewelry is in the shape of a six-petal flower, and its head is enchased with turquoise, and surroundings with ruby.
Golden necklace (V - III century B.C)National History Museum of Azerbaijan
This piece of jewelry reflecting the high level of professional skills tells about the artistic taste of our people, formation of aesthetic need and rich culture of clothing in the I millennium BC. The necklace contains 30 oblong figures of which the inside is empty.
Each figure is decorated with protuberant horizontal and vertical stripes, and the back side is one-color. The spherical and central parts of the ornaments are pierced to have thread through it.
Pendant (The mid. 19th century)National History Museum of Azerbaijan
The two-sided gold pendant made by Baku masters in the middle of the XIX century – was crafted in the style so-called Qajar culture. The whole surface of the two-sided jewelry of which the centre was decorated with emerald and surroundings with ruby and diamond was covered with polychrome enamel, and its hangers are pearl.
One side was decorated by enameling technique, and the other with precious stones.
Earring “piyalazang” (Late 19th century)National History Museum of Azerbaijan
The gold jewelry contains two goblets of different size and composition of which the whole surfaces were covered with flower patterns made of polychrome enamel. The edges were decorated with gold pendants with small pearls “dust beads”.
Necklace “chain” (The end of the 19th century)National History Museum of Azerbaijan
Necklace “chain” - is a rare example of the rich decoration of the overgarment of an Azerbaijani woman belonging to upper class families in the early XX century. The jewelry “chain” is made up of nine rows of different sized flower, crescent, fish, heart and drop figures.
The center of the large panels was decorated with colored gems, and pendants in drop, tulip and fish figures with additional small pearls so-called “dust beads”.
Golden belt (VI-VII century first half) by July 19, 1960; archaeologist A.A. IessenNational History Museum of Azerbaijan
The jewelry set made of gold brings full idea about the design of men's clothing in the V-VI centuries of our era. Similar decorative items - clip belts - spread from Altai to Europe during the period so-called “Great Migration” in the history, after the Great Hun Empire was destroyed. The belt is a rare example of the jewelry art of the nomadic culture. The gold belt consists of ten pieces of oblong, ten pieces of small-size oval-shape panels, four flower-shape panels, one crumpled panel and a hook.
The panels were decorated with dotted geometric and botanical ornaments. The rear parts are threaded.
Gold headware (I V - V centuries) by October 6, 1967, archaeologist J.A.KhalilovNational History Museum of Azerbaijan
The crown found in a stone box grave in Khinisli village of Shamakhi region is one of the most beautiful examples of polychromic style found in Azerbaijan. An object similar to Khinisli crown belonging to the Hun period was found in Eastern Europe, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and other areas. Three pieces of thin gold plaque were fixed on the rectangular parts made of bronze. There is a knob like a three-petal flower at the top of the central plaque.
The plaques were enclosed with double-layer thin gold wire and decorated with garnets. There are 54 pieces of garnet on the first one, 66 on the second one and 72 on the third one and two emeralds.
Golden belt (Late XIX century-early XX century)National History Museum of Azerbaijan
Gold belt - is a rare example of the rich decoration of the overgarment of an Azerbaijani woman belonging to upper class families in the early XX century. The belt consists of a buckle and 22 plaques.
The surface of each gold plaque was covered with elegant ornaments, domes and gems. The buckle was decorated with an extra bridge and a dagger-shaped plaque.
Golden coin (VIII-IX centuries)National History Museum of Azerbaijan
Gold coin – the coin is money with a certain shape, mass and value made of gold.
The gold coin belongs to the Abbasid state, and was minted in Arran in 170 H.C/786 in the name of the viceroy Hureymah ibn Hazich on behalf of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid (786-809).
Silver tray (III-V centuries)National History Museum of Azerbaijan
The silverware is two-layer: a relief portrait plate was attached to the one-color plate through a ring. A person on a horse hunting an ibex was drawn on the tray and some fragments were engoldened.
Director: Naila Mammadali Valixanly , the full member of ANAS, Ph.D on historical sciences, professor
Telephone: (99412) 493 23 87
e-mail: n.velixanli@rambler.ru
Deputy director on the scientific affairs: Nargiz Agasalim Aliyeva, Ph.D on historical sciences
Telephone: (99412) 598 17 40
e-mail: nargiz.aliyeva@box.az
Deputy director on the affairs of scientific fund-Chief Guide: Mahfuza Hadji Zeynalova, Ph.D on historical sciences
Telephone: (99412) 498 67 14
e-mail: mahfuzazeynalova@yahoo.com
Deputy director on general affairs: Alimammad Hadji Maharramov
Telephone: (99412) 598 48 09
Deputy director on the safety of exposition – chief of the exposition: Habiba Mirpasha Aliyeva
Telephone: (99412) 493 97 43
e-mail: ahebibe@gmail.com
Scientific Secretary: Farhad Jabbarov, Ph.D on historical sciences
Telephone: (99412) 598 17 39
e-mail: farhadcabbarov@mail.ru
You're ready!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.