Archaeological context for the study of cult monuments of the era of the Shirvanshahs

The article examines archaeological research at the cult monuments of Islamic culture (mosques, minarets, madrasahs) functioning during the period of the Shirvanshah state. The chronological period of the study covers the 9th to the early 16th centuries. It was during this period that the state of Shirvanshah covered the lands of Azerbaijan from Derbent to the Kura River. The advantageous geostrategic position and tolerant policy largely determined the political orientation of the Shirvanshahs. The confessional policy of the Shirvanshahs was fundamentally different from all other states that existed in the territory of Azerbaijan and therefore represents a special interest for study. No special research has been conducted in this direction. In this study, the author decided to focus on the archaeological examination of mosques, minarets, and madrasahs of the Shirvanshah era. The monuments of the Islamic heritage of the Shir-vanshahs constitute a specific category of the cultural heritage of medieval Azerbaijan. This category of monuments has, for the most part, not been preserved in their original form and has been studied based on written and archaeological materials. The aim of this research was to attempt to highlight the categories of mosques and minarets, their features, and construction according to the traditions of the Shirvan-Absheron architectural school. The author used a comprehensive research method, combining historiographical materials and archaeological excavations. The result of the study is the author's ability, using a functional focus, to identify mosques of the early and late periods, taking into account the chronological range, and to indicate their features. Using data from archaeological excavations, the localization and difference in thickness of the cultural layers of the Juma Mosque of Shamakhy were determined. So, the general chronological period of the mosque covers the 8th to the 17th centuries. According to excavations in Gabala, the stereotype of thinking regarding the location of Juma mosques only within the city limits was defeated. Excavations in Gabala challenged the stereotype that Juma mosques were located only within city limits. The author's statistical analysis indicates the fact that relatively large cathedral and neighborhood mosques were in Baku. Studying the designs of buildings, the author determined that mosques do not have a single planning system. Archaeological studies of the minarets and madrasahs from the era of the Shirvanshahs indicate the preservation of stylistic compositions, classical solutions and adherence to the traditions of the Shirvan-Absheron architectural school. On the whole, the archaeological study of mosques, minarets and madrasahs of the Shirvanshah period identifies the general direction of a unified Islamic culture and at the same time reflects local options that are characteristic only of the monuments of the state under study. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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