| Gabala (Qabala, Qebele, Kutkashen, Gutgashen) |
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Located
in an area of tall mountains and deep canyons, near the Garachay and Gochalanchay
rivers, Gabala is notorious for the ruins of an ancient walled city, Chukur
Gabala, dating back to the 4th century BC. Situated south of Mirzabaili,
20km from the modern town, although with an area of 25 hectares, the ruins
of Chukur Gabala were only discovered in 1959. The 2,500 year city is said
to be the old capital of Caucasian
Albania. Today, all that exists, at least on the surface, are two towers
which formed a gateway to the city, some crumbling fortress walls, and
some remains of the towers on the walls; they were every 25m along the
walls.
Since
then a lot of archaeological work has been done, uncovering a wide area
of urban settlement and artefacts evidencing trade links with Europe, Asia
and the middle east. You can still see the remains of five watchtowers
and the walls between them; burial grounds; gates; furnaces; residences;
etc. Nearby is Boyuk Amili, famous for the remains its Albanian
church.
After you visit the site have a look at the History museum (located on the way towards the AzPetrol junction) housing most of the artefacts found in the excavations. Among the findings there is a treasure with coins from ancient Greece, bearing Alexander the Great's image.
The
city has an interesting cultural centre, with beautiful Soviet
mosaics, a large war memorial, numerous ancient stone houses and the
Rashidbek monument, shaped as a huge book. The town centre has a spacious
park with pleasant fountains, not surprisingly named Heydar Aliyev Park.
Nearby you can find the carefully restored mosque, once home to the town's
museum.
To enjoy a good perspective of the city climb the neighbouring Kohmurad mountain, an ancient lookout position controlling the city and the mountains. Oddly enough, the russian military still operate a large radar station in this area, dedicated to satellite and missile tracking.
The
bus
station is on the southern end of town, near the Kutkashenli statue.
In the center of town you can find the Qabala hotel, with a good
view of mount Shahdag - once a squalid place it has now been nicely renovated.
On the southern edge of you can find Gilan Hotel and just north of the
town, on the Laza road, near the Damiraparan river you'll find a rather
basic place to overnight, the Pavilion Xanlan, which rents huts.
Near Vandam you can stay at the Dumya resort.
The
area around Gabala is of great natural beauty. Just west of Vandam you'll
find the Yeddi Gozel Shalala, the Seven Beauties Waterfall. Still
under the sing of water is the Nohur Reservoir with its holiday
resorts. If mountains are your thing then take some time to visit the mountain
villages of Laza and Durja. Another interesting mountain
trip will take you to Qamarvan, passing through Hamzali and
Bum. After Qamarvan you find hot water springs. Be prudent - proximity
to the Dagestani border may bring unpleasant contacts with border guards.
The
local economy is based on the primary sector, with some light industry,
mainly for food preserves, tobacco and silkworm cocoon drying.
(220 km northwest of Baku)
| see also: Ismailly, Sheki, Oguz, Quba, Lahic, maps, history, summary, places, photos |
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