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H@R! : Heritage at Risk |
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A great number of heritage places of ancient architecture and archaeology have been listed within the territory of Azerbaijan. Many architectural monuments disappeared as a consequence of plundering and devastating enemy invasions. The majority of listed monuments that have been abandoned to the destructive effects of nature and were not conserved by anyone, have reached us in a very damaged condition. In the 1930s, systematic work for excavation, stabilisation and recording of architectural monuments was begun and a little later, their restoration.
Some lists were approved by special decrees of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan Republic (No 140 on 2 April 1968 and No 145 on 27 April 1988) which include 6580 historical and cultural monuments. Amongst them there are 3733 monuments of Azerbaijan architecture that are under state protection.
As a result of such decrees, unique monuments that have world-wide historic significance have been listed, such as Gyz Galasy (Maiden Tower), fortress walls and the Shirvanshahs Palace in the centre of Baku; the rectangular and round towers in Mardakyan; Atashgah (the temple of fire-worshippers) in Surakhany; the Yusif ibn Huseyir and Momine-khatun mausoleums in Nakhchivan; the Shaki khan Palace in Shaki and others.
Restoration has involved structures that are extremely varied in purpose, scope and architectural appearance. The main building material was brick and strong limestone which influenced structural features and organic architectural forms. Wood provided boards used in construction which was often used as a structural element (column, beam and so on) and also for doors and windows.
Over the past 45 years, about 150 architectural monuments have been restored. In our Republic, considerable work has been done to study the history of Azerbaijan architecture. The fundamental scientific studies that cover in historical sequence centuries of the development of Azerbaijan architecture are a great assistance in undertaking heritage restoration in our Republic. The leading role in studying the centuries-old development of Azeri architecture is that of scientists at the Institute of Architecture and Art of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, and for archaeological sites – the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences. However, matters regarding the study of heritage conservation have not been paid due attention and systematic research of site restoration has not been carried out.
The eminent architect of the Republic, academic Dr Kamal H Mammadbayov, has begun to develop a research project on training for architectural heritage, summarising positive experiences and improving heritage conservation in our Republic. The goal is to carry out research based on the data obtained from the state and restoration workshop archives to reveal the main trends and rationales in the historical development of the theory and practice of local restoration analyses.
Archaeological studies should forego reconstruction work, also obstacles and structures that do not have current historic and architectural significance may hide earlier layers being of great interest.
A special archaeological project, the "Code of archaeological monuments of Azerbaijan", was established under the leadership of historian, Dr Arif A Abbasov. This began the systematic research of archaeological sites with the special aim of creating an archaeological map of the Republic. This work provided real assistance for the restoration of places of physical and cultural heritage of the Azeri people from the Palaeolithic until the late Middle Ages and also permitted the public use of archaeological sites that are of great interest.
One such site is the settlement of Shabran which was founded in the early Middle Ages and existed as a city until the 16th century. The archaeological excavations revealed the city’s street locations and as well the great number of structures with different functions. At present, Shabran is experiencing the effects of natural erosion and a conservation study is being undertaken.
The most valuable monuments that are abandoned to their fate are gradually being destroyed throughout Azerbaijan. Amongst them are a round temple in Lakit village, a basilica in Êum village in the Gakh district, Buzhana in Nakhchivan, a castle in Shagan village on Absheron, a fortress "Chirag gala" in the Siyazan district, mausoleums in Guba, Barda and Diri-baba in Maraza village of the Shamakha district, minarets in Guba and in Karabaglyar village, bridges of Khudaferin in Nakhchivan, the Lutheran church in Ganja, the Hajdarbay Ashurbayov Mosque and so on.
Let us look closely at one case study of a heritage place from each functional type, with a detailed description of these and other monuments available on request:
- Chirakh-Gala fortress – a 5th-6th centuries architectural monument, it was built from river stones. Its safety margin is 50% as landslides are taking place and tree root systems etc are destroying the monument.
- Mausoleum Diri-Baba – a 15th century architectural heritage place that has been repeatedly restored. However it will be ruined if the soil under the monument is not stabilised.
- The Lutheran church in Ganja – a 19th century architectural heritage place built in the Gothic style; its plaster is in a critical condition.
- Hajdarbay Ashurbayov Mosque – a 20th century architectural monument, the Mosque is built on fill, and there are many subsidence cracks.
- Caravanserai "Lower" – a 19th century architectural heritage place in the area of the city precinct. It is the largest caravanserai in Azerbaijan and nearly 20% of its brickwork is lost.
According to the former USSR (Soviet Union) legislation on the conservation and use of historic and cultural monuments, accepted by Supreme Council, not only individual heritage places were included in the number of monuments but also historic centres, district squares, streets, remainders of ancient planning and building of cities. That is, it deals with the conservation of both historic and natural environments in historic cities. Today, the destruction is taking place of examples of town-planning heritage such as as Icheri-Shahar (inner town) in Baku, Guba, Khinalyg village in the Guba district, Lagich village in the Ismailly district, Shabran settlement in the Davachi district, and so on.
The burial-vault of the bath-house, Shirli khamam in Guba, the mausoleum, Ahsadanbaba in Barda, Gileyli Mosque in Shaki, Mingis Mosque in Ordubad, Jomard Gassab mausoleum in Ganja, the minaret in Guba and many other monuments have now completely disappeared. It is a terrible fact, that the process of destroying heritage places goes on today, for example even within the area of Icheri Sheher which was included in the World Heritage List. At the end of September 1998, UNESCO was sent materials on Icheri Sheher (Inner Town) of Baku as a whole as well as on the Shirvanshahs Palace complex, and the Gyz Galasy (Maiden Tower) in Baku, with the aim of including them in the World Heritage List.
The head of the Department of Architectural Monuments Restoration of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, Dr Gulnara K Mehmandarova, was invited by the Committee of Restoration of Architectural Monuments to carry out the scientific consultation from the Azerbaijan side and also to write and complete the text of these documents. A representative of UNESCO, who came with the mission to Azerbaijan, was also on the on the assignment.
The nomination was based on archival and literature sources, an analysis of the history of the functional setting of Zoroastrian temple-observation at different times, and material prepared on the difficult history of the Gyz Galasy (Maiden Tower) architecture. Based on the requirements of the UNESCO criteria, it is possible to consider the Gyz Galasy as having universal significance as an architectural monument. This work was all carried out without payment, and it was relayed to Dr Mehmandarova that she should report on this information at a World Heritage session in Paris, and also at the same time on the preliminary information on the following cultural heritage that were sent to UNESCO:
- Gobustan reserve
- Atashgah (temple of fire) in Surakhany
- mausoleums in Nahchivan
It is necessary to explain at this point the structural and administrative arrangements in Azerbaijan - as in many countries, scientific centres are usually are attached to universities; in Azerbaijan the basic sciences are concentrated in the Academy of Sciences, which includes a number of individual Institutes. The Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences was established in 1945 and its functions include the concentration of all the Republic’s scientific potential in different disciplines, making favourable conditions to undertake research and to put results into practice.
The Committee of Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments and the Institute affiliated to that Committee have the operational role, but when it is necessary to undertake research projects and make restoration decisions, they draw on specialists from the Department of Architectural Monuments Restoration at the Institute of Architecture and Art of Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences. So it is clear that there was assistance to the Committee for the Restoration of Historic and Cultural Monuments in preparing the material for the nomination of the architectural monuments of Azerbaijan to the World Heritage List, but now that Committee is disbanded and they function as a department of the Ministry of Culture.
Unfortunately up to now, the Institute has not seen any copy of the report, nor has it received a simple oral thank you, nor any documentation from the officials in Azerbaijan who contracted the Institute to undertake this work which took such considerable effort.
At which stage this nomination that was prepared by the Institute is up to, is of interest not only as the author of the text of the nomination, but also because during the last several years, this historic town has become a construction site and that process still continues. As a result, both archaeological and architectural heritage places that were in the area of the historical-architectural reserve nominated to the World Heritage List, as well as listed by the State, according to a number of resolutions by the Azerbaijan Cabinet of Ministers, are destroyed and do not exist in practice. According to article 7 of the Government Resolution of 2 September 1985: Pulling down, moving, changing and destroying of historic and cultural monuments are forbidden.… only allowed with the permission, each time separately, of the Cabinet of Ministers.
In many cases, archaeological sites and architectural monuments form a unified complex and a common management zone is determined for them, establishing within its boundary the means to provide protection and research opportunities. In Icheri Sheher, a visually inappropriate building has also been constructed without taking the archaeological sites of the old city into account. Moreover, developments are frequently allotted new height volumes on the location of archaeological sites or even architectural monuments. There are several examples of heritage places which were located on the main business street that are now lost:
- the demolition of the building belonging to Committee of Restoration, and the site passed to a developer;
- the erection of a building on the site of an exposed Bathhouse of the 14th century (author of the project and responsible for the construction - Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Restoration, Rustam Mukhtarov, now director of a cultural heritage project consultancy group, financed by the World Bank)
- offices built in the immediate proximity of the Ìultani and Bukhara caravanserais (author of the project - Adalyat Mammadov, is an employee of the Institute affiliated to the Committee of Restoration, who last summer visited the UNESCO office in Paris. It is very important to define the degree of his participation in preparing the documentation) and Shirvanshahs Palace;
- the building of a shop above the archaeological excavation near the Gyz Galasy (Maiden Tower) which breaks the planning design of the square (author of the project and responsible for its construction - Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Restoration, Rustam Mukhtarov , now director of a cultural heritage project consultancy group, financed by the World Bank)
- destroying pre-Islamic buildings around the earliest monument of Icheri Sheher - Synykh Gala etc.
However archaeological heritage sites require the most difficult system of protection and presentation and also a greater area of buffer zone. According to the rules, the best form of presentation for archaeological heritage sites is their formation as an open air museum. There are questions:
- How is it possible to organise the protection of archaeological heritage sites under the foundations of buildings or in basements of structures belonging to private persons?
- How is it possible to destroy monuments especially by persons who responsible for their protection?
- How is it possible to implement restoration projects for unique monuments without project documentation?
Answered, it then may be possible to understand the practice of erecting buildings with volumes exceeding the legal height and building size within the limits of buffer zones and management zones, as well as being built directly within the area of the buffer zone. There are many such examples, such as those following:
- A new structure erected on Icheri Sheher’s Market street, directly adjoining the Mekteb Mosque (1301)
- the multi-storey building near the Market Square (17th century)
- the Multani caravanseri (14th century)
- the Bukhara caravanseri (15th century)
- the earliest monument – the Synykh gala (Mosque of Ìahàììad - 1078-1079)
- the Baths of Haji-Gasym (17th century)
- the Shirvanshahs Palace complex (15th century) etc.
New constructions are not regulated as to their function, building techniques as to height, extent and building scale, or as to the character of their landscaping etc. A cause of indignation is the absence of any wish to resolve the problem of heritage buffer zones – areas which should be specially allocated to present their historic and aesthetic heritage significance and appropriate use aimed to ensure the protection of the heritage place and its environment.
A buffer zone has to be established for each architectural monument at the same time as the development of its restoration and adaptation project. A system of zones of protection should include a buffer zone for the heritage place (the area directly surrounding the monument, aimed to ensure the protection of the heritage place and environment nearest to it, its appropriate use and aesthetic appreciation) and a zone of building regulation (the area surrounding the buffer zone of the monument, necessary for the protection or restoration of the character of its historical lay-out, spatial design, originality of architectural form, and to keep the value of the heritage place in its built form or landscape). As it is known, within the limits of the buffer zone, new construction is forbidden, and it is required to pull down later constructions, which distort the protected monuments and prevent their survey.
It was hoped to meet with the members of a UNESCO mission to Baku in the northern spring of 2000 to comment on the properties; unfortunately for unknown reasons this did not occur. However, a lot of time and energy was expended in the last year by ICOMOS Azerbaijan in Baku, given the threats to the restoration and conservation discipline as a whole, and therefore the lack of desire to have contact with the members of the mission may be explained:
- As despite a contract being signed on the execution of the project for the World Heritage List, there was no payment for the report or for the expenses for the use of materials and rented equipment on the part of either the representative of UNESCO in Azerbaijan or the State Committee on Restoration of Monuments, who had the means to finance the project. More correctly, the work was carried out by one person, and the financial compensation was received by others, and also the visit to the headquarters of UNESCO was dropped, being shared by those who no role in the performance of the work.
- By the lack of opportunity of the ICOMOS Azerbaijan member to have discussions without the interpreter (as the only expert in the field of heritage conservation who has English) and that absence of opportunity controlling what could be told about the persons who are guilty of the non-payment to ICOMOS, and the destruction of the architectural and archaeological heritage. It was the ones who at the time and for the same reason tried to prevent the creation of the Azerbaijan national committee of ICOMOS.
However, as a result of the pursuit of personal mercenary goals, architectural heritage has suffered even in the area of the city precinct. It is specially challenging for the protection of such cities as Baku (including the Inner Town), Sheki, Ordubad, Shusha, the Guba architectural plan, types of construction, spatial connections and the sculptured façades, distinguished by their unique singularity and attractiveness.
The necessity of undertaking immediate measures to terminate the destruction process to unique town plans and architectural monuments and archaeology as a whole is especially obvious, when we witnesses the mass demolition of architectural heritage places, new construction on archaeological heritage sites, and the end to living historic town plans.
ICOMOS Azerbaijan