Abstract
As a result of archaeological observations in Derbent, carried out in 2020, a Muslim burial ground was discovered, representing a section of the medieval northern city necropolis, located behind the northern city defensive wall. More than 80 sarcophagus-like gravestones were discovered, made of a single stone monolith and consisting of an upper part - a body and a protruding rectangular plinth. They are of three main types: 1 - with a semicircular cross-section of the body (semi-cylindrical), 2 - with a lancet cross-section, 3 - with a rectangular cross-section of the body. There are sarcophagi nos. 1-3, two of which (sarcophagi nos. 1, 2) have figured images on the top of the case - this is an eight-pointed star or a simplified octogram - the famous Muslim symbol rubʿ al-Hizb or najmat al-Quds, associated with one of the main Muslim shrines - the Dome of the Rock (Masjid Qubbat as-Sahra) mosque in Jerusalem, but also known in the literature as the “Selçuklu Yıldızı” (Tur. Selçuklu Yıldızı), which became widespread in the Seljuk Empire in architectural decor and decorative and applied arts art ceramics, metal) in various variations. The length of the body of the identified sarcophagi ranges from 52 to 266 cm with a width of 19 to 68 cm and a height of 13 to 56 cm; the length of the plinth ranges from 68 cm to 288 cm with a width of 40-95 cm and a thickness of 5-10 cm. Obviously, the size of the sarcophagi reflects three age categories of the buried: children, adolescents, and adults. Sarcophagus No. 40 has an epitaph in Arabic in the Kufi script of the 11th-12th centuries.All in situ sarcophagi are oriented to the west and indicate the location of burials beneath them, apparently having the same orientation and made in elongated rectangular stone boxes (cysts).The revealed sarcophagi dating back to the last third of the 11th - 12th centuries. and their appearance in Derbent and Dagestan is associated with the Seljuk military-political and ethnocultural expansion in the Eastern Caucasus.
Highlights
In February-March of 2020 the Derbent archaeological expedition of the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the DFRC of RAS conducted an archaeological supervision as part of measures to ensure the preservation of objects of cultural heritage of federal significance – the “Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent” – on the territory of the Nizami Ganjavi city park, at the construction site of a fountain (Fig. 1, 2)
Gadjiev has summarized the information on these tombstones on the territory of Dagestan, highlighted the historic areas of their concentration (Derbent and its historic districts, Tabasaran, Haidak, Lakz) and justified their connection with the Seljuk military-political and ethno-cultural expansion, with stationing of the Seljuk garrisons in the Eastern Caucasus, with Seljuk’s military territory and religious policies, which contributed to the dissemination and adoption of Islam [42, p. 10-22]
As a result of archaeological supervisions carried out on the territory of the Nizami Ganjavi park in Derbent, we identified a separate section of the medieval city necropolis, numbering over 80 sarcophagus-like tombstones
Summary
In February-March of 2020 the Derbent archaeological expedition of the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the DFRC of RAS conducted an archaeological supervision as part of measures to ensure the preservation of objects of cultural heritage of federal significance – the “Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent” – on the territory of the Nizami Ganjavi city park, at the construction site of a fountain (Fig. 1, 2) This territory is located directly behind the northern city defensive wall of the medieval city, in the area between Towers No 46-50, i.e. outside the medieval Shahristan, at a distance of about 70 m from the defensive wall. With the exception of Sarcophagus No 40, have no inscriptions or epitaphs on them
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