Page 10 - DIVA_No.24_2006

differs from all medieval Baku their settlement. The
facilities
majority of the researchers
of
defensive
Absheron. Its architectural suppose that Atashgah is a
features are much more simi- Zoroastrian temple.
lar to some specific archaic
constructions and for this rea- Any architecture starts with
son many other specialists dwelling erecting and the
consider it to be a temple of Garabagh architecture is not
seven gods of the pre- exclusion. But only here the
Zoroastrian period. Seid remains of first human-built
Yahya Bakuvi in his chroni- dwellings had lasted until
cles confirms that after our days. Over 600 millen-
acceptance of Islam in niums had passed since
Azerbaijan, the Maidens these dwellings had been
Tower continued to be used constructed in the Azikh Philarmonic Hall of Baku
as an observatory for watch- cave. Ancient inhabitants of
ing over celestial heavenly Azikh were not satisfied impressive among them are chamber music.
objects. with the cave's natural facil- monastery complexes of
ities for living, and tried to Cicernavak (in Lachin Hajibeyov was also the
Center of the modem Baku is improve their living condi- district), Khotavank and founder of the genre of musi-
(Kalbajar
cal comedy in Azerbaijan. He
the famous Ichari Shahar - tions inside it. The so-called Qandzasar
large medieval fortress with "qaradam" was the basic district). splendidly captured the way of
high-power walls, which dwelling type for the life of the 19th century
enclose constructed in differ- Qarabagh population since Music Azerbaijan in his musical
ent centuries palaces, towers, ancient times up to the mid- comedies such as "Husband
mosques, caravanserais, bath dle of 20th century. Most Azerbaijanis have a long and and Wife", "If Not This One,
houses and residences. often the name is translated robust musical heritage from Then That One" ("Mashadi
Narrow, endlessly turning as "a black (smoked) the wandering minstrels Ibad") and "Arshin Mal Alan"
aside broken streets come in house". Many remarkable "ashugs" who traveled from (Cloth Peddler), which
as mysterious labyrinth of an architectural monuments village to village singing and became immortal classics of
Oriental City from fairy tales can be seen in Qarabagh. playing the saz and the tar, the Azerbaijani music. "Arshin
of "The 1001 Nights". At the So, there are numerous con- national music instruments, Mal Alan" achieved world-
highest point of the fortified structions from the to the modern-day jazz wide fame, was translated into
city is the Shirvanshahs' medieval Barda and artists. Azerbaijanis and many languages and staged in
Palace. Aghdam, such as the mau- music seem, indeed, to be theaters in London, Paris,
soleum built in 1322, and inextricably tied. Berlin, New York, Moscow,
On the Absheron Peninsula the Imamzade Mosque. In St. Petersburg, Istanbul,
there were many Temples of the northeast part of Shusha Azerbaijan prides itself with Warsaw, Sofia, Tehran, Cairo
Fire as well. From their vari- there is a Palace of having produced the first and Beijing.
ety we notice the well-pre- Qarabagh Khans where the opera in the Muslim Orient-
served temple Atashgah ('the unique technique of win- "Leyli and Majnun" in 1908 Hajibeyov wrote his promi-
Fire Place") in Surakhani, dows "shabaka" (made of by the great Azerbaijani and nent opera "Koroghlu' based
founded in the end of 18th intricate pieces of wood fit- world famous composer on an Azerbaijani heroic epic
century by the fire-worship- ting together without the Uzeyir Hajibeyov who of 16th century. As in all his
pers-people from Northern use of nails). Shusha had originates from Garabagh. works, Hajibeyov widely
India who had established in also many mosques, includ- He was 22 at the time and relied upon Azerbaijani folk
ing the mosque of admits that he really didn't music when composing his
Govhar-agha - one of have the formal preparation opera.
the daughters of the to tackle an opera-music and
khan. It had been libretto. Nevertheless, it was Hajibeyov has also signifi-
erected in 1760-1768, Hajibeyov who opened the cantly contributed to the
in the center of the first page of Azerbaijan's development of modem musi-
town and now is a national opera history and cal education in Azerbaijan.
symbol of Shusha. It is classical music in general. He founded the first music
a very beautiful archi- He set the tone and direction school in Azerbaijan, which
tectural construction of many works that fol- later served as a basis for cre-
with two well-propor- lowed. Hajibeyov was a ating the Azerbaijan State
tioned minarets, cov- genius, who synthesized ori- Conservatory (now Academy).
ered with patterns of ental traditional elements He also carried out significant
colored tiled bricks. (melody, mode and instru- research on Azerbaijani folk
Several music and along with other
Albanian
ments) with western style
chapels of 5th-8th cen- and genre, specifically famous Azerbaijani composer
turies still remain opera, which was followed Muslim Magomayev pub-
today in the mountains later on by other composers lished the first collection of
of Qarabagh. The most who wrote works of sym- national folk songs.
phonic, ballet, concerto and
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