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[THE EXPEDITION OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE SURVEY AND STUDY OF AZERBAIJAN TO ARMENIAN ZANGEZUR] Poyezdka v Zangezur i Nakh.kray [i.e. A Trip to Zangezur and Nakhchivan Krai]

Alekperov, A.

Item #2188

Baku: Izdaniye obshchestva obsledovaniya i izucheniya Azerbaydzhana, 1927. 8 pp., 5 ill.: 4 ill. 25,4x17,8 cm.

In original publisher’s printed wrappers. The binging and corners of the pages throughout neatly restored, soiling of the wrappers, but otherwise in a good condition.
Extremely rare. 1 of 100 copies. Text in Russian. An excerpt from the Izvestiya Obshchestva Obsledovaniya i Izucheniya Azerbaydzhana [i.e. News of the Society for the Survey and Study of Azerbaijan], #4 of 1927. Neither the Russian, Azerbaijan, nor Armenian National Libraries hold the edition. The text was intended for a specialized audience, possibly members of the Society and researchers in the field.

A report from the summer expedition to Zangezur (Armenian SSR) and Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan SSR), written by Soviet archaeologist and ethnographer Alesker Alekperov (1895–1938) in 1927. A key organizer and active participant in numerous expeditions to Transcaucasia, Alekperov’s career was tragically cut short when he fell victim to Stalin’s purges in late 1937.
The expedition, organized by the Society for Survey and Study of Azerbaijan in 1926, was likely driven by a desire to assert Azerbaijan’s historical connection to Zangezur and Nakhchivan. In 1920, after a two-year Armenian-Azerbaijani war over the contested territories, Nakhchivan was established as an autonomous Soviet republic under Azerbaijani control, while Zangezur was divided between the two countries.
Alesker Alekperov departed Baku on September 10, when the Society’s expedition to Ordubad was delayed in Kyzil-Vank, and it was decided he would undertake the mission. The goal was to verify the presence of cuneiform inscriptions in Zangezur and Nakhchivan. Traveling on horseback through Karabakh and Kurdistan, Alekperov reached Gerusi in Zangezur, then headed east to Vagady and descended to Urut. He crossed the Gedyk Pass into Nakhchivan, stopping in Aravsa, before continuing through Khanaga and several mountain villages (Shurut, Bist, Tivi, Paraga, Chenabab, and Danagird), finally arriving in Ordubad on September 20.
In the report, the author details his journey, describing cave dwellings in Gerusi, Mount Ishigly-Dag, a rock near the village of Urut, and the Ailmdja-Kalu cemetery. He gives special attention to Vagady, “almost destroyed by the events of 1919-1920,” and recounts his stay, the gender equality in Zangezur, and a local wedding where “each guest brings a chicken.” Near the close, Alekperov describes burial fields in Nakhchivan, between Aravsa and Milakh, and in Nagidari, while also providing information on previously discovered ceramic artifacts. The text includes four black-and-white illustrations of local sights and five photographs from the expedition, showing “Types of Zangezur Turkic women,” “Ruins of the fortress Alija Kala,” “Ruins of the palace Shakhtaty,” and “Ruins of the city of Kharaba-Gelyan.”
Overall, a report from the summer expedition to Zangezur and Nakhchivan organized by the Society for Survey and Study of Azerbaijan shortly after the end of the Armenian-Azerbaijani war.
No copies found in Worldcat.

Price: $450.00