National Museum of History of Azerbaijan

National Museum of History of Azerbaijan

Milli Azərbaycan Tarixi Muzeyi
Museum of History of Azerbaijan
Established	1920
Location	H. Z. Taghiyev Street 4, Baku,  Azerbaijan
Type	History museum
Collection size	Archeological, Numismatic, Ethnographic
Director	Naile Velihanly
Public transit access	M 1 Sahil metro station
Website	www.azhistorymuseum.az

National Museum of History of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Milli Azərbaycan Tarixi Muzeyi) is the largest museum in Azerbaijan, located in Baku, in the former mansion of Azerbaijani oil magnate and philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. It was founded in 1920.^[1]

History

The building of the Museum was built in 1893–1902. The Italian Renaissance-style mansion is immense and takes up an entire city block. There are four floors in some parts of the building. It was designed by Polish architect Józef Gosławski.

Adornments made from copper

When the Red Army entered Baku in April 1920, Taghiyev's residence – like that of other wealthy oil barons – was immediately confiscated. Under a resolution of the USSR People's Commissariat, the residence was established as a museum in June 1920, only two months after the Bolsheviks took Baku.

Architecture

Museum's exposition

On the second floor of Taghiyev's residence, side by side there are two major ballrooms. One is based on Oriental designs (Mauritanian) style and the other, on Occidental design. The Oriental Room has enormous plate glass windows, gilded arches, highly ornamental walls, ceilings and chandeliers. The lines in the Occidental Room are more perpendicular to each other – rectangular.

According to photographs that are about 90 years old, one of the most elaborate rooms was Taghiyev's wife's boudoir (private sitting room). All of the movable furniture and paintings in this room have disappeared. Nothing remains today except the ornate mirrored mosaic ceiling. During the Soviet period, four layers of white paint were applied over the highly decorative floral designs on the walls. Still in the main halls of the residence, the original paint has withstood the passage of time incredibly well. The paint was made of finely ground egg shell as was the practice of artists of Byzantine icons. Nearly 100 years later, the original colors with their subtlety and sophistication have neither faded nor chipped.^[2]

Departments

The museum has more than 2000 exhibits and includes the following departments:^[3]

• Modern history department
• Ethnography department
• Department of ancient and medieval history of Azerbaijan
• Scientific excursion department
• Laboratory for restoration of museum exhibits
• Fund of Numismatics: Including the collection of Yevgeni Pakhomov
• Art design group
• Library

Gallery

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Numismatic collection

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  Safavid Abbas I. Silver coin, 1587.
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  Caucasian Albania. Tetradrachm (imitation) with Alexander the Great's portrayal.
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  Shah Ismail Khatai the Safavid. Silver coin, 1507.
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  Safavid Abbas I. Silver coin, 1587.
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  Mazyadid dynasty of Shirvanshahs Muhammad bin Yazid, silver dirham, 1398.
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  Safavids, Shah Abbas II the Safavid, silver coin, 1647.
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  Caucasian Albania. Tetradrachm (imitation) with Alexander the Great's portrayal.
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  Amavid dynasty, silver dirham, Derbent.
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  Karabakh Khanate, Panahabad (Shusha).
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  Karabakh Khanate, Panahabad (Shusha).

References

1. Azerbaijan National Committee of International Council of Museums (ICOM)
2. National History Museum: Taghiyev's Residence Azerbaijan International Magazine
3. Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

External links

• Official website (Azerbaijani) (English)

Coordinates: 40°22′10″N 49°50′24″E / 40.36944°N 49.84000°E