Kurmuk temple. Fascinating journey through the centuries

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

With its fascinating historical sites, Gakh region has much to offer visitors. The region is home to some of the most ancient monuments waiting to be explored.

Kurmuk temple in Gakh region was built on the ruins of an ancient Albanian temple (I-III centuries).

As a result of archaeological excavations in 2006, fragments of ancient buildings were found on the territory of the 19th century temple. Being an Albanian temple of the early Middle Ages, it was restored in various historical periods. It is also believed that there was a Moon Temple on the rocky hill near the Kurmuk Temple. 

The Azerbaijani Culture Ministry has launched a new project aimed at promoting the country's Christian heritage. 

The short video about Kurmuk temple has been released as part of the Culture Ministry's project aimed at promoting the country's Christian heritage. 

Earlier, the Culture Ministry provided insight into Albanian Kish temple in Sheki's Kish village. 

The current building of the temple of Saint Elisha was built in the 10-12th centuries. Some scholars suggest that the church in Kish stands on the same place where St. Elisha founded his own church. That is why the temple in Kish is often referred to as one of the oldest spiritual centers in the Caucasus since St. Elisha was the first patriarch of the Church of Caucasian Albania and an early Christian leader in the Caucasus.

Nowadays, the church is functioning as a museum that is open for all the curious tourists.

For centuries, representatives of all nations and religions have lived peacefully in Azerbaijan, a multicultural and multi-confessional country.

The assessment of the material and cultural heritage, the restoration, and the reconstruction of historical and religious monuments, including churches and synagogues, is an integral part of the policy pursued by the Azerbaijani state in this area.

In 2020, within the project of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Albanian Church of the Holy Virgin Mary in Gabala's Nij village was thoroughly restored. Moreover, the Azerbaijani state restored and handed over for free use of the Armenian Church in Baku. 

With the support of the state, the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian in the Vatican were restored. In addition, the catacombs of Saint Marcellin and Pietro in Rome were restored within the "Bilateral agreement on the restoration of the Roman catacombs" signed between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Holy See.