Archaeological tourism and sustainable management discussed in Baku

An international conference on "Archaeological tourism and sustainable management" has been held in Baku, Azernews reports.

The event was organized by the State Tourism Agency in partnership with the Institute of Archeology and Ateshgah State Historical-Architectural Reserve.

Deputy Chairman of the State Tourism Agency Azadeh Huseynova said that holding an event on this topic for the first time in Azerbaijan is very important from the point of view of both tourism and the promotion of our cultural heritage and history.

Azadeh Huseynova spoke about the scientific researches and archeological excavations carried out in the historical reserves with the support of the State Tourism Agency, as well as rare finds. He expressed his belief that the conference will be one of the important steps taken towards the full realization of Azerbaijan's archeological tourism potential, a useful exchange of ideas on the application of Azerbaijan's heritage monuments in tourism.

Deputy Culture Minister Saadat Yusifova noted that great attention and care is paid to the research of archaeological monuments and material and cultural heritage in Azerbaijan.

She underlined that as a result of extensive archaeological excavations conducted in our country, hundreds of monuments and thousands of material and culture samples related to the ancient history of Azerbaijan were discovered and these samples were preserved.

Chairman of the Management Board of the Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve Shahin Seyidzadeh informed about the new methods used in the protection of ancient monuments and cultural heritage in the historical center of the capital.

"Icherisheher and Gala Reserves, which are considered a rare gem of Azerbaijani architecture and culture, are always at the center of attention of our state. The inclusion of Icherisheher, the most famous example of the Shirvan-Absheron school of architecture, into the UNESCO World Heritage List once again confirms the contribution of the Azerbaijani people to human culture. As an administration, our main goal is to ensure the uniqueness and longevity of historical architectural monuments," said Shahin Seyidzadeh.

Head of the State Service for Cultural Heritage Conservation, Development and Rehabilitation Sabina Hajiyeva informed the guests about the existing archaeological architectural monuments in our country and the work done in the direction of their protection and restoration.

Professor Mehmet Özdo?an of the Faculty of Archeology of Istanbul University emphasized that this international conference will be effective in terms of exchange of experience and knowledge.

Later, a short film dedicated to the archaeological heritage of Azerbaijan was shown.

Chairman of SEBA (Seoul-Baku) Azerbaijan-Korea Cultural Exchange Association Public Union, Doctor of Philosophy in Biology Ruhangiz Heydarova hailed the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and South Korea in all fields.

She drew attention to the implementation of various projects in Azerbaijan and South Korea by the Association, which makes important contributions to the development of cultural relations between the two nations.

The conference aims to study the most advanced practices in the direction of archaeological tourism and to discuss ways of applying them to monuments in Azerbaijan.

About 15 experts from the USA, Great Britain, Italy, Israel, Germany, Turkiye and other countries are participating in the conference.

More than 20 reports will be presented during two days at this conference attended by the leaders of the world's leading archaeological parks and representatives of international organizations such as ICOMOS.

Also, an outdoor exhibition on "Experimental Archeology" will be organized in the territory of the Ateshgah State Historical-Architectural Reserve.

Here, the visitors of the reserve and tourists can watch the Paleolithic tent and observe the various occupations of primitive people, stone, horn, wood, etc., and have a chance to practice the ways of making work tools from materials and obtaining fire.