ABOUT RESERVE
The area of the Khinalig cultural landscape is in the northwest of Azerbaijan close to the Russian border at an elevation of nearly 2,200 m from sea level. The village is located on a steep mountain peak with a harsh climate and scarce land and other resources, making it extremely difficult for life. Despite the unfavorable conditions, the people of Khinalig have managed to adapt to the land and use the limited natural resources with prudence.
TERRITORY
To protect the village, the Azerbaijani government declared the area a cultural-historical and ethnographic reserve in 2007.The territory of "Khinalig" State Historical, Architectural, and Ethnographic Reserve covers the village of Khinalig.
Khinalig village is within the administrative district of Quba and 230 km away from the capital Baku. Surrounded by Shahdag range, the mountain landscape is dominant in the village. Khinalig village belongs to Gonagkend Physical Geographical district of the Greater Caucasus mountains, consisting of the north-eastern Main Range (Baş Suayrıcı) and the Side Range (Yan silsilə). The village is surrounded by several depressions and plateaus, such as the Shahduzu depression and Shahdag and Gizilgaya plateaus. The highest mountain peaks close to the village are Bazarduzu (4,466 m), Tufandag (4,191 m), Shahdag (4,243 m), and Gizilgaya (3,726 m).
The village’s territory is rich with cultural and historical monuments, as a result of which the whole Khinalig was included in the list of "Real historical and cultural monuments of world importance" in Azerbaijan in 2001. Also, Khinalig village was included in the list of the World Monuments Fund (WMF - an international organization headquartered in New York City) in 2007.
HISTORY
Historians believe that Khinalig was built before the common era. Information about it can be found in the works of Strabo and Pliny. Evidence has been unearthd dating the first established on the territory of Khinalig to the Early Bronze Age (late 4th millennium BC). An ancient settlement called "Zangar (Khinalig)" was discovered during archeological excavations, as well as a Middle Bronze Age burial mound 500 metres to the east of it. Numerous amulets, arrowheads, and various ornaments made of bronze have been found at this sites.
Regarding the village’s name, there are several versions. According to one, it’s believed to have been called Khinalig because the mountains surrounding the village seemed to be painted with henna (‘khina’ in Azerbaijani ) when the sun rose.
ABOUT RESERVE
“Khinalig” State Historical-Architectural and Ethnographic Reserve was established by the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated December 19, 2007 No. 2563.
The “Khinalig” State Historical-Architectural and Ethnographic Reserve under the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, includes historical houses, cultural, architectural, archeological, ethnographic, numismatic, and other monuments of culture and tourism.
The main activities of the Khinalig State Historical, Architectural, and Ethnographic Reserve are to enforce state control over the reserve, to ensure the protection and inviolability of historical and cultural monuments, as well as the development of the reserve, and to preserve the natural landscape.
According to the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On approval of the division of real estate historical and cultural monuments that are taken under the state protection in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan", Khinalig village is protected by the state as a monument of world importance.
POPULATION
The village is inhabited by a minority ethnic group speaking a unique language – Khinalug. Despite the unfavourable conditions, the resilient people of Khinalig, who number about 1,350, have managed to adapt to the land and use its limited natural resources with prudence.
UNIQUE LANGUAGE
The Khinalig people comprise a distinct ethnic group who live in Khinalig village and several other parts of Quba region. This small group is believed to be descendants of the Caucasian Albanians, namely one of the 26 Caucasian Albanian tribes mentioned in ancient sources. They called themselves Kattid (kətdid), “our own people”, and their village "Kətiş". The people's exact origin and language still pose many questions to ethnographers and linguists.
One of the unique factors of Khinalig is that their language doesn’t sound like any other language in the world and only Khinalig people speak this language.
This language is one of the main elements of the self-identity of these people and is widely spoken in the village.
CLIMATE
The village sits astride a steep mountain peak in an area where the climate is harsh and the land is bare, making life difficult. In winter, the weather is cold and dry, and during the coldest spells the temperature can reach as low as -25 degrees Celsius. High mountain areas (>2,700 m) are characterized by upland cold desert climate, while in lower territories (1,500-2,700 m) cold winter climate with abundant precipitation is dominant.
The annual temperature is 6°C, and the yearly precipitation is 575 mm in Khinalig. The maximal daily precipitation is 56 mm. Most of the rain falls in spring, summer, and autumn. The midsummer and winter months are relatively dry. In winter, precipitation falls and accumulates mainly in the form of snow. Melting of snow begins in mid-March, increasing the water in the mountain streams. Floods are common during warm seasons. Intensive foraging can be accompanied by rain, increasing the peak and duration of floods.
NATURE
Several rivers flow near the village of Khinalig: Gudyalchay, Khinaligchay (also called Deyirmanchay), and Michek. The first two are abundant, while the latter dries up in summer. All rivers are fed by snow and rainwater and partly by groundwater. There are more than ten caves in the area around the village.
There is a forested area not far from the village of Khinalig at an altitude of 2300 meters. A relict of the forested regions in this subalpine zone is a rare phenomenon. This forested area is called Muqoz, and it is considered sacred by the Khinalig population. Mainly composed of Betula pendula trees, the origin of this forest relict has not been studied well. The local people protect this small forest. Also, felling trees here is taboo for the community members.
Wildlife near the village of Khinalig is rich, consisting of many valuable species. East Caucasian tur (Capra cylindricornis), Caucasian chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra subsp. caucasica), Bezoar ibex (Capra aegagrus aegagrus), mountain goat (Capra aegagrus hircus), lynx (Lynx), brown bear (Ursus arctos), wild boar (Susscrofa), as well as different types of falcons and eagles, who live in this area are protected by the state.
The Khinalig people also have certain spiritual beliefs regarding some animals and birds that inhabit these areas. The locals are respectful towards nature in which taking and giving back is balanced in a way that is always sustainable. Various taboos on hunting certain animals (like Caucasian snowcocks) and felling trees, which are rare in that altitude, are interesting phenomena developed throughout centuries to protect the surrounding nature through beliefs.
ARCHITECTURE
One of the attractive features of Khinalig Village is its houses, which are constructed of mountain slopes, whose steep terrain is reflected in the unique design of the interior and exterior of the houses. The lack of large plots of land means that they are constructed in a terraced fashion and close together, as if they are a continuation of each other, the roof of one house is like a balcony of another house.
This practice has resulted in the organic placement of the housing. The harmonious interrelation between the village and the surrounding environment can be noticed in other instances: harsh mountain climate, limited area for construction, and constant strong winds have led to houses being built closer or often even adjacent to one another. Khinalig has a specific terrace-like structure where the roof of one house also functions as a courtyard of another.
Densely built housing in Khinalig is characterized by the lack of household plots, and where there are household plots, they are usually very tiny in size. The first thing that strikes a new visitor in Khinalig is its barren view—there are no gardens, no boundary walls or fences, and no gates in the village. The village is made of only houses and flat roofs that function as courtyards and streets simultaneously. Another historical reason for this densely built urban structure is the defense and protection from the enemy.
Since there is limited public space in Khinalig, every village corner is used as a common space. When you use your neighbor’s roof as your yard, you must look after it as your neighbor must look after your roof as it's their yard. This phenomenon has led to forming special social norms characteristic to the mountain people.
KÖÇ YOLU – THE NOMADIC LIFESTYLE
The culture of semi-nomadic pastoralism in Azerbaijan retains its historical importance to this day. Having historically practised transhumance, every year when the season changes thousands of Khinalig families still roam between the mountainous and lowland Aran regions of Azerbaijan along the so-called ‘Köç yolu’ seasonal migration route. The ‘Köç yolu’ passes through seven of Azerbaijan's nine climatic zones and rapidly changing landscapes.
The process of movement, which happens twice a year in spring and autumn, lasts around two weeks each time. Shepherds move their livestock between ‘yaylaqs’ – highland summer pastures close to their ancestral village, and ‘qishlaqs’ – lowland winter pastures in central Azerbaijan. The people of Khinalig spend only four months in the village and the pastures around it.
Overall, around 10,000 people from several villages and 300,000 sheep move along this 200km long transhumance route passing through five administrative districts. The territory of the Köç Yolu route is state-owned and crosses five administrative districts – Quba, Shamakhi, Gobustan, Absheron, and Hajigabul. The width of the path varies depending on the geographical features and can expand as wide as several hundred meters in some places and shrink down to about 50 meters in others.
Many other transhumant people join the Khinalig people on this route. Besides being the main
pathway used by the transhumant people of Azerbaijan (previously of Iran and Russia too), 'Köç Yolu' also bears great significance in the cultural, social, and economic lives of these people as an essential artery of the transmission of knowledge, values, social norms, as well as material goods. These people are bearers of the intangible cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, transmitting the customs and traditions of the semi-nomadic culture from generation to generation. Similarly, Khinalig is a symbol of the rich cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, as well as the world in general.
However, under the pressures of globalization and modernization, these traditions are increasingly being lost. Despite this, the semi-nomadic way of life in Azerbaijan continues to thrive and preserve its social, economic, and cultural value.
Thanks to all these factors, Khinalig and the “Köç yolu” is a national value which has the potential of being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List .
