Avey Historical and Cultural Reserve: Part 4 Fascinating Damjili cave

Continuation of the first, second and third articles.

The Damjili Cave is yet another jewel of the Avey Historical and Cultural Reserve. Being spacious with an area of about 400 square meters, it received its name thanks to the water that drips from the cracks in its vaults ("damcılatmaq" - Azerbaijani for "to drip".) This natural temple serves as an extraordinary witness to the life of ancient humans.

The Damjili Cave is an important natural and archaeological monument, with transparent water seeping from the rock layers here, breaking through cracks and flowing down as a soft stream. In the silence of the centuries, traces of ancient human settlements have been preserved here, comprising several archaeological layers that belong to different eras: from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic.

The cave has been attracting the attention of the scientific world ever since Soviet times, as one of Azerbaijan’s major archaeological discoveries. In the mid-20th century, archaeologist Mammadali Huseynov was conducting research here and discovered truly unique finds: the remnants of hearths, animal bones, thousands of tools, as well as natural red pigments used by Stone Age people.

Archaeological excavations revealed a variety of artefacts from the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods, as well as items of everyday life from the Middle Ages, making the Damjili Cave a monument of global significance.

In recent years, research has been conducted not only by Azerbaijani specialists but also by scientists from Japan, who made several important discoveries. Around two thousand Neolithic-era tools (dating back to the 8th–3rd millennia BCE) were found in the mountain area. Samples of stone tools, remains of hearths, animal bones, sharp instruments, scrapers, flint flakes, and cores (stone fragments used for the creation of tools) were sent for examination to specialized laboratories in Japan.

At the entrance to the cave, a large hearth of an approximate two-meter diameter was identified. Among the ashes, stone artefacts and animal bones were found, most of which were crushed and charred.

The Damjili Cave remains a popular site among scientists and researchers today, as well as tourists and local residents. For many, it symbolizes antiquity, continuity, and the uninterrupted thread of life, connecting past and present within a single historical space.

On the grounds of the Avey Historical and Cultural Reserve, a centuries-old chronicle is seemingly coming to life, where archaeological and architectural monuments, mobile and immobile cultural heritage objects, intertwine. These witnesses of the past not only preserve historical memory but also reveal the richness of the region’s ethnographic uniqueness. Here, within a single space, different eras coexist with each leaving their distinctive mark behind. Every structure and every find becomes an important source for science, allowing for a deeper understanding of the development of human civilization in the Caucasus.

Thanks to its uniqueness, the reserve serves not only as a scientific center for studying ancient cultures but also as a valuable site in need of special protection and preservation. It remains under the safeguarding of the Ministry of Culture today, which underscores its exceptional importance for historical science and national memory. The Avey Historical and Cultural Reserve is rightfully considered a jewel of Azerbaijan’s cultural heritage — a place where past and present are inseparably connected and where the spiritual strength of our ancestors meets the aspirations of the future. The Avey Reserve is an eternal keeper of the nation’s memory, glory and pride.

By Vahid Shukurov, exclusively for Caliber.Az