Content
1. Mosque of Nizami Ganjavi 2. Sheikh Bahauddin`s Ensemble 3. Juma Mosque 4. Chokak – bathhouse 5. Caravanserai 6. Old fortress 7. The Ancient Ganja`s gates 8. Mosque of the Imam-zadeh 9. Javadhan's Tomb 10. Ancient hill fort of Ganja 11. Nizami Ganjavi 12. Mekhseti Ganjavi 13. Javad Khan 14. Fatali Khan Khoysky
Pre-reading task
1) What are some of the famous cities in Azerbaijan and in the world? 2) What do you know about Ganja? 3) Have you any information about Nizami Ganjavi? 4) What is the connection between Ganja city and Nizaimi Ganjavi?
Mosque of Nizami Ganjavi – XX centure.
Ganja is the birthplace of the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi. Nizami Ganjavi made an invaluable contribution to the history of Azerbaijani literature as well as to that of the whole world. Nizami Ganjavi was born in Ganja in the year 1141. He was one of the most educated people of his time. His most popular literature called “Hamsa" (FIVE), made him really famous around the world. Hamsa is a combination of five poems, reflecting not only the high skill of the poet's pen, but also his ethical and philosophical views. Most of Nizami Ganjavi’s writings are devoted to love. His other world-famous works are the poems "Khosrov and Shirin", "Leyli and Majnun", and "Iskender-name".
The Tomb of Nizami was a place of pilgrimage for many centuries. Iskander Bek Munshi, a storyteller at the Safavid court, first made mention of the tomb, recorded in historical chronicles. In the chronicle, it was written that at the end of February 1606, Shah Abbas I arrived in Ganja and settled near the mausoleum of Sheikh Nizami, where on March 24 he celebrated the Novruz holiday.
Vocabulary
Some keywords to remember: birthpace, invaluable, world-famous, century, chronicle, mausoleum, pilgrimage, devotees, homage, granite, facets, grandeur
Today, the mausoleum of Nizami Ganjavi is a place of pilgrimage and devotees go there to pay homage to the poet. The Mosque of Nizami Ganjavi is a mausoleum, which was built in 1991 on the alleged grave of poet Nizami Ganjavi. It is located at the entrance to the city from the southwest side, where Nizami lived his whole life and died. The mausoleum is a modern monumental structure of a cylindrical form made of red granite, carved in the manner of semicircular facets. The entrance of the mausoleum is at the bottom, which seems just tiny on the background of the grandeur of the whole building. The name of this great poet is carved in gold right above the entrance.
Post reading tasks
1. How did Nizami Ganjavi get world renown? 2. What are some of the literature works of Nizami Ganjavi? 3. The first mention of Nizami Ganjavi tomb was mentioned by who and where? 4. Where is the mausoleum of Nizami Ganjavi located? Sheikh Bahauddin`s Ensemble
The main Ganja historical ensemble is the historical and architectural complex created by Sheikh Bahauddin, which includes Juma mosque (Shah Abbas mosque), Chekyak- Hamam (medieval bathhouse) and caravanserai.
Pre-reading task
1. What do you know about Mosques? 2. Could you say the names of the Mosques located in your city? 3. Can you describe the main features of a famous Mosque that you know?
Juma Mosque – XII centure.
The Juma mosque was built in the XII century (1606), during the reign of Shah Abbas. The mosque is today named after the Shah. This is a real pride of Ganja. The Mosque, which is over four hundred years old, was built according to the project of the architect, astronomer and vazir to Shah Abbas - Sheikh Bahauddin, a direct descendant of greatest poet Nizami Ganjavi.
The mosque, which was built from red bricks, represents a squat, but wide building. It consists of a prayer hall divided into two halves (for men and women) with a large screen, and small adjoining rooms. The windows of the mosque are decorated with patterned lattices -shebeke. In front of the massive gates of the mosque, is the spread of the market square. The roof of the mosque is a huge metal dome, 17 meters in diameter. There is a madrasah in the courtyard of the mosque, which was built at the same time with the mosque. (It was destroyed during the Soviet regime).
Vocabulary
Some keywords to remember: Architect, Astronmer, descedant, adjoin, decorate, pattern, massive, courtyard, restore, modify, shadow, disappear, absolute, accuracy
From the middle of the mosque, it seems as if the building is "crowned" with two tall minarets, towers used for observation of the neighborhood. The minarets were restored and slightly modified in the XIX century; however, their original design was preserved to keep the originality.
It is known that Sheikh Bahauddin was an excellent astronomer. He applied his knowledge of astronomy in the construction of the mosque. It is said that at noon, the shadows that fell on the western wall of the building disappeared. This indicated to the faithful that it was the time of midday prayer (namaz). Until now, the people of Ganja still check for the disappearing shadow to tell time, and the accuracy has remained absolute. Both the mosque and madrasah are restored and functioning to these day. Post reading tasks
1. When was the mosque built? 2. Who was Sheikh Bahauddin? 3. With are the windows of the mosque decorated with? 4. What happened when at noon the shadows on the western walls disappeared?
Chokak –Hamam 12 century
Pre-reading task.
Look at the text`s picture, brainstorm and try to say what the text is about.
1. What do you think the structure represent? 2. In your opinion, what could be going on in a building like this? 3. Have you ever seen a bathhouse? Why do people use these bathhouses?
Sheikh Bahauddin built a Chokak - Hamam- next to the Juma mosque. The word “hamam” is translated as “bathhouse”. The Chokak bathhouse consists of two open halls. One of the halls, the big, has a pool and a fountain in the center, intended for resting. The small hall is for having a bath.
The bath has two large and five small domes, which are built from red brick. On the top of the large domes are the half-domes, which serves as a fan, from which the ventilation pipes dispersed through the space inside the walls. It's hot in winter and cool in summer.
Vocabulary
Some keywords to remember: bathhouse, consist, fountain, intend, domes, ventilation, disperse, basement, steam boliers, acquire, monument, protection
The bathhouse was heated with firewood. In the basement there were two steam boilers. Steam was fed into the halls along ceramic pipes, which again passed through the walls and the floor of the bath. Steam evenly circulated and heated the whole room. This unique system of the four hundred year old bathhouse worked perfectly until 1963.
Despite after many centuries past, the bath remained very popular among the local people. The feeling that you are washing yourself in a bath, where Shah Abbas spent his time, gave the bathing experience a special and emotional sensation.
Since 2002, Chokak - hamam has acquired the status of a cultural monument of international importance and it is under the protection of UNESCO.
Post –reading tasks.
1. How many halls are there in the bathhouse? 2. How was the bathhouse heated? 3. When has Chokak-hamam acquired the status of a cultural monument? 4. When was Chokak-bathhouse built?
Ancient Landmarks of Ganja
Pre-reading task
Find flashcards of the pictures representing the various important structures in Ganja.
Caravanserai
Ganja caravanserai is for the third time reconstructed in the ensemble of Sheikh Bahauddin. Today the building of the medieval caravanserai plays the role of the Temple of Knowledge. At the end of the 20th century, the Ganja Humanitarian College is conveniently located here. The building of the caravanserai is a two-storey building, which includes fifteen halls and fifty-four rooms. There is also the museum of the poet Meskheti Ganjavi in this building.
Vocabulary
Some keywords to remember: medieval, temple, humanitarian, concenient, two-storey, outskirts, majestic, entire
Old fortress
On the outskirts of the city you can see the remains of the once majestic Ganja fortress. Now there are only shapeless boulders from it. The fortress wall ran along the entire bank of Ganja-chai (Ganja river). Water that serves as a guard when approaching the fortress has over many years smoothed out the brittle walls, and the building quickly fell into decay. Once there were two powerful towers at a distance of about 600 meters from each other. The gates of the fortress used to be the famous gates of Ganja.
Post-reading task.
Answer the questions:
1. What can we see on the outskirts of the Ganja city? 2. How many powerful towers were there?
The Ancient Ganja gates
Pre-reading task.
What do you think this pictures represents? In your own words, describe a similar structure that you have seen or have knowledge of.
In 1063, the blacksmith Ibrahim Ibn Osman, by the order of the ruler of the Sheddad dynasty, made the famous gates of Ganja. It was a masterpiece of craft art of that time. The gates were made of cast iron and it was decorated from the outside with ornaments and patterns. Among the ornament on the "Kufi" were the name of the master and the date of its construction.
Vocabulary
Some keywords to remember: blacksmith, dynasty, materpeice, ornaments, patterns, construction, capture, tropphy, inhabitant, survive
Class Activity: Can you find the synonyms of these words lister above?
In 1139, the Georgian king Demetre I took advantage of an earthquake that destroyed the city nearly to the ground, attacked Ganja and captured the gates as a trophy. The gates that weighed several tons were carried on the back of the remaining Ganja inhabitants that survived the earthquake.
Only one part of the gate remains today. It is mounted into the wall of the Kelatin Monastery - opposite the grave of the Georgian King - David IV.
Post-reading tasks.
1. What is the name of the blacksmith who crafted the famous gates of Ganja? 2. With what were the gates decorated from the outside? 3. Who is King Demetre I? 4. When did King Demetre I attack Ganja city and why? 5. What was a trophy for the Geogian king Demetre I? 6. How many parts of the gates have survived until today and where can it be found?
Match the parts and make up sentences according to the text: a) The gates made 1. of the Sheddad dynasty b) It is mounted into 2. of cast iron and they were decorated from the outside c) By the order of the ruler 3. the wall of the Kelatin Monastery
Mosque of the Imam - zadeh - XIV century Pre-reading task. Students identify the picture of the Imam-Zadeh from several pictures shown on the whiteboard through the projector.
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One of the main sights of Ganja city, passed down to us from centuries ago, is the mausoleum of Sheikh Ibrahim, erected on the burial site of the son of Imam Mohammed Bagir, who died in the VI century. The mausoleum is also known by the names: "Gey- Imam", which came from the blue color of its dome, and "Imam-Zadeh" - the traditional name of the mausoleums. The descendants of the Prophet Ali (literally "the sons of the prophet") are buried here.
The Mausoleum of the Imam-zadeh is a Muslim shrine and it annually receives crowds of pilgrims. In the complex of the mausoleum there is a cemetery, small mosques, a caravanserai and other structures. A brick wall later enclosed all of these. The ancient cemetery is the only place in Azerbaijan where one can find the most monuments with portraits.
As already mentioned, the most beautiful sight in the whole ensemble is the dome of the mausoleum, which is lined with bright blue tiles. A dark blue stamped drawing stands conspicuous on the blue lining of the mausoleum. The height of the dome is 2.7 meters. The diameter is 4.4 meters. The height of the mausoleum is 12 meters.
Despite the fact that the mausoleum was restored in the XIX century, it looks very old and because of this it makes this monument attractive to tourists, because it preserves the spirit of the deep antiquity. The local municipalities protect the architectural complex of the monument and the mosque is still in use.
Vocabulary
Some keywords to remember: burial, traditional, decendants, prophet, literally, shrine, bright, height, conspicious, restore, antiquity, courtyard, adhere
Class Activity: Can you identify the adjectives from the list of words above?
Javadhan's Tomb – XX century.
Just recently, a tomb was erected on the territory of the historical ensemble, in the courtyard of the mosque, on the site of the grave of the fearless ruler of Ganja – Javadkhan. He was killed on January 3, 1804 while protecting Ganja from foreign invaders.
In the 90s of the last century the remains of Javadhan was moved from the ancient city cemetery to the new resting place.
The construction of the tomb started in 2004 and lasted for several months. In erecting the structure, the builders had to adhere to the requirements of the medieval architecture school. The monument was opened to the public in 2005 and has since occupied a worthy place among other monuments of the XVII century.
Post-reading tasks.
1. When did the son of Imam Mohammed Bagir die? 2. What is the traditional name of the Mosque? 3. What is the most beautiful thing in the whole ensemble? 4. What is the height of the Mausoleum? 5. When was the Mausoleum last restored? 6. What happened on January 3, 1804? 7. How long did the construction of the Javadhan’s tomb last?
Ancient hill fort of Ganja
Pre-reading task.
What some of the important capitals of the world? How well do you know the cardinal points? Do you know any countries that have changed their capital? List them. What do you know about the formal capital city of Azerbaijan?
The ancient hill fort of Ganja is located 7-10 kilometres to the northeast of modern Ganja. Only within the fortified walls its territory is 250 hectares, but all territory of hill fort is more than 810 hectares in space size.
The buildings inside the fortress were tightly attached to each other and were separated by narrow, crooked streets. Since the 30s of the last century excavations have been carried out on the settlement, discovering several cultural layers. Several of the sensational finds reflecting the life and economic life of the city: the ceramic water pipes, the coins of the 10th -11th centuries, glassware, earthenware, ceramics, copper, iron.
Vocabulary
Some keywords to remember: capital, cardinal, fortified, territory, hillfort, fortress, crooked, excavations, settlement, discovery, reflect, ceramic, glassware, copper
Class Activity: Do you know where some of the elements are found in Azerbaijan?
Also the ruins of whole residential quarters with evidence of brick houses have been found there as well. There are discoveries of tandirs, the ancient lamps like kerosene, and ceramics products with images of animals and ornamentation from Arabic inscriptions in this settlement. Some of the fascinations that support historical facts are the clay statues of animals, which is very rare in the culture of Muslim countries. All of these findings are displayed in large Azerbaijani museums.
Answer the questions:
1. Where is the ancient hill fort located? 2. What is the actual space size of the hill fort territory? 3. What were some of the findings during the excavation of the site? 4. Most of the findings could be dated back to what century? 5. Where can we see all of the findings from fortress?
Nizami Ganjavi Pre-reading task. List the famous poets and writers of the 21st century that you know. Now compare them with some of the historical figures. How many do you know write in same or identical themes, or genres. Discus -What do you know about Nizami Ganjavi?
Abu Mohammed Ilyas ibn Yusuf, known under the pseudonym Nizami Ganjavi is a classic writer of Persian poetry, one of the greatest poets of the medieval East. Nizami Ganjavi is the, the largest poet-romanticist in Persian epic literature, which introduced Persian epic poetry into colloquial speech infusing a realistic style.
Using themes from traditional oral folk art and written historical chronicles, Nizami united pre-Islamic and Islamic Iran with his poems. Nizami's heroic and romantic poetry continued to influence the entire world and inspired young poets, writers and playwrights who tried to imitate him. This is seen in writings of many following his generation, not only in Persia, but throughout the region, including modern cultures of such countries as Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Georgia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and this has continued for many centuries after his demise.
Vocabulary
Some keywords to remember: figures, identical, genre, theme, pseudonym, folk, colloquial, infuse, influence, explore, immense
Class Activity: Practice story writing with guided steps on using correct tenses (past and present), also explain -title, introduction, paragraphs, examples, and conlusion.
Nizami Ganjavi works influenced such great poets as Hafiz Shirazi, Jalaladdin Rumi and Saadi. His five masnavi (great poems) ("Khamsa") reveal and explore a variety of topics from various fields of knowledge and have gained immense fame, as indicated by the large number of surviving lists of his works. The heroes of his poems - Khosrov and Shirin, Leyli and Majnun, Iskander - still remain well known both throughout the Islamic world and in other countries.
1991 was declared by UNESCO as the year of Nizami in honour of the 850th anniversary of the poet.
Post-reading tasks.
1. Who is Abu Mohammed Ilyas Ibn Yusuf? 2. What kind of themes did Nizami use in his poems? 3. How is the five famous poems of Nizami Ganjavi called? 4. Can you write the names of the most famous heroes of Nizami Ganjavi poems? 5. Which year did UNESCO declare as the year of Nizami?
Mekhseti Ganjavi - XII century.
Pre-reading task. Try to identify some of the women that made history in the world. How many Azerbaijani women will you include in the list? Are Azerbaijani women are given adequate recognition? Give reasons for your answer.
Mekhseti Ganjavi is a Persian poet of the 12th century. She is a bright representative of the Islamic Renaissance, glorifying in her poems images of the inhabitants of the quarter of urban artisans, poets, and singers. Little is known about her life. Even the question of whether she was a historical personality is debatable.
Presumably she was born in the year 1097 or 1098, which is derived from the fact that in the main source by which her works are known, dastan "Amir Ahmed and Mehseti" she claims that she is twenty years old, and the time of writing her poems can be dated to a specific time in history.
Mekhseti Ganjavi was born in the city of Ganja in Arran, where she received her formal education and was well versed in Eastern literature and music. In the literary collection “dastan”, written by an anonymous author, it is asserted that she became known as a poet at a young age, and took part in poetry meetings at the court of the ruler of Ganja, Sultan Muhammad. It is assumed that then she lived in Balkh, Merv, Nishapur and Herat, after which she returned to Ganja at adulthood. Vocabulary
Some keywords to remember: renaissance, inhabitants, artisans, debatable, presumable, specific, anonymous, assume
Class Activity: Create an avatar of how a medieval woman would look like.
Most of the works of Mehseti Ganjavi are not preserved. What was left was collected from various books and scrolls belonging to the 13th-17th centuries, mainly from the dastan "Amir Ahmed and Mehseti". At present, two hundred and fifty-seven rubais and about thirty poetic fragments have been published. The constant writing theme in the works of Mehseti Ganjavi is on matters of love.
Post-reading tasks.
1. Use the questions below to write how much do you know about Mekhseti Ganjavi`s life? Write in few sentences. 2. When and where was she born? 3. What is the name of the famous dastan of Mekhseti Ganjavi? 4. How many rubais have been published?
Javad Khan - XIV century.
Pre-reading task.
Group discussion: In groups, students will list some of the eastern khans that they know. Later they will compare their list, and then together elaborate on what made these khans special and how effective were their rule.
Javad Khan (Javad Khan ibn Shahverdi Khan Ziyadoglu Qajar) was the last ruler of the Ganja Khanate (1786-1804).
Javad Khan was born in 1748 in the city of Ganja to the family of Ganja khan Shahverdi Khan Ziyad oglu Qajar. He was the only boy in the family. His father, Shahverdi Khan has got three daughters as well: Sheref Jahan begim - Khurshid Begim, Tuti Begim and Heiransa khanum. In 1786, the reign of the Ganja Khanate was transferred to Javad Khan.
Vocabulary
Some keywords to remember: transfer, unprecedented, handcraft, industry, gather, restore, sibling
Class Activity: Ask students to retell some of the classic Azerbaijani short stories
The reign of Javad Khan marked the unprecedented rise of Ganja. Cultures, trade links and handicraft industries developed. Also new mosques, caravan-sarais were built, while old architectural structures were restored. Scientists, writers and poets gathered frequently at the court of Javad Khan. The court poet was the famous Azerbaijani writer Mohsun Nasiri, the author of "Tuti-nime", the Azerbaijani version of a famous ancient Indian fairy tale. The court writer of the khan was Kerbalai Sadykh, the father of the famous Azerbaijani poet Mirza Shafi Vazeh.
Post-reading task.
Answer the questions:
1. Who is the last ruler of the Ganja Khanate? 2. When and where was Javad Khan born? 3. Was Javad Khan the only child in the family? List the other siblings? 4. What do we know about those that gather at the court of this ruler?
Fatali Khan Khoysky.
Pre-reading task. Class discussion and research: find and read about several famous politicians of Azerbaijan Republic
Fatali Khan Iskender oglu Khoysky is Azerbaijani politician and Russian lawyer, a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Empire of the II convocation. He also served as the Commissioner of the Public Education under the Transcaucasia Commissariat (1917- 1918), and Minister of Justice of the Transcaucasia Democratic Federative Republic (1918). After the proclamation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, he rose to the position of the first Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior (1918-1919), he also acted in the capacity of the Minister of War, the Minister of Justice (1918) and the Minister of Foreign Affairs (1918-1919 and 1919-1920) of the first Republic. Fatali Khan Khoysky was born on November 25 (although there are conflicting records that shows December 7) in 1875 in the town of Nukha to the family of the Colonel of the Life Guards Cossack Regiment, Iskender Khan Khoysky and Shababani Khanum Haji Moll Zeynal kizi. He is a descendant of Khoy and Sheki khans.
Vocabulary
Some keywords to remember: politician, convocation, proclamation, capacity, regiment, decendant, confession, struggle, prominent
According to the confession, Fatali Khan Khoysky belonged to the Shiite Muslims. At his birth, the College of Shiite Teaching performed the necessary prayers required on him.
Fatali Khan Khoysky could speak Russian and Azerbaijani languages, although he struggled with some difficulties, in Azerbaijani language. Records have shown that some relatives of F. Khoysky occupied prominent state and administrative posts during the first Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
Fatali Khan Khoysky had three children: one daughter, Tamara (1902-1990), and two sons, Murad (1910-1973) and Enver (1914-1935).
Post-reading tasks.
1. Who is Fatali Khan Iskender oglu Khoysky? 2. When and where was born this famous political leader? 3. What language did he struggle with? 4. How many children did Fatali Khan Koysky have? Name them.