Gabala

This piece is inspired by the ceramic artistry of Gabala. During excavations, earthenware from the 14th to 16th centuries was discovered here. Gabala, an ancient city over 2000 years old, served as the capital of Caucasian Albania for 600 years, a state referenced in 1st-century texts like Pliny the Elder’s ‘Natural History.’ Arab sources later referred to Gabala as Khazar, highlighting its role as an administrative unit within the Khazar Empire. The first tiled roofs and ceramic plate artifacts from ancient times were unearthed in Gabala. In the city’s archaeological layers dating from the 9th to 13th centuries, numerous fireplaces, tandoor bread ovens, wells, and underground water channels made of ceramic pipes were found, along with distinctive glazed ceramic products. This suggests pottery, jewelry, and other art forms, alongside agriculture and horticulture, were integral to the city’s ancient economy.