Ancient settlement and Russian merchant shipwreck
Settlement of Bigah in Absheron: Archaeological explorations along the coast of Azerbaijan have proved that part of the settlement of Bilgah in Absheron is now submerged. Various artefacts, including ceramics, jewellery, domestic items, copperware and faience have been recovered by those underwater explorations. Chinese and Iranian faience found here indicate that between the 16th and 18th centuries there was a great demand in Europe for Chinese faience which encouraged the Iranian ceramicists to produce imitation items, mostly in the cities of Kerman, Kashan, Yazd and Mashad. Chinese celadon dishes have also been found off the coast of Bilgah. At the time, these dishes were well known in Europe to change colour if poison was present in the food.
Amburan headland: In a Russian shipwreck lying at a depth of 9 m archaeologists discovered iron knives and a silver scoop, which was made in Novogorod, north-west Russia, in the 16th-17th century. Novogorod was then a large jewellery centre well known in Western Europe. As for the iron knives they must have been a commercial merchandise, and were made in Vologda, north-east of Moscow, in the 16th-17th century. This shipwreck and its cargo are evidence of the trade between Russia and Azerbaijan in the 16th-17th centuries.
