Baku hosts exhibition dedicated to Erivan Fortress

The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku continues large-scale exposition “Masterpieces of History”, dedicated to the Erivan (now Yerevan) Fortress, which was destroyed in the 1920s. 300 exhibits were brought from the National Museum of Georgia, Zond News reports. Three exposition sections present samples of Azerbaijani art of the Kadzhar era, a collection of art pieces, utensils and paintings from the complex of the Sardar Palace of the Erivan Khan and rare photo documents from the archive of Russian photography's pioneer Dmitry Ermakov (1846–1916) about the Erivan Khanate.

Exhibition presents unique paintings from the Sardar Palace, images of the Kajar Shah, Erivan rulers and heroes of epics, written by Azerbaijani master of ornaments and portraits Mirza Gadim Irevani.

Exposition also presents photographs taked by Ermakov, depicting the destruction of the Erivan fortress, including the Sardar Palace and other buildings - mosques and caravanserais. You can also see surviving plates used in the decoration of the palace and mosque, which were part of the palace complex.

Exposition presents six paintings from the 19th century, written by Mirza Gadim Irevani, who had great influence on the fine arts of Azerbaijan. Paintings remaining from the destroyed palace of the Erivan Khanate depict Shah Kajar, the Irevan governors and heroes of the eastern epics. According to sources, the Sardar Fortress since 1804  was attacked by tsarist Russia and was seized in 1827.

According to Georgian historians, things related to the Erivan khanate and the Sardar Palace were taken to Tiflis after the destruction of the Erivan Fortress. Transfer of these exhibits to the Caucasus Museum in Tbilisi was carried out in the first quarter of the XX century (period of destruction of the Sardar Palace).

In the early years of Soviet rule, the palace was still intact. In 1927, countless tourists flocked to Yerevan to look at the ruins of the fortress. Remains of the palace, which was destroyed in 1918, were destroyed by Armenian authorities along with the Erivan fortress.