Qala Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum Complex

The Gala State Historical Ethnographic Reserve is a complex of museums in Baku, Azerbaijan. Inside there are three different types of museums: Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography (open-air), Castle Museum (partly open-air), and the Museum of Antiques. The museum is 1.5 ha in area and has rock paintings, pottery, household items, jewelry, weapons and coins belong to the ancient times of Azerbaijan. In this museum, there are more than 2,000 different archaeological and architectural monuments – mounds, seats of ancient settlements, burial places dating back to thousands of years ago. As a result of archaeological excavations, it is feasible to get the picture of the lifestyle of the Azerbaijani people from ancient times to the Middle Ages. It is a 30-minute drive from the city center to here. We spend 90 minutes at least here and then heading to Carpet Museum situated 30 minutes far away from the Gala Reserve.

Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum

After witnessing the alive weaving process of Absheron carpets in the Gala Reserve, we will visit the Carpet Museum where all carpet weaving art samples of Azerbaijan from the Middle Ages to the present are exhibited. The collection of the museum includes over 10,000 items of ceramics, metal works of the 14th century, jewellery from the Bronze Age, carpets and carpet items from the 17th-20th centuries, national garments and embroidery, and applied art works of the Modern Age. The structure of the building is intended to look like a rolled carpet.