At the invitation of Associate Professor Farhad Guliyev, PhD in History and Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS, Prof. Dr. Şaban Doğan — President of the Turkish Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Institute (Gaziantep), operating under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye — and archaeologist Burcu Bilir, specialist of the same ministry and member of the Climate Action Union, visited Baku and familiarized themselves with ancient monuments and material culture of the Azerbaijani people.

Within the framework of a visit program prepared by the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, Prof. Dr. Şaban Doğan and Burcu Bilir toured the Institute’s museum-exhibition hall in Icherisheher and the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan. During the visit, the guests examined rare artifacts representing various historical periods discovered across the territory of Azerbaijan.

As part of the program, the Turkish scholars also visited the Gobustan National Historical and Artistic Reserve. The Reserve’s director, Vugar Isayev, welcomed the delegation, provided an overview of its history, and introduced them to the protected monuments within the reserve. During the discussions, Prof. Dr. Şaban Doğan emphasized that the monuments and material culture found in Azerbaijan constitute rare heritage of global significance reflecting the history of humanity.

Throughout the visit program, the delegation was accompanied by Valeh Alakbarov, PhD, Head of the International Relations Department of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology.

It should be noted that the primary mission of the Turkish Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Institute is to conduct joint archaeological research in Turkic republics outside Türkiye, study monuments significant to shared Turkic history, and strengthen cooperation among archaeological research centers of the Turkic world.