Archaeological research, which began in 2023 at Torpaqqala (Torpag-gala), located in the village of Lələli (Leleli) in the Qakh District, has continued this season. Under the leadership of PhD in History, Associate Professor Taleh Aliyev, the expedition for Caucasian Albanian-period archaeological sites of Northwestern Azerbaijan, organized by the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS, carried out further excavations at the site.

Torpaqqala is situated on the eastern side of Lələli village, near the confluence of the Gapychay and the Ganykh (Alazani) rivers, on the left bank. The total area of the site is approximately 20 hectares. Torpaqqala consists of three main sections: a settlement, a fortified area, and a necropolis. The fortress area alone covers about 0.35 ha (50 × 70 m). Along the southwestern edge of the fortified zone runs a continuous mound, likely the remains of the defensive wall. Excavations have revealed cultural layers from the Early Iron Age, Antiquity, the Early Middle Ages, and the Classical Middle Ages. Evidence suggests that the settlement was densely inhabited during the Late Antique and Early Medieval periods.

The exposed fortress walls were built with stone foundations and mudbrick superstructures. Inner rooms were constructed using clay bricks, and lime plaster was applied to the floors. For the first time this year, three separate necropolises were identified at the edges of the central residential section. The necropolis to the south dates to Antiquity, the one to the west to the Early Middle Ages, and the southeastern one to the Classical Middle Ages.

Excavations yielded ceramic finds such as jars, pots, cauldrons, vases, bowls, jugs, and amphorae in black, red, gray, and yellowish-red hues. Noteworthy artifacts include zoomorphic and anthropomorphic clay figurines (likely children’s toys), textile-related tools, and a fox-shaped terracotta figure. Pottery with artisan stamp marks and various signs also garnered attention. Other cultural materials include stone, obsidian, iron arrowheads, bone, and charcoal remains.

These findings indicate the presence of multiple branches of craftsmanship in Torpaqqala during the Antique and Early Medieval periods. The material culture shows parallels with finds from Mingachevir, Gabala, Almaly Torpaqqala (Qakh), and Qıpçaqtəpə (Qakh). It should be noted that the settlement and necropolis of Qıpçaqtəpə (Gypchag-tepe) —covering more than 5 hectares—were introduced into scholarly literature in 2017–2018 by the same expedition and later excavated in 2021–2022.

The ancient geographer Claudius Ptolemy mentioned 29 locations within Caucasian Albania in his work Geography, many of which are situated along rivers in the first and second regions of his map. Archaeological evidence suggests that Torpaqqala may be one of the sites listed by Ptolemy.

Torpaqqala was established as a settlement at the end of the Early Iron Age and evolved into an urban-type center during Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Preliminary hypotheses suggest it may correspond to one of the Albanian settlements named “Iobula” or “Adiabla” located near the Ganykh (Alazani) River in Ptolemy’s geography. Moreover, it may be necessary to consider Torpaqqala as the site of the famous Battle of Alazani in 65 BCE between the Romans and Albanians.

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