Divankhana (Shirvanshah's Palace)
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| Divankhana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Old City, Baku, Azerbaijan |
| Coordinates | 40°21′58″N 49°49′59″E / 40.366°N 49.833°E |
| Founder | I Farrukh Yassar |
| Built | 1450 CE |
| Official name | Divankhana |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Designated | 2000 (24th session) |
| Part of | Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower |
| Reference no. | 958 |
| Region | Europe/Asia |
| Endangered | 2003–2009 |
  Location in the Baku Old City | |
The Divankhana is a rotunda pavilion built on a tall stylobate in the north-west of the Shirvanshahs Palace, located in the historic Old City of Baku, in Azerbaijan. In the fifteenth century, Shirvanshah was built by order of Farrukh Yasar. Several stories describe the Divan's operation. It is believed that it served as a court, a reception hall, a government council or a tomb.
The stylistic features and the incomplete embroidery work allow the Divankhana to end at the end of the fifteenth century when the Safavid armies took Baku. The origin of the original architectural structure of the building is associated with pre-Islamic funeral ceremonies.
The Divankhana forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Palace of the Shirvanshahs.
In Leonard Bretaniski and Sara Ashurbeyli's studies, the Divankhana was built in the fifteenth century by the order of Shirvanshah Farrukh Yasar.
One of the door openings at the café's pavilion was probably broken and left in unreadable Arabic. V. Sysoyev claims that he read the name of Khalilullah and Hijri 832 (1428–1429 CE), but Ashurbeyli says that this is impossible to check. The canteen may be a memorial monument. Ashurbeyli noted that this building may have been a tomb and according to sources, the remains of the golden calf were buried there by I Halilullah.
According to another assumption, the building was built by Yasar as a tomb, but he was not buried here because he was buried by the gendarmes after his defeat at Caban in 1500.
According to other information, the Divanjan was the place where formal receptions and state council sessions were held. These sessions were held directly in the octagonal hall of the rattan carpets decorated with the participation of the king and his officials. The location of this place is the place where consultation is carried out. The hall reflects the crown image, which is a symbol of statehood, with a richly carved ornament on the west facade.
Its current name is the basis of the most widely held theory, that it was a reception room. The stylistic features and the incomplete embroidery work date the Divanjan to the end of the fifteenth century when the Safavid armies took Baku. The clerical plan, the content of the inscription on the ground floor and entrance to the hall (Quran, verses 10, 26 and 27) show that it is a memorial place.[1]
The original architectural structure is associated with the burial customs of Islam. Historian Sara Ashurbeyli believes that before the Muslim era the site was a sacred place. She supposed that the pits were used to store the blood of dead animals.[2]
