Garadam, corbelled dome architecture in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is notable for its architectural and archaeological monuments. Architectural monuments preserved up to the present day represent valuable information on the succession and progress peculiarities of typologically different buildings. The diversity of architecture and details, construction methods and decoration of corbelled domes in this region, situated in a region between the East and the West, has considerable importance in a wider scenario. Variety and abundance of natural-climatic conditions has contributed to the development of Azerbaijan’s territory since ancient times: Azykh cave (Fizuli region of Azerbaijan), where eleven cultural layers belonging to different historical stages were discovered during archaeological excavations, is testimony to that. Such a variety of conditions posed differing architecturalconstruction problems for architects, creating a large number of varying types in the architecture of dwelling houses. Peculiarities of historical development in various regions of Azerbaijan influenced the appearance and the spread of different architectural types. Considerable seismic activity in several regions of the country has influenced construction methods also. Thus, local building materials, seismicity of the region, insulation, etc., all interacted on the architectural, artistic and constructional peculiarities of Azerbaijan’s corbelled architecture.