On August 24, 2026, employees of the “Keshikchidagh” State Historical and Cultural Reserve, under the administration of the State Service for Protection, Development and Restoration of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, visited the Goytepe Neolithic settlement located in the Tovuz district.
As part of the visit, the reserve staff became closely acquainted with the archaeological research conducted at Goytepe. Doctorate in History Valeh Alakbarov, Department Head at the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS and leader of the archaeological excavations, provided the reserve staff with detailed information about the monument’s history, archaeological significance, the results of the ongoing research, and the measures being taken for its protection. The Goytepe settlement is considered one of the most important prehistoric archaeological monuments in the South Caucasus.
During the excavations, rich architectural remains preserved over millennia, tools, and traces of ancient economic activities were discovered. Located approximately 10 kilometers east of Tovuz city, the site covers an area of nearly 2 hectares, with a diameter of about 145 meters and a height of 9 meters. Goytepe’s scientific importance is not limited merely to its antiquity. The site serves as a vital source for studying the developed stages of human transition from hunting and gathering to a settled lifestyle, agriculture, and animal husbandry. It was highlighted that the people who lived here established permanent settlements, built houses, cultivated grain, kept livestock, stored food supplies, and crafted ceramics as well as stone and bone tools. All these scientific findings prove that Goytepe is a settlement with a history of approximately 8,000 years.
Leaving with rich impressions from the archaeological excavations, the employees of the “Keshikchidagh” State Historical and Cultural Reserve shared their thoughts and impressions. They highly appreciated the successful archaeological research conducted at Goytepe and emphasized the exceptional importance of exchange of experience in studying and promoting such ancient monuments.