Antiquity. Gabala is the ancient capital of Caucasian Albania. Archaeological
evidence indicates that the city functioned as the capital of Caucasian Albania as
early as the 4th century BC. Up to the present time, there are the ruins of the ancient
city and the main gate of Caucasian Albania. Ongoing excavations near the village
Chukhur show that Gabala from the 4th – 3rd centuries BC and up to the 18th century
was one of the main cities with developed trade and crafts. The ruins of the ancient
town are situated 15 km from the regional centre, allocated on the territory
between Garachay and Jourluchay rivers. Gabala was located in the middle of the
2,500-year-old Silk Road, and was mentioned by Pliny the Younger as "Kabalaka",
Greek geographer Ptolemy as "Khabala", Arabic historian Ahmad ibn Yahya al-
Baladhuri as "Khazar". In the 19th century, the Azerbaijani historian Abbasgulu
Bakikhanov mentioned in his book Gulistani Irem that Kbala or Khabala were in
fact Gabala.
In the 60s BC, Roman troops attacked Caucasian Albania but did not succeed
in capturing the Qabala territory. In 262 AD, Caucasian Albania was occupied by
the Sassanid Empire, but preserved its political and economic status. In 464, it lost
its independence due to years of invasions from the northern nomadic tribes and had
to move its capital city to Partava (currently Barda in Azerbaijan).
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