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Regional peculiarities of Garabagh

  



A number of monuments representing the ancient architecture and culture of Azerbaijani people is situated in Karabakh. Rich traditions accumulated in different fields of life activity by the citizens of the region made Karabakh popular long beyond its borders. 
Horse-breeding and sheep-breeding are wide spread in cattle-breeding. Karabakh horse and Karabakh sheep species was breed by local selection method. These horses are well-known in Europe from ancient times. 
Karabakh khanandas (singers) play an important role in the development of music culture of Azerbaijan. Karabakh folk singers were popular in the East in the past. Karabakh dialect had an influence on the development of literary language of Azerbaijan. 
Karabakh is the land of rare plants included into the “Red Book”: Hirkan box – pirkal, Caucasus glanthus, Komarov camomile, Scorzonera pusilla Lomak, velvety rose, ordinary chestnut, Karabakh poppy, magpie althaea etc. Kharibulbul (Ophrys caucasica) which is deemed to be one of rare plants of the world grows only in Shusha, Karabakh.
In the past such types of dwellings as “garadam” (black roof) (“ev dami”, “torpag dam”), “baghdadi” and “taghband” are wide-spread in the region. The dishes and sweets of the region have great influence on the enrichment of Azerbaijan cuisine (Karabakh katasi, Barda nani etc.). The Karabakh school of carpet-making is famous all over the world. The carpets with diversified patterns – “Lambarani”, “Chalabi”, “Achma-Yumma”, “Baliq”, “Buynuz”, “Karabakh”, “Barda” and “Lachakturunj” are specially distinguished. 

Karabakh is the cradle of Azerbaijan folk music, mugham and poetry. It is the native land of a number of famous musicians, poets, writers and popular singers. 
“Kata” is a speciality of the Karabakh cuisine. The Karabakh cuisine includes such meals as “govurma” made of mutton and beef, gavly, dolma, yakhni, bozbash, khash, kallapacha, sajichi, roasted offal, soups and different pilaus. Roasted and boiled river fish are also popular here. Dried fruits are widely spread in the Karabakh cuisine. They are used in making khoshab, pilau, soup and meat dishes and served as dessert. Jad, gutab with meat, fasali, kata, shakarbura, pakhlava, guymag, halva, gurabiya, shorgogali, dovga, different kabab types etc. are cooked here. 
The main difference of Karabakh wedding parties is that they pay a special attention to mugham (as in Baku and Shirvan). People participating in the wedding party prefer listening to mugham to dancing and entertaining. 
The Bride does not come to a maghar (a large tent built for a wedding ceremony) in Karabakh weddings. Generally, the party is organized only for men, women come to maghar in the evening after the meal. 
To take a thing from bride’s house is one of the traditions in Karabakh region. The “stolen” things are demonstrated to the people around after the wedding group goes to the groom’s house. The other names for this original tradition are “sheyogurlugu”, “xaspushlug”, “khakrizdama” (Aghdam, Fizuli, Shusha, Tartar), “chipitma” (Lachin, Jabrayil), “khirziliq” and “sirgat”. In some places the bride’s mother gives her daughter a pinch of ash instead of bread. 



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