President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed an Order on the establishment of the State Historical, Cultural and Natural Reserve “Mount Beshbarmag”.

The Order was signed with a view to the importance of Mount Beshbarmag for the historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, in order to protect the cultural and natural heritage in adjacent territories and develop tourism.

Under the Order, the territory of the natural site of Mount Beshbarmag, located in the village of Galashikhi of Siyazan District, is being declared the State Historical, Cultural and Natural Reserve “Mount Beshbarmag”. The State Tourism Agency has been instructed to ensure management of the State Historical, Cultural and Natural Reserve “Mount Beshbarmag”. The Cabinet of Ministers, together with the State Tourism Agency, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and Siyazan district Executive Authority should establish and approve the borders and conservation zone of the State Historical, Cultural and Natural Reserve "Mount Beshbarmag" within a period of two months and establish a special regime for the territory of the State Historical, Cultural and Natural Reserve "Mount Beshbarmag" and inform the President of Azerbaijan within a period of three months.

The necessary expenses required for the activities of the State Historical, Cultural and Natural Reserve "Mount Beshbarmag" will be financed at the expense of the funds provided for in the state budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2020 for the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The order indicates that one of the unique natural sites of Azerbaijan Mount Beshbarmag, located in the of Galashikhi village of Siyazan district, is surrounded by a number of historical and cultural sites protected by the state (a settlement attributed to the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age, the Khizirzinda sanctuary, the ruins of a fortress dating back to the early Middle Ages, the remains of a caravanserai of the 15-17th centuries). A part of the “Caspian Coastal Defense Structures”, the Beshbarmag parallel defensive fortification dating back to the early Middle Ages was included on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding on 24 October 2001.