Narmin Ismayilova

Narmin Ismayilova received her PhD (2023) from the University of Birmingham (UK) where she defended her thesis on 'The Kura-Araxes Culture (KAC) (Kür-Araz Mədəniyyəti) in Azerbaijan and its wider regional context in the Caucasus'. The project brought for the first time, a substantial database in English in the form of Gazetteer of all KAC sites in modern-day Azerbaijan during the Early Bronze Age. The thesis explored the social organisation, cultural identity, social space, and diversity within KAC communities through analysis of settlement landscape and structures, building traditions and mortuary practices. Narmin's research interests are the cross-cultural comparison of the understanding the Caucasus alongside the adjacent regions, in addition, she is engaging with Anthropological Archaeology, Archaeological Theory, Nationalistic trends in archaeology of the South Caucasus, Landscapes, Objects and Assemblages. She has a long-standing experience in public engagement and heritage, was extensively involved in numerous cultural projects over many years in the UK. Dr Ismayilova is the founder and acting chair of the Caucasus Through Time Network, where she is involved in various research and networking endeavours and events that address collaborative research within the Caucasus colleagues in academia. Her project in the ONGC, will be exploring further social and cultural understanding of the life of KAC communities living in Azerbaijan through space and time. Therefore, she will be collaborating with the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit to understand the chronology of the region, while also, she will be working on to create a single Digital Gazetteer of all KAC sites phenomenon in the Caucasus and beyond.