The Fund of Weapons and Banners was founded in 2009 based on the Fund of New History, established in 1955. 1575 depository items are preserved in the Fund. Among them, there are examples of defense weapons, sidearms and firearms (helmets, shields, ringed weapons, armor, armlets and footwears, swords, daggers and maces, rifles, pistols, and cannons) produced in the Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, various Eastern countries, Europe, and Russia, as well as the banners of military divisions of the khanate period and different republics.
These weapons show the highest level of weapon production and the high professionalism of Azerbaijani gunsmiths. The materials of the Fund are regularly exhibited in the exposition of the Museum and various exhibitions, and in the exhibitions involving only the collection of the Fund:
"Weapons and banners of the East" (“Şərq silahları və bayraqları”) (1999), “Sword stabbed in the ground” (“Torpağa sancılmış qılınc”) (2012), “I Azerbaijani International Exhibition of Defense Industry” (“I Azərbaycan Beynəlxalq Müdafiə Sənayesi sərgisi”) (2014), “II Azerbaijani International Exhibition of Defense Industry” (“II Azərbaycan Beynəlxalq Müdafiə Sənayesi sərgisi”) (2016), “III Azerbaijani International Exhibition of Defense Industry” (“III Azərbaycan Beynəlxalq Müdafiə Sənayesi sərgisi”) (2018) organized by the Ministry of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan, exhibition organized in the city of Ganja (2014), exhibition dedicated to the 70th anniversary of World War II at the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan (2015), exhibition dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan (2015), “Shah Ismail-ruler and commander” (“Şah İsmayıl-hökmdar və sərkərdə”) (2016), “The state of the Shirvanshahs” (“Şirvanşahlar dövləti”) (2017), the exhibition of “National clothes of Azerbaijan” (“Azərbaycan milli geyimləri”) (2017), exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku by Caucasian Islamic Army (2018), the exhibition of “Outstanding figures of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic” (“Azərbaycan Cümhuriyyətinin görkəmli xadimləri”) (2018), the exhibition “Admiral J.Javadov. Life, War and Service” (“Admiral C.Cavadov. həyatı, döyüş və xidmət yolu”) (2018), the exhibition “If I have an army, I have a country” (“Ordum varsa, yurdum var”) (2018), the exhibition “Sheki is a museum itself” (“Şəki özü bir muzeydir”) (2019), the exhibition of “Azerbaijan during the World War II” (“Azərbaycan II Dünya Müharibəsində”) (2020).
These exhibits, which are the obvious examples of our national values, reflect our material culture and historical heritage in a number of international exhibitions, promote this heritage as well: the exhibitions of “Caravan: Azerbaijan. Land of Fire” (“Karvan: Azərbaycan odlar yurdu”) in Stavanger, Norway in 2006-2007, “Pearls of Azerbaijan” (“Azərbaycan inciləri”) in Rome, Italy in 2012, “Azerbaijan - Land of Eternal Fire” (“Azərbaycan- əbədi odlar diyarı”) in Ostrava, the Czech Republic in 2012-2013, “Azerbaijan: Land of Miraculous Fire” (“Azərbaycan: möcüzəli Odlar yurdu”) in Prague, Czech Republic in 2014-2016, “Azerbaijan during the Great Patriotic War” (“Azərbaycan Böyük Vətən müharibəsi dövründə”) (2020) in Moscow in 2019 in the territory of National Economic Achievements.
On the basis of the Fund materials, the book-albums of “Statehood in Azerbaijan and their symbols” (“Azərbaycanda dövlətçilik rəmzıəri”) (2000), “Gems of the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan” (“Milli Azərbaycan Tarixi Muzeyinin inciləri”) (2010), catalogs of “Banners of Azerbaijan” (“Azərbaycan bayraqları”) (2005), “Defense weapons of Azerbaijan” (“Azərbaycan müdafiə silahları”) (2012), “Sidearms and firearms of Azerbaijan” (“Azərbaycan soyuq və odlu silahları”) ”(2016) were issued and the monograph of “Weapons of Medieval period of Azerbaijan” (“Azərbaycan orta əsr silahları”) (2019), the booklet of “Keys of Azerbaijani cities” (“Azərbaycan orta əsr silahları”) (2020) were published. Television programmes were made in various genres and thesises and articles were presented in different republican and international conferences based on the materials of the Fund of Weapons and Banners.
The Fund was headed by: Fikret Suleymanov (1955-1965), Sara Jangirova (1965-2002), PhD in History Sevinj Vahabova (from 2002 till the present day), with 2021 the fund is headed by Gatiba Hasanov.
