Kultepe I is a multi-period archaeological mound on the left bank of the Nakhchivan River, about 15 kilometres upstream from its junction with the Aras. The site has produced occupational evidence spanning from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic through to the Early Iron Age — a sequence of nearly 22 metres of accumulated layers that makes it one of the most complete prehistoric stratigraphies in the South Caucasus.
Excavations from the 1950s through to ongoing campaigns in the 2010s have revealed settlement structures, ceramic sequences, and metal artefacts that trace the development of early agricultural societies in this part of the world over several millennia. Kultepe I and its companion site Kultepe II are on Azerbaijan's submission to UNESCO's World Heritage tentative list. The site is not a tourist attraction in any conventional sense — there is no visitor infrastructure — but historians and archaeology enthusiasts will find it worthwhile with a guide.