 Aliyev knew ancient dead languages including Sumerian, Akkadian and Old Persian.His works specialized in ancient Media, Atropatena and Caucasian Albania and are cited by Western experts in the relevant fields.A pamphlet written in 1997 on architecture in Artsakh by Aliyev and Kamil Mamedzade, the two authors also asserted that the celebrated thirteenth century Gandzasar monastery, built by the Armenian prince Hasan-Jalal Dawla, was built by Caucasian Albanians.