Nakhchivan

In the south-west of Azerbaijan lies the NAKHCHIVAN AUTONOMOUS REPUBLIC (NAR). It is separated from the rest of the country's territory by a narrow wedge of a foreign state, which became possible at one time as a result of the collapse of the Russian Empire and the subsequent policy of the communist regime. The NAR is located on the southern slopes of the Daralayaz and the south-western slopes of the Zangezur mountains.

This is mountainous terrain - more than 30% of the autonomous republic's territory lies at an altitude of 600 to 1000 m above sea level. The highest points of the region are the mountains GAPIJIG (3906 m), YAGLIDARA (3827 m), GAZANGELDAG (3814 m), DAVABOYNU (3560 m.), AGDAG (3488 m), SALVARD (3160 m), KECHALDAG (3114 m.), and the passes BICHENAG (2347,8 m) and AYCHONGAL (3362 m).

The autonomous republic is rich in deposits of marble, lime, gypsum and rock salt. 12 km. from the city of NAKHCHIVAN, on the southern slope of Mount DUZDAG, there is a rock salt deposit that has been described by a number of modern researchers since the 19th c. These are very ancient salt mines that still have enormous reserves. During the development of the deposit in modern times, stone tools were found in the old shafts, which people used to chip salt from the seams as early as the end of the Stone Age. The stone tools of ancient man that were found, as well as mineral samples from Mount Duzdag, are displayed as exhibits for visitors and tourists right here, at the salt mine's administration.

The DUZDAG deposit, as well as the NEHRAM deposit, are very large, and the salt reserves are vast. At DUZDAG, one of the large salt shafts is specially equipped for treating patients with various illnesses; there is a section for adults and one for children.

The landscapes of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are quite distinctive. A person who comes to this land for the first time will be met by the majestic peaks of inaccessible mountains and unexpectedly flat, large plains with almost no vegetation; he will be charmed by the patterned "towers" of low rocky ridges, velvety from weathering, which look like fantastic stone "cities" of fairy-tale giants. A surprise for the newcomer will be the unexpected abundance of clean water, bursting toward the light in ringing drops from the steep banks of the NAKHCHIVANCHAY river, and small "pits" in the reddish soil that, at strict intervals, shoot out geysers of ferruginous or sulphurous water (for example, not far from the well-known pir of ASHABI-KAHF) - beneath the outwardly dry plains flow full-bodied streams and brooks of groundwater. Among them are MINERAL and TABLE waters with a unique composition - SIRAB, BADAMLI, VAYKHIR, NAGAJIR, GIZILJIR. The mineral water is bottled and exported beyond the republic.

The abundance of groundwater is the reason why the art of building KAHRIZES - unique underground water tunnels many kilometres long - historically arose and reached a high level here. Into some kahrizes you can descend from the surface by the steps of a covered tunnel; there are also some from which the water is simply brought to the surface in the form of a spring (outwardly this resembles the "pipe" of a modern water supply). Local kahriz-building masters (kankans) have preserved their craft to this day. Although kahrizes were once widespread in Azerbaijan, today they are best preserved precisely in the NAR.

The ARAZ river flows along the state border with IRAN and TURKEY. In addition, there are about 40 other small and medium-sized rivers here that originate in the mountains - from the watersheds of the ZANGEZUR, DARALAYAZ and KONGUR-ALAGEZ ranges. These are the ORDUBADCHAY, ALINJACHAY, GILANCHAY, NAKHCHIVANCHAY, ARPACHAY, DUGLUNCHAY, AKULISCHAY, and others. Here there is the beautiful lake BATABAT, with its so-called "floating islands"; there is also an artificial lake whose waters are used to irrigate the lands of the Babek and Julfa districts - it lies at an altitude of 1500 m, near the village of GAZANCHI.

The climate in the republic is sharply continental; the temperature ranges from +43 in summer to -30 deg. in winter. Humidity is low. Flora - beech, oriental oak, walnut, willow, maple, wild pear, and many medicinal plants. Fauna - bears, wild boars, foxes, hares, wolves, stone martens, bezoar goats, Asia Minor mouflons; birds - Caspian snowcock, alpine accentor, crag martin, chukar partridge.

Throughout the region a large number of ruins have survived - remains of ancient cities, towers, fortresses and mausoleums. This land was already settled in deep antiquity, and the ruins of defensive structures remaining from ancient times are striking in their scale - it is believed that the Nakhchivan region had the largest, and sometimes even cyclopean, structures of this kind compared with other regions of ancient Azerbaijan.

The first settlements of ancient man here date back to the Mousterian period (135 thousand years ago) - the caves of GAZMA and KILIT (Ordubad district); caves along the banks of the Nakhchivanchay and Alinjachay have preserved traces of Upper Palaeolithic campsites. Archaeological finds at the GULTEPE site and in the Arpachay river valley (OVCHULARTEPE, DAMLAMA) date to the Eneolithic period.

By the 2nd millennium BC there were already fortified urban-type settlements here - GULTEPE-2, GAZANCHI, OGLANGALA, PLOVTEPE. In the 9th-2nd centuries BC this region was part of such large state formations as MANNA (9th c. BC), and then MEDIA (7th c. BC). Great destruction was brought to the land, for example, by the campaign of Alexander the Great. After Alexander's death and the collapse of his empire (the Hellenistic period), the Nakhchivan land came into the sphere of influence of the Azerbaijani state of ATROPATENE (328 BC), which existed for 350 years.

This rich land, like the entire territory of Azerbaijan, being of strategic importance, was always an attractive target for conquest: it was a region of wealthy cities, and transit routes passed through it to neighbouring and distant regions, from India and China to Byzantium and Rome.

After the collapse of the state of Atropatene, Nakhchivan became part of the Sasanian Empire and then of the Arab Caliphate. But there was a constant struggle against the invaders and for the creation of self-governing, independent states.

An important role in the history of this land, and of Azerbaijan as a whole, was played by the Azerbaijani Sultanate (1136-1225), founded by Atabeg SHAMS AD-DIN ELDENIZ and headed by the Eldenizid dynasty. This state took in the whole of Azerbaijan (except Shirvan), as well as the Iraqi Sultanate of the Seljuks. At that time Nakhchivan was one of the capitals of the state; it minted its own coinage and pursued its own independent foreign and domestic policy.

In the first half of the 13th century the Mongol expansion began: a Mongol army invaded Azerbaijan, and many cities were plundered. The Nakhchivan region held out for a long time - the last Eldenizid atabeg entrenched himself in the famous local fortress of ALINJAGALA after yet another Mongol advance on the capital. However, almost the whole of the South Caucasus was eventually conquered by the Mongols.

In the 15th-16th centuries Nakhchivan became part of the successively formed Azerbaijani states of the GARAGOYUNLU, the AGGOYUNLU and the SAFAVIDS, within the CHUKHURSAAD beylerbeylik (17th century), which was ruled by the chiefs of the warlike Turkic tribe of KANGARLI. In the 18th century the NAKHCHIVAN Khanate was established here. In 1828, under the TREATY OF TURKMENCHAY, the khanate passed to Russia, and later it became the centre of the Russian uyezd of the same name.

In 1924 the city of Nakhchivan regained its status as a capital - this time of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

THE CITY OF NAKHCHIVAN is the capital of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. It lies on the right bank of the NAKHCHIVANCHAY river, at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level. Distance from Baku - 993 km. Population - 69 000 people.

This is one of the oldest cities of Azerbaijan, and in ancient times it was also one of the largest. Local people link the origins of settlement on the site of Nakhchivan with the biblical legend of the patriarch NOAH, who survived the Great Flood. People here believe that Noah's Ark, before coming to rest on the mountain, struck the peaks of the LESSER CAUCASUS several times, and one of them even split from the blow (the mountains AGRIDAG, BALAAGRI, ILANDAG, ALANGEZ, GAPIJIG). The local legend says that after being saved from the flood, Noah lived and died right here. And until recently there were still respected elders (agsakkals) alive who claimed to know where Noah's grave is. This story is so popular among the people that the well-known artist BAHRUZ KANGARLI painted a picture called just that - "NOAH'S GRAVE".

The earliest surviving written source that mentions Nakhchivan is the works of PTOLEMY (2nd century BC). He calls Nakhchivan "NAXUANA". In medieval Arab sources the city is called "NESHAVA", and in the works of such well-known authors as MUHAMMAD NAKHCHIVANI, HAMDULLAH QAZVINI, KATIB CHELEBI, EVLIYA CHELEBI and others, Nakhchivan is respectfully called NAKSH-i-JAHAN ("ADORNMENT OF THE WORLD").

In the early Middle Ages Nakhchivan's ties with the countries of Asia Minor, the Middle East and Transcaucasia became especially intense. However, the city's wealth and its geopolitical position made it the target of frequent raids from neighbouring states, and as a result the city was destroyed many times. But Nakhchivan was always rebuilt, becoming even more beautiful. For example, in the middle of the 1st century AD the city was sacked and destroyed by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius 2, it was often devastated by Mongol raids, and the city was a constant cause of strife between Byzantium and the Arab Caliphate.

But at all times Nakhchivan was one of the main cities of various states - of the ruling Sajid and Salarid dynasties, the capital of the state of the Azerbaijani Eldenizid atabegs, and so on.

Written sources testify that in the 12th century up to 200 thousand people lived in the city of Nakhchivan, which is a great many for a city of that time. Trade was well developed here, and the city was famous for its masters and craftsmen: weavers, potters, jewellers, glassblowers. But Nakhchivan became especially famous for its builders - the renowned school of NAKHCHIVAN ARCHITECTURE arose here, and construction took on a large scale.

The founder of the Nakhchivan school of architecture, the creator of its highest achievements and the classic master of this architectural phenomenon, is the 12th-century architect AJAMI IBN ABUBAKR NAKHCHIVANI. The mausoleum of YUSIF IBN KUSEYIR (Atababa Gumbazi) and the mausoleum of MOMINE KHATUN have survived to our time.

It is believed that by erecting the Momine Khatun Mausoleum alone, Ajami managed to create an image of an entire era. It is no accident that the architect adorned the mausoleum with the inscription: "WE LEAVE, THE WORLD REMAINS; WE DIE - MEMORY REMAINS".

The geometric and epigraphic patterns decorating this mausoleum are executed with a jeweller's precision: it looks like a shining turquoise - the favourite gemstone of the East.

The monuments of the Nakhchivan school of architecture have entered the golden treasury of Azerbaijani culture and influenced the architectural traditions of a vast region: from Derbent in the North Caucasus to Hamadan in the south, from the Caspian Sea in the east to Georgia and Lake Urmia in the west. The stylistic features of this school of architecture can be traced in the architecture of all the neighbouring states.

In the Middle Ages, according to travellers who admired the beauty of the city, the famous Eldenizid palace ensemble, a cathedral mosque, a large madrasa that became a centre of Muslim learning, government buildings and palaces of the aristocracy were built here. Written sources speak of "20 thousand houses, 70 religious buildings, 20 caravanserais, 7 bathhouses, several bazaars".

The French travelers PIERRE CHARDIN and DUBOIS de MONTPEREUX, and the Englishman PORTER, noted that this was a magnificent city with well-preserved architectural monuments of antiquity. The Turkish traveler EVLIYA CELEBI admired the local bathhouses, into whose pools baskets of rose petals were thrown every day. In modern Naxcivan, rose bushes are widely used to decorate the streets, squares and public gardens.

This ancient city has a distinctive culture of its own, and its famous local cuisine has become an integral part of it. Only here, for example, do they know the secret of making "alana" - peaches dried in a special way and stuffed with ground nuts and sugar; a special fried egg dish with honey, "ballygayganag", and so on.

The land of Naxcivan is the birthplace of HINDUSHAH BIN SANJAR BIN ABDULLAH NAKHCHIVANI (13th-14th centuries), a renowned scholar, statesman, writer and philologist who compiled the first Persian-Azerbaijani dictionary (4 thousand words). His son, MUHAMMAD NAKHCHIVANI, was a well-known statesman in the field of finance who wrote a book on taxation (13th-14th century). Other prominent figures of Azerbaijan born in Naxcivan include KALBALI KHAN NAKHCHIVANSKI. The renowned military commander JAMSHID NAKHCHIVANSKI; a prominent figure of the 20th century; the classic writer JALIL MAMMADGULUZADEH; the romantic poet and playwright HUSEYN JAVID, who fell victim to the Stalinist repressions; the artist BAHRUZ KANGARLI.

Naxcivan is the birthplace of the President of Azerbaijan, the national leader HEYDAR ALIYEV.

Great attention is paid to science and education in modern Naxcivan. It is home to the State University and a branch of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, an academic campus has been built, and old schools are being renovated while new ones are built. For example, a large, well-equipped, modern school (named after H. Aliyev) was recently opened. There is a Palace of Culture, a Drama Theater, a Puppet Theater, and an Olympic sports complex has been built.

Naxcivan has many museums: the carpet museum, the literary museum, the history museum, the house-museum of the writer and playwright Huseyn Javid, and others. Many historical monuments have also survived in the city - the IMAMZADEH architectural complex, the JUMA MOSQUE, the "ZAVIYYA" mosque, the "PIRGAMISH" mosque, "KHAN EVI", the "ISMAIL KHAN" bathhouse, the BUZKHANA (an old, specially equipped building for storing ice during the summer), the mausoleum of YUSUF IBN KUSEYIR, the mausoleum of MOMINE KHATUN,

BABEK

BABEK DISTRICT borders Armenia to the north and Iran to the south. The north and southeast of this territory are mountainous, while the south and southwest are lowland.

The highest peaks are KECHALTEPE (2740 m), GARAGUSH (2617 m) and BUZGOV (2470 m).

The district has the SIRAB, GAHAB and VAYKHIR mineral water springs and rock salt deposits. The NAKHCHIVANCHAY river and its tributary, the JAHRICHAY, flow here, and there are the ARAZ, NEHRAM, UZUNOBA and SIRAB reservoirs.

There are no forests here; viticulture, grain growing, melon growing and livestock farming are well developed.

The district is home to the well-known archaeological sites of GULTEPE and GULTEPE-2, and the ancient ruins of ABASABAD, VAYKHIR and AZNABURT.

THE CITY OF BABEK is the administrative center of the district. Until 1978 it was called TAZAKEND.

JULFA DISTRICT lies east of the city of Naxcivan; summers here are dry and hot, and winters very cold. Annual precipitation is around 220-600 mm. The ALINJA and GARDARYA rivers flow here, as well as the ARAZ (along the border with Iran). The mountains along the road to Julfa are very beautiful and unusual - geological factors (rock composition, age and so on) have shaped their appearance, and the mountains look like fantastic structures built by giants.

In the mountains of Julfa there are forested areas where beech, hornbeam and oak grow; the fauna includes wolves, foxes and hares.

On the bank of the ARAZ river, ruins of ancient buildings have survived. There is a 13th-century caravanserai, one of the largest in Azerbaijan. And the remains of a 14th-century bridge, built by order of the Nakhchivan khan HAKIM ZIYA AD-DIN at the beginning of the 14th century. Near the village of JUGA stands the small 13th-century GULISTAN mausoleum, and near the village of DER there are three more ancient mausoleums, the best preserved of which is a tower mausoleum (15th century).

ALINJAGALA fortress (6th-7th centuries) is one of the most architecturally striking mountain fortresses. This citadel sits atop a mountain and was protected by lines of walls stepped to follow the terrain. Its elevation is about 1640 m above sea level. The fortress has its own water supply system - channels cut into the rock to collect rainwater into a pool. It is known that during Timur's invasion, the local rulers who had fortified themselves inside held out for 14 years. It was also here, during the first Mongol campaigns, that the last representative of the Eldiguzid dynasty took refuge and the state treasury was kept. Among the people the fortress is sometimes called "SHAHTAKHTY", which means "the seat of the king".

Alinjagala fortress is mentioned in written sources from the Sasanian era, as well as in the famous epic "KITABI DADA GORGUD".

Special mention should be made of the mausoleum of FAZLULLAH NAIMI - a Sufi and Hurufi, the spiritual teacher of IMADADDIN NASIMI, the great poet and philosopher who fought against the orthodox-minded representatives of the Muslim clergy.

There are many springs in the district (about forty). One of them, located on the slopes of Mount DARYDAG, yields about 500 000 liters of highly mineralized water every day.

THE TOWN OF JULFA lies on the bank of the ARAZ river, on the border with Iran. Almost symmetrically to Azerbaijani Julfa, on the opposite bank of the Araz, there is an Iranian town that is also called JULFA. In the past, an ancient caravan route ran through here from Persia to Shirvan, Georgia and Dagestan. Today there is a border checkpoint here.

ORDUBAD

ORDUBAD DISTRICT borders Armenia to the north and east and the Islamic Republic of Iran to the south. It lies in the eastern part of the NAR.

The climate is one of contrasts: cold winters, hot summers. The fauna and flora are rich, the air is amazingly clean, and there are plenty of medicinal plants and fruit. Many historical monuments have also survived here: stone figures of rams (medieval era), remains of ancient settlements from the 2nd-1st millennium BC in the village of SABIR, the ruins of the ancient town of GILAN near the village of AZA, medieval buildings in the villages of KILIT, VELAVER, AYLIS, AZA, KOTAM, BILEV and VANAND; the ruins of the ancient town of ANABAD, the SHAHTAKHTI tower near the village of ANDAMIJ, 19th-century mosques, a bridge from 1826 near the village of AZA, and much more.

60 km. south of Ordubad, on GAMIGAYA mountain, unique petroglyphs from the 6th-5th millennium BC have survived. There are thousands of drawings here depicting people, scenes of everyday life and hunting, and real and fantastic animals.

THE TOWN OF ORDUBAD is the administrative centre of Ordubad District. It is the second-largest town in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Ordubad has been known since the 12th century and lies at an altitude of 850 m. above sea level. Because of its age, its large number of historical monuments, its appearance almost untouched by new construction, and the way of life its residents have preserved, ORDUBAD has been declared a State Historical and Architectural Reserve.

Its monuments include: the JUMA MOSQUE with the unique arched niches of its facade, the DILBAR MOSQUE, the AFGHAN tower and an 18th-century eyvan, many ancient CHESHMES (structures built at springs), the covered GEYSARIYYA trading complex with round domes (19th-20th centuries), an 18th-century buzkhana (ice house) and mosques, a two-storey madrasa and much more.

You have to see Ordubad to understand how beautiful this small town is, having kept a genuine flavour of the old days. Unbelievably huge old plane trees, so thick that several people together couldn't wrap their arms around them, form a "roof" under which people gather for unhurried conversation; distinctive mosques (without domes), including small neighbourhood (mahalla) mosques, ovdans, kahrizes - everything here has its own character. It is a town where modern people live who have preserved the beauty of the old national way of life.

There is a Museum of History and Local Lore with a rich collection, a theatre, and the house-museum of the writer ORDUBADI, founder of the historical-romantic genre in Azerbaijani literature. Restoration is under way on the house where academician YUSIF MAMMADALIYEV was born - one of the first presidents of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, the founder of Azerbaijani petrochemistry, a brilliant, creative personality, an organiser of Azerbaijani science and the oil industry, thanks to whose work Azerbaijan made an invaluable contribution to the defeat of the Nazi invaders during the Second World War.

In Ordubad you can stay in local people's homes.

SHAHBUZ

SHAHBUZ DISTRICT lies in the north of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. It is mountainous terrain. The highest points are the SALVATLI (3160 m) and KECHALDAG (3115 m) mountains, and the BICHANAG mountain pass runs through it.

Here, as across the whole republic, there is a lot of groundwater, including mineral springs: BADAMLI, BATABAT, KARVANSARAY, BICHANAG. There are deposits of sulphur, building materials and peat. The NAKHCHIVANCHAY river flows here along with its tributaries KUKU, SHAHBUZ and SALVARTI. Lakes - GANLIGOL, BATABAT. There are forested areas in the mountains.

THE TOWN OF SHAHBUZ is the administrative centre of the district. An interesting monument has been found near the town, which people call the "HOUSE OF FARHAD" - after the hero of Nizami's poem "Farhad and Shirin". In fact, it is an ancient human dwelling site with a rather unusual look: four rooms with a "veranda" carved into the rock face of the mountain.

Archaeologists have also surveyed the ruins of the "SHAHPUR" fortress, which bears the name of an ancient ruler. It is believed that over time this name turned into the word "Shahbuz".

THE TOWN OF SHAHBUZ is the administrative centre of the district. You can stay in local people's homes.

Next to the "Badamli" mineral water bottling plant, the "BADAMLI" Recreation Area has been built (at an altitude of 1400 m).

KANGARLI

KANGARLI DISTRICT lies between Babek District and Sharur District. The southern part of the district borders Iran, the northern part Armenia. The district has mountainous terrain and lies on the DARALAYAZ HIGHLANDS.

The climate, as almost everywhere in the autonomous republic, is sharply continental - very hot in summer and cold in winter. The ARAZ river flows through the district, and the border between Azerbaijan and Iran runs along it.

The mountainous terrain, the specifics of the climate and the lack of small rivers have shaped the local vegetation, which consists mainly of semi-desert and mountain species (shrubs, grasses, sparse trees).

It is an agricultural district where people grow tobacco, grapes, grain, vegetables, melons and gourds.

Here, as everywhere in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, there is a large number of ancient monuments, which shows that the region was already inhabited in archaic times: the CHALKHANGALA kurgans, the GAZMA cave, and the ancient settlements of GALAJIG, GOVURGALA, DAMLAMA, GULAMLITAPA and BALATAPA.

Later monuments have also survived - the JAMI mosque (18th c) in the village of KHOK, a mosque (18th c) and a bathhouse (19th c) in the village of SHAHTAKHTI, and others.

The village of QARABAĞLAR is home to the famous "QARABAĞLAR" mausoleum. This village, overgrown with orchards and with ancient but still working kahrizes, lies at the foot of the Zangezur Range. It is believed that a mention in a 17th-century manuscript of "the city of QARABAĞLAR, which has 10 thousand houses and 70 mosques, 40 of them with minarets" refers to the present-day village.

Historical monuments also include sites such as ancient Bronze Age settlements along the banks of the Araz and the Arpachay; stone and obsidian tools of the Mousterian period were found in the GAZMA cave, and examples of skilfully made painted pottery were discovered at the settlement of ŞAHTAXTI.

The settlement of QIVRAQ is the administrative centre of this new district, formed only in 2004. Qıvraq lies on the Nakhchivan-Sharur highway, 30 km. from the region's capital, Nakhchivan. It is 6 km from the settlement to the Araz River.

Having only recently received the status of a district administrative centre, Qıvraq does not yet have the infrastructure to host tourists. But you can stay in the homes of local residents, who will provide a room or a house for a modest fee.

SHARUR

SHARUR DISTRICT is in the west of the republic and borders Iran to the south. The north and east of the territory are mountainous; this is where the DARALAYAZ mountain system lies. The highest peak is QALINQAYA (2775 m). The climate is semi-desert and arid, but fairly even: winter temperatures rarely drop below +3 degrees, and in summer they do not exceed +26 degrees.

The rivers flowing here are tributaries of the ARAZ River (the ARPACHAY and others). The water of the Arpachay is used for irrigation, and the Arpachay Reservoir was built here for that purpose. The local fauna includes mouflons, wolves, bezoar goats, foxes, wild boars and hares.

Archaeological excavations near the villages of ARBATAN, VERMAZIYAR, QARAHASANLI, BABAKI and KOSACAN have shown that there really were ancient settlements here, the memory of which has been preserved among the people (KÖLÜKLƏR, KÖHNƏ, ARBATAN, KÖHNƏKƏND, GÜLTƏPƏ). Many household utensils and painted pottery have been found here.

THE TOWN OF SHARUR is the administrative centre of Sharur District. The town is new; it grew up during the construction of the railway. Two parks have been laid out here, and there is a museum, a stadium, a mosque, a memorial to the shahids and a cinema.

Here too, on the other side of the railway, the old town has survived, with its bathhouses, bazaar and mosques.