North-Western Route: Gabala

GABALA district lies within the Shaki-Zagatala zone, in the north-western part of Azerbaijan, on the border with Dagestan and Georgia. The region has an ancient history: people already lived here in Neolithic times. At one time it was the centre of CAUCASIAN ALBANIA, and later it was successively part of the SHIRVANSHAHS' state and the SHAKI Khanate. The rivers DAMIRAPARANCHAY, VANDAMCHAY, GUMCHAY, TIKANLICHAY and others flow through the district.

The district is rich in walnut and chestnut forests - on the mountain slopes, at an altitude of 1000 metres, lies the famous chestnut grove - the chestnut trees blossoming in spring are a magical sight. The trees here are ancient, the average age of each is over 500 years, and some of them are included in the list of natural monuments protected by the state. Here you can hunt goitered gazelles, roe deer, bears, wolves, hares and other representatives of the local fauna. One of the mountaineering routes to the highest peak of the republic - Mount BAZARDUZU (4 466 m. above sea level) - starts from here.

Many architectural monuments of history and culture have survived in the district: a 19th-century mosque in the village of BUM; a 4th-century Albanian temple in the village of AMILI; the 9th-century USTAJAN tower in the village of BAYRAMKOKHA; the HAJI-GARIB mosque and the CHOTARI Albanian church in the village of NIJ; the 15th-century mausoleums of Sheikhs BADREDDIN and MANSUR in the village of KHAZRA; a 17th-century mausoleum in the village of SHEFILI. And also pirs (burial places of people considered saints and pious people in their lifetime): the 16th-century SHIKH-BABA in the village of HAMZALLI; KOMRAD on the summit of Mount KOMRAD.

On Mount YALOYLU, near the village of NIJ, archaeologists found an ancient settlement. The archaeological culture found here is typical of the northern regions of Azerbaijan and has been named the "Yaloylu Tepe culture". Iron weapons, bronze and gold items, stone millstones, etc. were discovered here. Among the crafts, woodworking (in the village of VANDAM), pottery (in the village of GAMARVAN) and carpet weaving (in the villages of LAZA and BUM) are developed. The village of BUM has the ZOP-ZOPA folk ensemble, which has performed successfully at various festivals abroad.

In Gabala district, in the village of NIJ, the UDINS live compactly. This ethnic group is considered to be the descendants of the ancient ALBANIANS, who have managed to preserve their own traditions, language, material and spiritual culture to this day.

THE CITY OF GABALA - the administrative centre of the district, is located on the spurs of Mount SHAHDAG. This is the ancient KABALA, a city mentioned in the 1st century in the written sources of the Greeks and Romans (Pliny). The city is about 2000 years old, and for more than 600 of them it was the capital of Caucasian Albania. The ancient ruins of Kabala are located not far from modern Gabala (15 km.), between the GARACHAY and JOURLUCHAY rivers. In the city of Gabala itself, the 18th-century IMAM-BABA mausoleum and the JUMA MOSQUE have survived. The city also has a large museum of history and local lore, which houses numerous archaeological finds discovered in the district.