Southern Route: Lankaran

The territory of the LANKARAN DISTRICT occupies the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea and the entire Lankaran Lowland up to the Talysh Mountains. There are many beautiful sandy beaches along the Caspian coast here. The humid subtropical climate, the absence of harsh winters, the dry, hot summers and the rainy autumns account for the rich flora and fauna of this region. The rivers – the LANKARAN, VERAVUL, GUMBASHI, BOLADI – are fed mainly by rainfall; in spring and autumn they are turbulent, while in summer they calm down and become noticeably shallower. That is why the KHANBULANCHAY RESERVOIR was built here to irrigate crops.

The Lankaran District is another important agricultural region of Azerbaijan, whose special climatic conditions have made it possible to grow subtropical crops – tea, tangerines, persimmons, feijoa and several varieties of lemons. It is the country's main region for growing the famous Lankaran tea, which is not inferior in quality and aroma to classic Indian tea.

It is no accident that skilled master carvers emerged here: the region is rich in unique tree species, including relict and endemic ones. Ironwood, cork oak, velvet birch, Hyrcanian boxwood, silk acacia, oak, eucalyptus and the main tree of Lankaran's Talysh forests – the broadleaf oak. In addition, the forests are full of wild fruit trees, medicinal herbs and shrubs. So it is no surprise that two nature reserves and a wildlife sanctuary have been established in the district.

The "Gizil-Agach" NATURE RESERVE is located on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea, in the area of Gizil-Agach Bay. The reserve's grounds include the entire water area of Greater Gizil-Agach Bay and the northern part of Lesser Gizil-Agach Bay, as well as the adjacent stretches of coast. The reserve was established in 1929 to protect and restore wintering and migratory waterfowl, wetland and steppe birds. It is home to 248 species of birds and 54 species of fish.

Also, the Hirkan Nature Reserve is located on a territory of 21,435 ha; in 2004 it was converted into HIRKAN NATIONAL Park (it occupies part of the territory of the Astara and Lankaran districts).

The "Lesser Gizil-Agach" wildlife sanctuary was established in 1978 (area of 10.7 thousand ha) on Lesser Kizil-Agach Bay to protect and restore the numbers of wintering and migratory waterbirds and wetland birds, including rare and endangered ones. It borders directly on the "Gizil-Agach" nature reserve.

THE CITY OF LANKARAN is the administrative center of the Lankaran District. Population – 193700 thousand people, distance from Baku – 268 km. It is a city whose advantageous geographical location, fertile land and natural resources have always drawn people here. Lankaran is located in the southeast of the country, on the bank of the LANKARANCHAY River. It is believed to have arisen here, not far from the sea, three hundred years ago. A fortress with watchtowers was built here, along with a lighthouse. The city's original name – LENGERKUNAN – meant "anchorage", that is, a port.

Among the architectural and historical monuments that survive here today are the khan's palace, KHAN EVI, with the original ornamentation of its facade, the KICHIK GALA mosque, the GULDASTA minaret and the old HAJI MIRZA bathhouse. You can learn about the region's history by visiting the History Museum, whose building is itself of architectural interest. The city has workshops of decorative and applied arts where craftsmen do carving – in wood, stone and metal. Lankaran has a theater whose first performance took place back in 1850, and the entire takings from it were given to the local poor. This city gave Azerbaijan glorious military commanders – generals Hazi Aslanov, to whom a monument has been erected here. A museum exhibition has been opened in the house where he was born and lived.

In the vicinity of Lankaran – in the villages of Boladi, Vilvan, Veravul – such traditional crafts as jewelry making, carpet weaving and reed weaving are well developed (according to some sources, the entire city of Lankaran was built on marshy ground overgrown with reeds). Among the architectural and historical monuments in the vicinity of Lankaran that have survived to this day are the ABIRLAR tower in the village of Yukhari Nuvedi; the SHEIKH ZAHID tower in the village of Shikhakaran; and to the west of Lankaran stand the ancient ruins of the BALABUR fortress, whose construction used an interesting combination of materials – red fired brick and river stone. Locals sometimes also call the fortress "BOZ GALA" ("the gray fortress"), and ceramic water pipes have survived in this fortress to this day.

In the 18th century, during the reign of Garakhan, Lankaran became the capital of the Talysh Khanate. Its cultural and economic development began, and crafts started to flourish, especially metalwork: blacksmithing and jewelry making, and the production of copperware. Lankaran became an important trading center through which goods passed from Iran, Central Asia, India and Russia – the city had 9 large markets with developed infrastructure. Thanks to its advantageous geopolitical position and wealth, the city always whetted the predatory appetites of neighboring khanates and larger states. In 1795 it was sacked by the troops of the Iranian shah Mohammad Qajar. And in 1813 the entire Lankaran Khanate was seized by Russia. Later this seizure was legitimized by the Treaty of Turkmenchay.