Southern Route: Masalli

Population of the district - 180300 people; the district center, the town of Masalli - 9400 people.

MASALLI DISTRICT lies along the region's main transport artery - the road from the capital of Azerbaijan south to Iran. One of the district's borders is the Caspian seacoast, another is the TALISH mountains. The contrasting terrain - mountains and plains (the Lankaran Lowland) - also accounts for the climatic variation, from moderately warm with dry summers to subtropical. The rivers that flow here - the VILASH, ALVADICHAY, TATYAN and others - flow into the Caspian Sea.

Masalli District is rich in mineral springs - both thermal and cold, some with a high content of sulfur and other trace elements. In one of the district's scenic mountain corners lies the ISTISU mineral spring - its water has healing properties. People come here for treatment or simply to relax - the place is very beautiful, with a waterfall of thermal water and a suspension bridge. Istisu is a very popular medicinal mineral water, and bottles of it can be bought in pharmacies across the country.

THE TOWN OF MASALLI is the administrative center of Masalli District, 23o km from Baku. In ancient times the "Masal" tribe lived on this site - remaining in the people's memory, it gave the town its modern name. On the outskirts of the town, in a forest, there is a small scenic lake - a favorite place to relax for visitors and locals alike.

Historical and architectural monuments in the town include a 19th-century mosque, an old bathhouse, the ERKIVAN tower, and a local history museum; in the nearby villages of DIGAH and BORADIGAH there are 16th-century mosques and the mausoleum of SEYID SADIG. Traditional folk crafts (mats, headscarves, pottery and woodwork, carpets, jorabs) are made in the villages of MUSAKUCHA, TURKOBA, GARIBLAR, KOLATAN, SIGDASH and others.

On the road from Masalli to Lankaran, on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea (GIZILAGACH Bay), lies lies the GIZILAGACH Nature Reserve, whose grounds include the entire water area of the bay as well as adjacent land. The reserve was established in 1929 to protect and restore waterfowl, marsh and steppe birds, and to protect the aquatic and semi-desert natural complexes that serve as wintering grounds for birds, including those listed in the Red Book (248 bird species and 54 fish species in total).