Western Route: Gazakh

Population of the district: 83 thousand people; the district center, the city of Gazakh: 19 thousand people.

GAZAKH DISTRICT lies near the western border of Azerbaijan. In fact, the Gazakh and Aghstafa districts are not only the western border of modern Azerbaijan but also of the ancient state of Caucasian Albania. The region was divided into two separate administrative districts, Gazakh and Aghstafa, not so long ago.

Historical (architectural and archaeological) monuments protected by the state are located here: the SINIQ KORPU bridge (12th c.); DAMCILI cave; a 5th-century temple in the village of YUKHARI ASKIPARA; SHAKAR GALA temple (15th century); DIDEVAN, a megalithic-type fortress structure; a temple complex of the Albanian period (7th century) in the village of DASH SALAHLI; Mount GOYAZAN with remains of fortress walls (late Middle Ages), next to which an ancient urban-type settlement was recently discovered.

Many sites of ancient man have been found in Gazakh District. On Mount AVEYDAG, between the villages of Dash Salahli and Kamarli, in the valley of the Inja-Su river, on the northeastern spurs of the Lesser Caucasus, Neanderthal cave sites (Mousterian era) have been found; a Cro-Magnon site near DAMCILI cave on Aveydag; near GIZIL GAYA, a beautiful rock of a golden-pinkish color, the ancient settlement of KHAL-KHAL with remains of fortress walls was found (presumably one of the summer residences of the rulers of Albania). Archaeologists find numerous remains of Bronze Age pottery here right on the surface, without excavation; it was also here that the Albanians once defeated the Roman soldiers of Pompey. Ancient written sources say this about it: "10 thousand horsemen and 60 thousand foot soldiers of the Albanians fought against the troops of Pompey".

West of GIZIL GAYA, in the BARKIN AGZI gorge, a chain of Bronze Age burial mounds has been found. All these historical sites (except the Siniq Korpu bridge) are located not far from Gazakh. Local history enthusiasts have collected a large number of archaeological artifacts, displayed in the local museum of regional history. In the village of YUKHARI SALAHLI you can visit the house of the famous Azerbaijani poet SAMAD VURGUN.

The terrain of Gazakh District, with its mountains and valleys and rivers (Kura, Aghstafachay, Jogaz, Khramchay), has always been very convenient for seasonal livestock farming: local shepherds (chobans) drove flocks of sheep from summer mountain pastures to winter camps. Nature itself shaped the local features of folk music and cuisine. There are many ashug singers here, who are invited to various family celebrations and holidays.

THE CITY OF GAZAKH (ancient names "Kasal" or "Gazaka") stands on the site of a former settlement founded, according to some written sources, in the 8th century by the military commander Marwan ibn Muhammad.

Gazakh, the last large city on the western border of Azerbaijan, is the birthplace of talented poets and writers (natives of Gazakh are popularly known as people with a special, poetic perception). Many famous ashugs, scholars and military commanders came from here. Among them are the poets Samad Vurgun and Molla Panah Vagif, the writers Mehdi Huseyn. Ismayil Shikhli, General Aliagha Shikhlinski, a participant in the defense of Port Arthur nicknamed the "god of artillery", and others. It was here, in Gazakh, that the first teachers' seminary in Azerbaijan was opened in 1917.

The city has museums dedicated to the lives of famous poets who came from Gazakh, VAGIF and VIDADI, an old mosque, and other interesting sites. Gazakh is one of the oldest centers of carpet weaving and horse breeding. The famous local DILIBOZ horse breed is still raised here. Carpets of the Gazakh carpet-weaving school are in great demand on the world market: "Dag Kesaman", "Gazakhcha", "Aggoyunlu", "Dordbuynuz", "Damgali", "Shikhli", "Chobankara", "Borchali", "Fakhrali", "Gaymagli".

The cuisine of the Gazakh area is unpretentious, consisting mainly of simple meat and flour dishes, but it is very tasty. Tourists are better off staying in the homes of local residents.