Barda District ( az, Bərdə rayonu) is one of the 66
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
. It is located in the center of the country and belongs to the
Aran Economic Region
Aran Economic Region ( az, Aran iqtisadi rayonu) was one of the 10 economic regions of Azerbaijan. It bordered Iran to the south, as well as the economic regions of Upper Karabakh, Ganja-Gazakh, Shaki-Zagatala, Mountainous Shirvan, Absheron, ...
. The district borders the districts of
Tartar
Tartar may refer to:
Places
* Tartar (river), a river in Azerbaijan
* Tartar, Switzerland, a village in the Grisons
* Tərtər, capital of Tartar District, Azerbaijan
* Tartar District, Azerbaijan
* Tartar Island, South Shetland Islands, ...
,
Agdam
Aghdam ( az, Ağdam) is a ghost town and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies from Stepanakert at ...
,
Aghjabadi
Aghjabadi ( az, Ağcabədi) is a city in and the capital of the Aghjabadi District of Azerbaijan. It is situated in central Azerbaijan.
Notable natives
* Uzeyir Hajibeyov — composer. He is recognized as the father of Azerbaijani classical mu ...
,
Zardab,
Agdash, and
Yevlakh
Yevlakh ( az, Yevlax, ) is a city in Azerbaijan, 265 km west of capital Baku. It is surrounded by, but administratively separate from, the Yevlakh District.
Etymology
The settlement is mentioned by the 13th century Armenian historian St ...
. Its capital and largest city is
Barda. As of 2020, the district had a population of 157,500.
History
Materials and coins found in archaeological excavations related to the period of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
, Arakis, and
Empire of Rome prove that the center of the district (Barda city) is one of the oldest centers, not only in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
but also in the Middle East. According to 9th-century Arabian historian
Al-Baladhuri
ʾAḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Jābir al-Balādhurī ( ar, أحمد بن يحيى بن جابر البلاذري) was a 9th-century Muslim historian. One of the eminent Middle Eastern historians of his age, he spent most of his life in Baghdad and e ...
, Barda was established in the period of
Kavadh I
Kavad I ( pal, 𐭪𐭥𐭠𐭲 ; 473 – 13 September 531) was the Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 488 to 531, with a two or three-year interruption. A son of Peroz I (), he was crowned by the nobles to replace his deposed and unpopular un ...
, who was a
Sassanid
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
ruler, while according to 14th-century Iranian historian
Hamdallah Mustawfi
Hamdallah Mustawfi Qazvini ( fa, حمدالله مستوفى قزوینی, Ḥamdallāh Mustawfī Qazvīnī; 1281 – after 1339/40) was a Persian official, historian, geographer and poet. He lived during the last era of the Mongol Ilkhanate, an ...
it was from the period of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
(336–323 BC).
Barda became the center of the region ruled by the governor during the Sassanid period. During the reign of Kavadh I, Barda was surrounded by fortress walls. It was the capital of Albania in the 10th century. The center of the Albanian church was moved to Barda in 552 and was occupied by Iranian feudalists in 639. Thereafter, Barda received autonomy with the help of Javanshir, who was the ruler of Alban. It became a central part of Arran Province in 752. Barda was part of the Sassanid state until the 890s.
The remains of cultural items from the 2nd millennium BC to the late
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
have been found and preserved in Barda. The cultural items include a Barda tomb built in 1322, remains of old city walls from the 6th century, the Ibrahim Mosque (18th-century cemetery), two bridges from the 7th–9th centuries on the Tartar River, the Axsadan Baba tomb of the 14th century, and an eight-point tomb in the village of Guloghlular from the 18th century. All of these findings are well-preserved by the government. In addition, the Juma mosque (built in Barda city in 1905), a 19th-century bathhouse, the 19th-century Ugurbeyli Mosque, the Bahman Mirza Mausoleum, and other historical and architectural monuments were found in Shirvanli village.
Barda consisted of two parts: Shahristan and Rabad. The city center was in Shahristan, which was surrounded by fortress walls. Meanwhile, there were craftsmen, merchants, and
caravanserai
A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...
s in the place called Rabat.
Barda District was established in 1930 as an independent administrative unit.
Monuments
Historical monuments left to date are as follows:
* Ibrahim Mosque (built in the 8th–9th centuries)
* Bahram Mirza Tomb
* “Akhsadan baba” Tomb
*
Barda Tomb
* “Torpag gala”
* Juma Mosque
* 2 bridges over Tartar river
Economy
Barda is well-developed agriculturally. The main agricultural sectors include grain and cotton growing. The economy is primarily based upon cattle-breeding, vegetable growing, and silkworm breeding.
Barda District has a developed industry. There are “Yag-Pendir” (“Butter-Cheese”) and “Garabag-Pambig” (“Grabag-Cotton”) OSJCs, cannery, etc. functioning in the district.
The district runs education, health, social, recreational and public catering facilities.
Population
The population of the district was 143.9 thousand people until January 1, 2011. According to the official information dated 01.06.2012, the population of the region is 147700. Among the residents, there are 222 Karabakh war invalids, 438 martyrs, 884 Karabakh war veterans and 41 Great Patriotic War veterans.
According to the
State Statistics Committee
The State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan Republic ( az, Azərbaycan Respublikası Dövlət Statistika Komitəsi) is a governmental agency within the Cabinet of Azerbaijan in charge of collection, processing and disseminating statistical data ...
, as of 2018, the population of city recorded 155,400 persons, which increased by 24,800 persons (about 18.9 percent) from 130,600 persons in 2000.
78,900 of total population are men, 76,500 are women.
More than 25,8 percent of the population (about 40,100 persons) consists of young people and teenagers aged 14–29.
Geographical location
Barda city is located on the Kur-Araz lowland, 87 meters above sea level, in the center of the Karabakh plain. The region is bordered by the Tartar region in the west, Yevlakh region in the north, Aghdash region in the north-east and the east, Zardab region in the south-east along the Kur River and the Aghdam and Aghjabadi regions in the south.
Infrastructure
The
Yevlakh
Yevlakh ( az, Yevlax, ) is a city in Azerbaijan, 265 km west of capital Baku. It is surrounded by, but administratively separate from, the Yevlakh District.
Etymology
The settlement is mentioned by the 13th century Armenian historian St ...
-Agdam railway, the Yevlakh-Lachin-Nakhchivan and Yevlakh-Agjabedi motorways pass through the region.
References
External links
Azerbaijan Development GatewayMinistry of Culture and Tourism's history of Bardabelediyye.org
{{Authority control
Districts of Azerbaijan