Katex (; av, Катихъ) is a village at the foot of the
Caucasian Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains,
: pronounced
* hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ,
: pronounced
* az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced
* rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ
* tr, Kafkas Dağla ...
and the second most populous municipality in the
Balakan District 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 ...
. The village (called Katekhi () in
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
) and its
Katekhi Church
The Katekhi Church ( ka, კატეხის ეკლესია; az, Katex kilsəsi) is a Georgian Orthodox Church located in the village of Katex of Balakan District, northwestern Azerbaijan, on the border with Georgia
Georgia most common ...
are mentioned by Catholicos of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
Melchizedek
In the Bible, Melchizedek (, hbo, , malkī-ṣeḏeq, "king of righteousness" or "my king is righteousness"), also transliterated Melchisedech or Malki Tzedek, was the king of Salem and priest of (often translated as "most high God"). He is f ...
in 1020. The village for short period in 1918-1921 was the part of the
Georgian Democratic Republic
The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG; ka, საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა ') was the first modern establishment of a republic of Georgia, which existed from May 1918 to F ...
.
Zagatala State Reserve
Zagatala State Nature Reserve ( az, Zaqatala Dövlət Qoruğu) - is a reserve in the Zagatala and Balakan districts of Azerbaijan. It was established in 1929 in the middle part of the southern foothills of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the te ...
at the north of the village is a popular tourist destination, and has the picturesque waterfall Katekh, a local favourite spot.
Street Geybulla (in local dialect Gayvaly) is a 17th-century mosque, which served as a warehouse in Soviet times for storing various agricultural products such as tobacco leaves and grain.
Katekh also is a home to Sofu Baba Pir, a sacred destination situated at the entrance to the village, which is said to be a burial place of a Sufi sheikh. The local population still practices modified zikr (
dhikr
''Dhikr'' ( ar, ذِكْر}, , also spelled ''Zikr'', ''Thikr'', ''Zekr'', or ''Zikar'', literally meaning "remembrance, reminder" or "mention") is a form of Islamic meditation in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly chanted in order to remem ...
) of
Naqshbandi order during local and family festivities.
The village has a population of 7,432. The municipality consists of the villages of Katekh and
Beretbina.
Gallery
File:Katex river e-citizen.JPG, The Katekh river in the village
References
*
Populated places in Balakan District
{{Balakan-geo-stub