Nakhchivan ( az, Naxçıvan ; arm, Նախիջևան, Nakhijevan) is the capital and largest city of the eponymous

Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic ( az, Naxçıvan Muxtar Respublikası, ), is a landlocked exclave of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The region covers Official portal of Nakhchivan Autonomous RepublicNakhchivan Autonomous Republic with a popula ...

, a true exclave 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 th ...

, located west of

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

. The municipality of Nakhchivan consists of the city of Nakhchivan, the settlement of Əliabad and the villages of Başbaşı, Bulqan, Haciniyyət, Qaraçuq, Qaraxanbəyli, Tumbul, Qarağalıq, and

Daşduz Daşduz (also, Dashduz and Dash-duz) is a settlement in the municipality of Nakhchivan in Nakhchivan City, Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometim ...

. It is spread over the foothills of

Zangezur Mountains The Zangezur Mountains ( hy, Զանգեզուրի լեռներ or Սյունյաց լեռներ, az, Zəngəzur dağları) are a mountain range that defines the border between Armenia's southern provinces of Syunik, Vayots Dzor, and Azerbaijan ...

, on the right bank of the Nakhchivan River at an altitude of above sea level.

Toponymy

The city's official Azerbaijani spelling is "Nakhchivan" ( az, Naxçıvan). The name is transliterated from Persian as Nakhjavan ( fa, نخجوان). The city's name is transliterated from Russian as Nakhichevan' (russian: Нахичевань) and from Armenian as Nakhijevan ( arm, Նախիջևան, Naxiǰewan). The city was first mentioned in

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

's ''

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

'' as ''Naxuana'' ( grc, Ναξουὰνα, la, Naxuana)."Nakhichevan"
in the ''Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary'', St. Petersburg, Russia: 1890–1907. The older form of the name is ''Naxčawan'' (). According to philologist Heinrich Hübschmann, the name was originally borne by the city and later given to the surrounding region. Hübschmann believed the name to be composed of ''Naxič'' or ''Naxuč'' (probably a personal name) and ''awan'', an Armenian word (ultimately of Iranian origin) meaning "place, town". In the Armenian tradition, the name of the city is connected with the Biblical narrative of

Noah's Ark Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in t ...

and interpreted as meaning "place of the first descent" or "first resting place" (as if deriving from and ) due to it being regarded as the site where

Noah Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...

descended and settled after the landing of the Ark on nearby

Mount Ararat Mount Ararat or , ''Ararat''; or is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in the extreme east of Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest peak in Turkey and th ...

. It was probably under the influence of this tradition that the name changed in Armenian from the older ''Naxčawan'' to ''Naxijewan''. Although this is a folk etymology, William Whiston believed Nakhchivan/Nakhijevan to be the ''Apobatērion'' ("place of descent") mentioned by the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in connection with Noah's Ark, which would make the tradition connecting the name with the Biblical figure Noah very old, predating Armenia's conversion to Christianity in the early fourth century.''Noah's Ark: Its Final Berth''
by Bill Crouse

History

Classical period

In the Armenian tradition, Nakhchivan was founded by

after the

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

, and was the place of his death and burial. According to the Armenian historian

Movses Khorenatsi Movses Khorenatsi (ca. 410–490s AD; hy, Մովսէս Խորենացի, , also written as ''Movses Xorenac‘i'' and Moses of Khoren, Moses of Chorene, and Moses Chorenensis in Latin sources) was a prominent Armenian historian from the late an ...

, King Tigranes I of

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

settled

Median In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic fe ...

prisoners of war at Nakhchivan in the second century BC. Nakhchivan is first mentioned in

's '' Geographia'' as Naxuana ( el, Ναξουὰνα, italic=yes).Bosworth (2013) Nakhchivan was destroyed by '' Shahanshah''

Shapur II Shapur II ( pal, 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩 ; New Persian: , ''Šāpur'', 309 – 379), also known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth Sasanian King of Kings (Shahanshah) of Iran. The longest-reigning monarch in Iranian history, he reigned fo ...

in 363 and its Armenian and Jewish population was deported to Iran.Lint (2018), p. 1055 Emperor

Heraclius Heraclius ( grc-gre, Ἡράκλειος, Hērákleios; c. 575 – 11 February 641), was List of Byzantine emperors, Eastern Roman emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exa ...

travelled through the city en route to Atropatene in 623 during the

Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628 The Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628 was the final and most devastating of the Byzantine–Sasanian wars, series of wars fought between the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine / Roman Empire and the Sasanian Empire of Iran. The Byzantine–Sasani ...

Medieval period

The Arab siege of Nakhchivan in 650AD led

Theodore Rshtuni Theodore Rshtuni, also spelled Theodoros Ṛštuni (, ; AD 590–655 or 656), equated with Pasagnathes (Πασαγνάθης), the "''patrikios'' of the Armenians" from the chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor, After the rebellion of 703AD

Muhammad ibn Marwan Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Muḥammad ibn Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam () (died 719/720) was an Umayyad prince and one of the most important generals of the Umayyad Caliphate in the period 690–710, and the one who completed the Arab conquest of Armenia. ...

had the rebel

nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

burnt alive in churches in Nakhchivan and Goghtn in 705. Nakhchivan temporarily came under the control of the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia in , but was swiftly taken by

Muhammad ibn Abi'l-Saj Muhammad ibn Abi'l-Saj () also known as Muhammad al-Afshin (died 901), an Iranian appointed general of al-Mu'tadid, was the first Sajid amir of Azerbaijan, from 889 or 890 until his death. He was the son of Abi'l-Saj Devdad. Early career Like th ...

. The city was the temporary refuge of ''

Atabeg Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the title's use was wit ...

'' Nusrat al-Din Abu Bakr after his defeat at the Battle of Shamkor in 1195, and Nakhchivan was conquered by the

Kingdom of Georgia The Kingdom of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამეფო, tr), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in circa 1008 AD. It reached its Golden Age of political and economic ...

in 1197. The city and its surroundings were ruled either directly or indirectly by Zakarid Armenia from 1201 to 1350, but more often than not they only had partial independence and often were vassals of other Empires. In 1225, Nakhchivan was occupied by al-Maleka al-Jalāliya, daughter of ''Atabeg'' Muhammad Jahan Pahlavan. In 1236 Nakhchivan was occupied by the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

and later the

Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm, ...

forcing Zakarid Armenia to pay taxes to the Mongol lords as well as owing them loyalty and troops. Genoese merchants were known to trade in the city by 1280. The city was conquered by

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kür ...

in 1401, but was taken by King

George VII of Georgia George VII (Georgian: გიორგი VII) (died 1405 or 1407) was king of Georgia from 1393 to 1407 (alternatively, from 1395 to 1405). George was the son of the king Bagrat V and his first wife Elene of Trebizond (died of bubonic plague, ...

in 1405.

Modern period

Nakhchivan was conquered by ''Shahanshah'' Ismail I in 1503. ''Shahanshah'' Abbas I of Persia reconquered Nakhchivan from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1603–1604. Later the city served as the capital of the Nakhichevan Khanate. Nakhchivan Khanate was annexed to the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

per the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828.Hille (2010), p. 66 The city became the centre of the Nakhichevan uezd of the

Erivan Governorate The Erivan Governorate was a province (''guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty (1801–1917), Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its centеr in Erivan (present-day Yerevan). Its area was 27,830 sq. kilometеrs, roughly correspondin ...

in 1849. In 1896, Nakhchivan had a population of 7,433, roughly two-thirds of which were Azeri-speaking Muslims and one-third Armenian Christians. According to the

1897 census The first general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897 ( pre-reform Russian: ) was the first and only nation-wide census performed in the Russian Empire (the Grand Duchy of Finland was excluded). It recorded demographic data as ...

, Nakhchivan had the status of a county town (). 1843 Nakhichevan Coat of Arms

After the

February Revolution The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and somet ...

of 1917, a

soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

was formed in Nakhchivan, but the city was under the control of the Special Transcaucasian Committee from March to November 1917, and its successor the Transcaucasian Commissariat from November 1917 to March 1918.Hille (2010), p. 170

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

occupied Nakhchivan from June until November, after which the city was occupied by British soldiers in January 1919,Hille (2010), p. 173 and a military governor was appointed to administer Nakhchivan. It was decided that Nakhchivan would be granted to Armenia on 6 April 1919, and the city was annexed on 6 June 1919,Hille (2010), p. 171 however, some months later the city became the center of a regional Muslim uprising and pogrom against its Armenian inhabitants. Britain, France, Italy, and the US, with approval from Armenia and Azerbaijan, agreed on 25 October 1919 to appoint American Colonel Edmond D. Daily as General-Governor of Nakhchivan, elections would be held, and both Armenia and Azerbaijan would withdraw its forces from the territory. However, in March 1920, Turkish forces led by Kâzım Karabekir occupied Nakhchivan. Soviet Russia took control of Nakhchivan on 28 July 1920, and the city became part of the newly formed Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.Hille (2010), p. 172 The Treaty of Moscow of 16 March 1921, and later the Treaty of Kars of 21 October 1921, between

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and

agreed that Nakhicheva would be an autonomous territory under the protection of

and delimited its borders with Turkey. In February 1923, the city formed part of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Krai within the

Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...

(ASSR), but later became the capital of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the ASSR in March 1924. When Azerbaijan declared independence from the Soviet Union, Nakhchivan remained part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Following the

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of ...

, a trilateral ceasefire was signed between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. According to the agreement, Azerbaijan will gain a road access to Nakhchivan through Armenia which will be secured by Russian peacekeepers. Since 9 June 2009, the Bulqan, Qaraçuq, Qaraxanbəyli, Tumbul and Haciniyyət villages of the Babek District are included in the scope of the administrative-territorial unit of the Nakhchivan city.

Ecclesiastical history

The bishop of

Mardpetakan Mardpetakan () was a historical region and principality within the province of Vaspurakan of Armenia. It stretched in between the principality of Andzewatsʻi in Corduene, south of Lake Van, to Siunik, north of Araxes river. The name of the regio ...

resided at Nakhchivan, and the Armenian historian

Tovma Artsruni Tovma Artsruni ( hy, Թովմա Արծրունի; also known in English-language historiography as Thomas Artsruni; precise birth date and date of death unknown) was a ninth-century to tenth-century Armenian historian and author of the ''History o ...

records Sahak Vahevuni as bishop of Nakhchivan and Mardpetakan and brother of Apusahak Vahevuni.

Geography

The city is spread over the foothills of Zangezur chain, on the right bank of the

Nakhchivan River Nakhchivan ( az, Naxçıvan) or Nakhichevan (, russian: Нахичевань) may refer to: * Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, an exclave of Azerbaijan ** Nakhchivan (city), the capital city * Nakhichevan Eyalet, a possible eyalet of the Ottoman Em ...

at an altitude of almost . The floods and soil erosion spiked because of the decreased forest cover along riverbanks. As a result,

reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A debate ...

projects implemented in the city to encourage tree planting.

Climate

Nakhchivan has a continental

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

( Köppen ''BSk'') with short but cold, snowy winters and long, dry, very hot summers.

Population

According to the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan, the number of population of city was 63,8 thousand in 2000.

Demographics

Economy

Traditionally, Nakhchivan was home to trade industry, handicraft,

shoemaking Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...

and

hatmaking Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...

by Azerbaijanians. These industries have been largely replaced. The restoration enterprises and development industry, liberalization of foreign trade and the extension of the customs

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

, which has been largely responsible for Nakchivan's

growth Growth may refer to: Biology * Auxology, the study of all aspects of human physical growth * Bacterial growth * Cell growth * Growth hormone, a peptide hormone that stimulates growth * Human development (biology) * Plant growth * Secondary growth ...

in the last two decades, are now major parts of Nakchivan's economy.

Culture

The city has a wide range of cultural activities, amenities and museums. Heydar Aliyev Palace, which has a permanent local painting exhibition and a theatre hall for an audience of 1000 people, and a recently restored Soviet-time Opera Theatre where the Nakhchivan State Musical Drama Theatre realises theatre plays, concerts, musicals and opera. Many of the city's cultural sites were celebrated in 2018 when Nakhchivan was designated an Islamic Culture Capital.

Architecture

The city is home Momine Khatun Mausoleum, Gulustan Mausoleum, Noah's Mausoleum,

Garabaghlar Mausoleum The Garabaghlar Mausoleum ( az, Qarabağlar türbəsi) is a mausoleum located in Garabaghlar village of Kangarli District of Azerbaijan, about 30 kilometers far from the north-western part of Nakhchivan. The mausoleum, built in the first half of ...

Yusif ibn Kuseyir Mausoleum The Mausoleum of Yusif ibn Kuseyir was built in 1161–1162, in Nakchivan city. Architect of the mausoleum was Ajami ibn Abubakr Nakhchivani. The mausoleums of Nakhichevan was nominated for List of World Heritage Sites, UNESCO in 1998 by Guln ...

, Imamzadeh mausoleum and

Mausoleum of Huseyn Javid Mausoleum of Huseyn Javid ( az, Hüseyn Cavid məqbərəsi) – is a mausoleum erected on a grave of Huseyn Javid, an eminent Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially c ...

mausoleums. The main sight in the city is the heavily restored 12th-century Momine Khatun Mausoleum, also known as Atabek Gumbezi. Momine Khatun was the wife of Eldegizid Atabek Jahan Pahlivan, ruler of the Atabek Eldegiz emirate. The 10-sided monument is decorated with intricate geometrical motives and Kufic script, it uses turquoise glazed bricks. It shares the neighbourhood with a statue of its

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

–

Ajami Nakhchivani Ajami ibn Abubakr Nakhchivani ( az, Əcəmi ibn Əbubəkr Naxçıvani) was a 12th and 13th-century Muslim architect who contributed greatly to the architecture of Nakhchivan. He was the founder of the Nakhchivan school of architecture and is th ...

– and a bust of

Heydar Aliyev Heydar Alirza oghlu Aliyev ( az, Һејдәр Әлирза оғлу Әлијев, italic=no, Heydər Əlirza oğlu Əliyev, ; , ; 10 May 1923 – 12 December 2003) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani politician who served as the third president of Aze ...

. Also from the 12th century and by the same architect, is the octagonal Yusuf Ibn Kuseir tomb, known as ''Atababa'', half abandoned near the main cemetery. In 1993, the white marble

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

Hussein Javid Huseyn Javid ( az, Hüseyn Cavid),was born Huseyn Abdulla oglu Rasizadeh (24 October 1882, Nakhchivan – 5 December 1941, Shevchenko, Tayshetsky District), was a prominent Azerbaijani poet and playwright of the early 20th century. He was one of ...

was built. The Azerbaijani writer died in the

Gulag The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...

during

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

Great Purge The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Nikolay Yezhov, Yezhov'), was General ...

. Both the mausoleum and his house museum are located east of the theatre. Although being a recent construction, Huseyn Javid's mausoleum is of great iconic importance, representing the ability of the exclave to live despite the Armenian embargo and becoming a symbol of Nakhchivan itself. The mausoleums of Nakhchivan were entered for possible inclusion in the List of World Heritage Sites,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 1998 by

Gulnara Mehmandarova Gulnara Mehmandarova ( az, Gülnarə Mehmandarova; born in 1959) is an architect, researcher ( historian of architecture and art) and Corresponding Member of the International Academy of Architecture of Oriental Countries. Gulnara Kamal Mehma ...

– president of

Committee of ICOMOS— International Council on Monuments and Sites.

Cuisine

Nakchivan’s signature cuisine includes shirin plov (sweet rice with gravy; made with mutton, hazelnuts, almonds and dried fruits), dastana, komba, tendir lavash and galin. Lavash is made with flour, water, and salt. The thickness of the bread varies depending on how thin it was rolled out. Toasted sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds are sometimes sprinkled on before baking. It is impossible to imagine any table without bread in Azerbaijan and also in Nakhchivan. In connection with this, the assortment of bread in Nakhchivan is different; the tendir lavash as thin as paper, galin (thick), dastana, and komba (ash cake). If prepared to saj it was called lavash, "Juha salmag" – spread Juha, lavash bread on saj, and if prepared in the tandir, the "llavash yapmag" lavash bread stick. The fact is that it was necessary to stick lavash bread on the hot inner walls of the tandir. it is impossible to fight with lavash bread, as the proverb reads "Gyaldi lavash – Bitdili Savas" – "Came lavash – the end of the war". There are many people’s ideological expressions about lavash "Yavash-yavash -pendir- lavash " "Quietly (slow) – cheese lavash " or "Khamrali hash – bagryna bass", "Khamraliev" (kind of bread) push to the chest, i.e. . lavash bread – eat slowly. "Of lavash folk sandwiches are made in a roll shape – durmek. In the village where children ran out to play or school they were supplied with these sandwiches. Inside durmeks – rolls was put butter and jam, cheese, cottage cheese and butter, cheese with herbs, potatoes, boiled eggs, etc."

Sacrificial monument Ashabi-Kahf

Ashabi-Kahf is a sanctuary in a natural cave which is located in the eastern part of the city of Nakhchivan, between the mountains of Ilandag and Nahajir in Azerbaijan.Since ancient times Ashabi-Kahf is considered as a sacred place.It is known not only in Nakhchivan, but also in other regions of Azerbaijan and countries of the Middle East.Each year ten thousands of people make a pilgrimage to this place.

Museums and galleries

The city also has many historical museums, the literature museum of

, Nakhchivan State History Museum, The Nakhchivan State Carpet Museum, and the house museums of

Jamshid Nakhchivanski Jamshid Jafargulu oglu Nakhchivanski ( az, Cəmşid Cəfərqulu oğlu Naxçıvanski; August 23, 1895 – August 26, 1938), also known as Jamshid Khan Nakhichevanski, was a Russian Imperial, Azerbaijani and Soviet military commander. He rose to ...

and

Bahruz Kangarli Bahruz Shirali bey oglu Kangarli ( az, Bəhruz Şirəlibəy oğlu Kəngərli; 22 January 1892, Nakhchivan – 7 February 1922, Nakhchivan) was an Azerbaijani painter and graphic artist. He was one of the first professional representatives of Azerb ...

. There is also an archaeological museum found on Istiqlal street. The city has a few interesting

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s, particularly the Juma

, with its large dome. Modern museums in Nakchivan include the Museum under Open Air, Heydar Aliyev Museum and the Memorial Museum (''Xatıra Muzeyi''), dedicated to the national strife between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Music and media

The regional channels ''Naxçıvan TV'' and ''Kanal 35'', and newspaper Sharg Gapisi are headquartered in the city.

Sports

Araz Naxçivan one of the top futsal clubs in the European futsal arena and regularly participates in

UEFA Futsal Cup The UEFA Futsal Champions League is an annual futsal competition for European club teams organized by UEFA. It was founded as the UEFA Futsal Cup in 2001 and replaced the Futsal European Clubs Championship, an unofficial competition held since 1984 ...

. Nakhchivan had one professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team, Araz-Naxçıvan, which competed in the top-flight of

i football, the

Azerbaijan Premier League The Azerbaijan Premier League ( az, Azərbaycan Premyer Liqası) is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Azerbaijan football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is conteste ...

. In 2014, the city hosted Masters Weightlifting World Cup.

Festivals

Nakhchivan is known for its "Goyja" fruit, sort of a cherry-plum, and hosts a traditional Goyja festival at the Nakhchivangala Historical-Architectural Museum Complex. Products made from goyja—jam, compote (drink), pickles, dried, lavasha (bread) – are shown at the festival. Another festival organized annually in Nakhchivan is associated with kata () – flat pie with greens, which is made with shomu (wild spinach), mixed greens,

desert candle ''Caulanthus inflatus'', the desert candle, also referred to as squaw cabbage, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to the Mojave Desert of California and Nevada, and the southern Sierra Nevada and Transverse Ranges in the Uni ...

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

, asphodel, nettle, bean or

lentil The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest pro ...

in a dough wrapped in the shape of an envelope and cooked in a tandir. Kata festival is aimed to show and promote the preparation manner of various types of the kata specific to different regions of NAR. The festival is held at the Historical-Architectural Museum Complex "Nakhchivangala" in April.

Education

There are 3 professional, 6 musical, 22 secondary schools and a military cadet school in Nakhchivan administered by the city council.

Universities and colleges

Nakhchivan is home to numerous universities: * Nakhchivan State University * Nakhchivan Private University * Nakhchivan Teachers Institute

Transport

Public transport

Nakhchivan's trolleybus system consisted of three lines at its height and existed until 2004.

Air

Nakhchivan International Airport Nakhchivan International Airport ( az, Naxçıvan Beynəlxalq Hava Limanı) is a civilian airport and Azeri military airbase located in Nakhchivan, the capital of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan. The air ...

is the only commercial airport serving Nakhchivan. The airport is connected by bus to the city center. There are domestic flights to Baku and international service to Russia and Turkey.

Rail

Currently, a light rail line operates from Nakhchivan southeast to Ordubad and northwest to

Sharur Sharur ( ) is a city in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. It is the administrative centre of the Sharur District. The city is located 66 km northwest of Nakhchivan city, on the Sharur plain. History In a manuscript of the 16t ...

Notable residents

The city's notable residents include: president of Azerbaijan

, Huseyn Javid – poet and playwright, founder of the progressive romanticism in Azerbaijani literature, writer

Jalil Mammadguluzadeh Jalil Huseyngulu oghlu Mammadguluzadeh ( az, Cəlil Məmmədquluzadə; 22 February 1869 – 4 January 1932), was an Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani satirist and writer. He was the founder of Molla Nasraddin (magazine), ''Molla Nasraddin'', a ...

, opera singer

Azer Zeynalov Azer may refer to: *Azer (name) * Azer (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a race from a plane of fire in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' *AZER, the reporting mark for the Arizona Eastern Railway, a Class III railroad in the southwestern United States See also *Az ...

, film director

Rza Tahmasib Rza Abbasgulu oglu Tahmasib ( az, Rza Təhmasib; 20 April 1894, Nakhchivan City – 14 February 1980, Baku) was an Azerbaijani film director and actor. He also worked as a professor of theatre, and translator of play scripts from Russian into Az ...

, generals Huseyn Khan Nakhchivanski and

, artist

and architect

. File:Heydar Aliyev 1997.jpg,

, was the longest serving political leader in Azerbaijan. File:Huseyn Javid.jpg, Huseyn Javid, was the founder of the progressive romanticism in Azerbaijani literature. File:Jalil Mammadguluzadeh, c. 1920.jpg,

, was an Azerbaijani satirist and writer. File:Dudanginski.jpg,

Abdurrahman Fatalibeyli Abdurrahman Fatalibeyli (birth surname Dudanginski, (russian: Абдулрахман Фаталибейли-Дудангинский, az, Ədrürrəhman bəy Fətəlibəyli-Düdənginski) or Abo Alioglu Fatalibeyli-Dudanginsky Або Алиеви ...

, was a

Soviet army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

major who defected to the German forces during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. File:Khetcho Commander of cavalry Armenian volunteer units.jpg,

Khetcho Khetcho ( hy, Խէչո; 1872 – July 1915) was a renowned Armenian activist and combatant. A member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Khetcho led an active life in Armenian politic affairs. During his time as an activist, he participated ...

, Armenian activist, combatant and one of key supporter of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution File:Jamshid Nakhchivanski in 1931.jpg,

, was a Russian Imperial, Azerbaijani and

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

military commander. File:Stamps of Azerbaijan, 2016-1247.jpg, Memar Ajami, the founder of the Nakhchivan school of architecture File:Bahruz Kengerli.jpg,

, the founder of realistic easel painting of Azerbaijan. File:Rza tahmasib.jpg,

, film director and actor. File:Khan Nakhichevanski.jpg, Huseyn Khan Nakhchivanski, was the only Muslim to serve as General-Adjutant of the Russian Emperor. File:Nazli Najafova.png, alt=The Azeri educator Nazli Najafova.,

Nazli Najafova Nazli Najafova ( Azerbaijani: Nazlı Nəcəfova; 1890–1977) was a pioneering female educator in Azerbaijan. The founder of several academic programs for girls, including the first women's pedagogical school in her home city of Nakhchivan, and a ...

, pioneering educator of women and girls. File:AR Prezident Administrasiyasının ictimai-siyasi məsələlər şöbəsinin müdiri Əli Həsənov - VOA - 02.jpg, Ali M. Hasanov, served as the National Adviser to the

President of Azerbaijan The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of Azerbaijan. The Constitution states that the president is the embodiment of executive power, commander-in-chief, "representative of Azerbaijan in home and foreign policies", ...

International relations

Twin towns

Nakhchivan is twinned with various cities. *

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the second largest city of Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's southwest. It is situated in a subtropical zone at the foot of th ...

, Georgia,

Gallery

File:Nakhchivan city.JPG, Nakhchivan city File:Nakhchivan khan palace7.JPG,

Palace of Nakhchivan Khans Palace of Nakhchivan Khans ( az, Naxçıvan xanlarının sarayı) is historical and architectural monument of the 18th century located in Nakhchivan. The monument built in the style of the Nakhchivan-Maragha architectural school was the residenc ...

File:Momine Fragment.jpg, Face Pattern of the Momine Khatun Mausoleum File:Huseyn Javid Home-Museum at Nakhchivan (general view).jpg, Huseyn Javid Home-Museum at Nakhchivan (general view) File:City of naxcivan view from plane.jpg, The aerial view of the city in 2006 File:First language in Azerbaijani.JPG, Monument for the

Azerbaijani language Azerbaijani () or Azeri (), also referred to as Azeri Turkic or Azeri Turkish, is a Turkic language from the Oghuz sub-branch spoken primarily by the Azerbaijani people, who live mainly in the Republic of Azerbaijan where the North Azerbaija ...

File:Nakhchivan city femme centre.JPG, Old Mosque (17-18 Centuries) File:Təbriz mehmanxanasından görünüş.jpg, View from Tabriz Hotel

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *
Jamalova Nigar. Armenia’s plans on the Nakhchivan territory and the countermeasures of the Azerbaijan government (1918-1920). Journal of Azərbaycan Tarixşünaslığı / Azerbaijan Historiography. 2024/6. p.25-49

External links

Nakhchivan Guide

Nakhchivan Portal
*
World Gazetteer: Azerbaijan
– World-Gazetteer.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Nakhchivan (city) Populated places in Azerbaijan Districts of Azerbaijan Subdivisions of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Erivan Governorate Mount Ararat Nakhichevan Khanate