Qakh ( az, Qax, ka, კახი) is the capital of the
Qakh District
Qakh District ( az, Qax rayonu; ka, კახის რაიონი, K′akhis raioni; Tsakhur: Къахын район) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north of the country and belongs to the Shaki-Zagatala Ec ...
in the north 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 ...
, near the
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n border.
History
The Qakh region of Azerbaijan has a long history dating back to ancient times. Archeological excavations suggest the area had been populated during
Eneolithic
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
,
Bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
and early
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
s. What remains of these early inhabitants' activities indicates they engaged largely in sedentary cultivation, animal-breeding and art. According to historians, the territory of Qakh was a part of the
Scythian Kingdom in the 7th century B.C.
Initially this territory of modern Qakh was a province of Caucasian Albania. After that, the region was a separate
kingdom of Kakheti
The Second Kingdom of Kakheti ( ka, კახეთის სამეფო, tr; also spelled Kaxet'i or Kakhetia) was a late medieval/ early modern monarchy in eastern Georgia, centered at the province of Kakheti, with its capital first at Grem ...
within Georgian cultural and political influence. During the medieval era what later became known as Saingilo was mostly controlled by the kingdom of Georgia and Shirvan.
With the spread of Christianity throughout the region during the existence of
Caucasian Albania
Caucasian Albania is a modern exonym for a former state located in ancient times in the Caucasus: mostly in what is now Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located). The modern endonyms for the area are ''Aghwank'' and ''Aluank'', among ...
, some Christian temples were built in the Qakh district.
In the 8th century A.D., Qakh fell under Arab occupation. Starting from the 11th century first
Oghuz Turks
The Oghuz or Ghuzz Turks (Middle Turkic languages, Middle Turkic: ٱغُز, ''Oγuz'', ota, اوغوز, Oġuz) were a western Turkic people that spoke the Oghuz languages, Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages, Turkic language family. In th ...
and later
Qipchaq Turks inhabited the area, the region was incorporated into
Great Seljuq Empire
The Great Seljuk Empire, or the Seljuk Empire was a high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turko-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, founded and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. It spanned a total are ...
. Qakh was later a part of the
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 ...
and
Shirvanshah
''Shirvanshah'' ( fa, شروانشاه), also spelled as ''Shīrwān Shāh'' or ''Sharwān Shāh'', was the title of the rulers of Shirvan from the mid-9th century to the early 16th century. The title remained in a single family, the Yazidids, a ...
states. With invasion of
Hulaguids
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, ...
in Azerbaijan in the 13th century, Mongolian nomadic tribes populated the region. In 1562, by the order of the
Safavid
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
Shah
Tahmasp I
Tahmasp I ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 to 1576. He was the eldest son of Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Ascending the throne after t ...
,
Elisu Sultanate
The Sultanate of Elisu, also known as Elisou or Ilisu, was a sultanate in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Geography, population and government
Located mostly on the southern slope of the Caucasus Mountains in what is now northwest Azerbaijan, it ex ...
was established in Qakh. In the 18th century, the Elisu Sultanate became so powerful that, the
Ottoman Emperor
The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its he ...
conferred its ruler Ali Sultan Bey the highest title of
Pasha
Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, gener ...
recognizing him as the
Beylerbey
''Beylerbey'' ( ota, بكلربكی, beylerbeyi, lit=bey of beys, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords') was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks ...
of
Shaki.
In 1803, the sultanate of Elisu was annexed by 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. ...
. The ruler of the sultanate, Daniyal, inspired the people to rise against Russian rule in 1844, due to a disagreement between him and the government of Russia. Sultan Daniyel was defeated near the village of
İlisu
İlisu is a village and municipality in the Qakh District of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 1,370. It was the capital of the Elisu Sultanate
The Sultanate of Elisu, also known as Elisou or Ilisu, was a sultanate in the 18th and 19th centuri ...
and continued his
struggle against Russians along with the leader of the national freedom movement,
Imam Shamil
Imam Shamil ( av, Шейх Шамил, Şeyx Şamil; ar, الشيخ شامل; russian: Имам Шамиль; 26 June 1797 – 4 February 1871) was the political, military, and spiritual leader of North Caucasian resistance to Imperial Russia in ...
. Russians burnt Elisu and divided the territory of the sultanate into mahals (territorial units) and annexed them to the daire (territorial unit) converting it into a colony of tsarist Russia. With proclamation of independence of the
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920,''Bulletin d'Information de l'Azerbaidjan'', No. I, September 1, 1919, pp. 6–7''125 H.C.Debs.'', 58., February 24, 1920, p. 1467. Caucasian Az ...
in May 1918, Qakh was retained within Azerbaijan. During the Soviet rule, Qakh was established as a raion of the
Azerbaijan SSR
Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...
in 1930.
It was part of the Zakatala
okrug
An ''okrug, ; russian: о́круг, ókrug; sr, округ, okrug, ; uk, о́круг, о́kruh; be, акруга, akruha; pl, okręg; ab, оқрҿс; mhr, йырвел, '' is a type of administrative division in some Slavic states. The ...
of
Tiflis Governorate
The Tiflis Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire with its administrative center in Tiflis (present-day Tbilisi). In 1897, it constituted 44,607 sq. kilometres in area and had a population ...
between 1860 and 1917, the
Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
The Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR; (), (). 22 April – 28 May 1918) was a short-lived state in the Caucasus that included most of the territory of the present-day Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as pa ...
between 1917 and 1918, and 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 ...
between 1918 and 1921 before passing to Azerbaijan in March 1922.
Geography
The area of the region occupies and borders
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
on the north, and
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 ...
on the west. It also shares internal boundaries with
Zaqatala District
Zagatala District ( az, Zaqatala rayonu; av, Закатала мухъ, translit=Zakatala muq; Tsakhur: Закаталайни район) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north of the country and belongs to the Sha ...
in the northwest,
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 Step ...
and
Samukh
Samukh ( az, Samux, formerly known as ''Nəbiağalı'' (1992–2008)) (also, Sabarkend, Sabir, Safarabad, Safaraliyeb, and Safaraliyev) is a city and the most populous municipality in, and the administrative center of, the Samukh District of Azerba ...
regions in the south and
Shaki region in the east.
Demographics
The majority of Qakh's population are Azerbaijani people, although the city and region themselves are multicultural.
Avar and
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 ...
(
Ingiloy) inhabitant minorities also live in this area. Based on the military review of the Tiflis province and the Zagatala circle, which was published in 1872 and published the results of the census of 1869, 160 families, consisting of mugals and ingiloys, were nationalized in Gakh village, included in the Ilisu Congregation of Zagatala. Ethnic Turks mugals and representatives of the Dagestan peoples are referred to as Lezghins in the information about the national composition of the population of the settlements that constitute the relevant circle. According to official information as of January 1, 2012, there are a total of 13,793 people living in 2,490 farms of both sexes.
Culture
Culture and Tourism Department of the district was organized in 1949 as the Department of Culture. The first head of the department was Hajiyev Abdurakhman. In 2006, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism was established on the basis of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated 30 January 2006. At present the network of the Department of Culture and Tourism has 96 enterprises and 1 monument guards. 49 libraries, 23 culture houses, 17 clubs, Heydar Aliyev Center, 2 museums (History Linguistics Museum, I. Dagestani memorial museum), Ilisu Historical Culture Reserve, Painting Gallery and Art School, totally 506 employees.
There are two hotels in the region, a recreation and treatment center "Shafa", Ilisu boarding house, "Green park", "Ulu", "Improteks", "Ulu mountain" tourism and leisure centers and "Eden" Park hotel, "Sanjar Qala" recreation center, "El Resort" five star hotel serves tourists. The prices in tourism centers range from £25 to £55. The number of places in tourism facilities has reached 600. If in 2011 about 15 thousand tourists had rest, in 2012 this figure was about 20 thousand.
Transport
All road transport is available in the city. There are daily buses heading to Qakh from the Baku International bus station and it takes six hours of traveling. Taxis are available both at the bus station and as a general means of driving. Trains can also be taken to Qakh from Baku's central railway station. There is a daily working bus which drives from Qakh city to Ilisu, village and municipality in Qakh region. Roads to some inner villages are not available without offroad cars.
Education
During the year there were 56 general education schools, including 30 full secondary, 16 general secondary schools, 9 elementary schools, and 1273 teachers engaged in 7373 students were trained. 1093 of them are higher (85.9%) and 179 (14.1%) have secondary special education. 1830 children were enrolled in public education in 36 pre-school institutions of the district, while 1068 students in 4 out-of-school facilities were leisurely. By the end of the school year, 616 people were enrolled from the first grade to the second grade (646 last year) and 774 (843 last year) have certificates of secondary education and 541 – full secondary education certificates. The full-time secondary school #4 in the "Best School" and "Best Teacher" Republican Contest held by the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oghlu Aliyev ( az, İlham Heydər oğlu Əliyev, ; born 24 December 1961) is the fourth president of Azerbaijan, serving in the post since 31 October 2003.
The son and second child of the former Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev, ...
was the winner of the competition. Teachers and pupils of secondary schools of the district have achieved successful results in the district, zone, republican and international events. Thus, in the international competition "Inepo-Eurasia" Elmir Mukhtarov and Minaya Ahmedzadeh (teacher Rena Ahmadova) took 2nd place and won "silver" medals. The teachers and pupils of the district schools of the region represented our region at the national competition "Energy and the Environment" within the framework of the Norwegian Nature Conservation Society and the Azerbaijan Youth Union's "International School Project Olympiad". They succeeded. Parvana Hajiyeva and Ayshan Hajizadeh (teacher Nazaket Azimova), pupils of secondary school N2, Samra Shabanova and Yusif Yusifli (teacher Rena Ahmadova) took part in the contest. Of the 444 graduates of the XI grade of secondary schools of the district in 2011–2012, 299 applicants applied for higher education institutions and 297 participated in entrance exams. According to the results of the admission, 154 students in the previous academic year received 160 students this year. The number of those who collected more than 600 points in the academic year was 16, while the number of those students in this academic year is 8.
Notable residents
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Qakh is
twinned with the following cities:
References
External links
*
*
World Gazetteer: Azerbaijan– World-Gazetteer.com
{{Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan
Populated places in Qakh District