Balakən (; ) is a city and the administrative centre of the
Balakan District
Balakan District (, ) is one of the 66 Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan, districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north of the country, in the Shaki-Zagatala Economic Region. The district borders the district of Zagatala District, Zag ...
of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. The city is situated at the foot of the
Greater Caucasus Mountains and on the Balakan river, a tributary of the
Alazani River.
Etymology
According to the ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Place Names'', the name ''Balakan'' may be derived from an
Old Georgian
Old Georgian (ႤႬႠჂ ႵႠႰႧႭჃႪႨ, ''enay kartuli'') is a literary language of the Georgian monarchies attested from the 5th century. The language remains in use as the liturgical language of the Georgian Orthodox Church and for ...
word "ბელის კანი (belis k'ani)" meaning "skin of a bear cub".
History
Throughout its history, the city was ruled by different kingdoms and khanates. In 1918–1920, Balakan was
disputed between
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (), also known as the Azerbaijan People's Republic (; ), was the first secular democracy, democratic republic in the Turkic peoples, Turkic and Muslim worlds.
*Tadeusz Swietochowski. ''Russia and Azerbaijan: ...
and
Democratic Republic of Georgia
The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG; ka, საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა, tr) was the first modern establishment of a republic of Georgia (country), Georgia, which exist ...
until both countries were occupied by Soviet Russia and the city became part of
Azerbaijan SSR
The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also referred to as the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Azerbaijani SSR, AzSSR, Soviet Azerbaijan or simply Azerbaijan, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union be ...
. In 1965, Balakan gained
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
status after the Azerbaijani government's approval.
[Balakan Government's Official Website]
Economy
The economy of Balakan is partially agricultural, partially tourist-based, with some industries in operation.
Society and Culture
Demography
The majority of the population of Balakan is ethnic
Azerbaijanis
Azerbaijanis (; , ), Azeris (, ), or Azerbaijani Turks (, ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group living mainly in the Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. They are predomin ...
. There's a significant minority of
Avars and smaller minorities of
Ingiloys (a subgroup of
Georgians
Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and Peoples of the Caucasus, Caucasian ethnic group native to present-day Georgia (country), Georgia and surrounding areas historically associated with the Ge ...
).
According to a 2005 survey, 85% of the population was ethnic
Azerbaijani, 14%
Avar, and the remaining 1% consisted of other ethnicities.
Cuisine
Balakan's signature cuisine includes ''maxara'', ''cüttü'', chicken chigirtma and Balakan
halva
Halva (also halvah, halwa, halua, and other spellings; ) is a type of confectionery that is widely spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, Central Asia, and South Asia. The name is used for a broad va ...
.
Gallery
File:Park in Balaken.jpg, Central Park in the city
File:BalakenCentralPark.jpg, View of the central park of Balakan
File:IMAG2180 1(1).jpg, Nature of Balakan
File:Balakən Mədəniyyət Mərkəzi 2013.jpg, Balakan Culture House
File:Azerbaycan Balaken.jpg, Forest in Balakan
File:Ilham Aliyev attended opening of Balakan Automated Management and Control Center owned by “Azərİşıq” OJSC 02.jpg, Center of Azerishiq in Balakan
References
External links
*
Populated places in Balakan District
{{Balakan-geo-stub