Ganja (; ) is

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 ...

's third largest city, with a population of around 335,600.Azərbaycan Respublikası. — 2. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və inzibati rayonları. — 2.4. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və inzibati rayonlarının ərazisi, əhalisinin sayı və sıxlığı, səhifə 66. /
Azərbaycanın əhalisi (statistik bülleten)
Müəllifi: Azərbaycan Respublikasının Dövlət Statistika Komitəsi. Buraxılışa məsul şəxs: Rza Allahverdiyev. Bakı — 2015, 134 səhifə. The city has been a historic and cultural center throughout most of its existence. It was the capital of the Ganja Khanate until 1804; after

Qajar Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin,Cyrus G ...

ceded it to the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

following the

Treaty of Gulistan The Treaty of Gulistan (also spelled Golestan: ; ) was a peace treaty concluded between the Russian Empire and Qajar Iran on 24 October 1813 in the village of Gülüstan, Goranboy, Gulistan (now in Goranboy District, the Goranboy District of Azerb ...

in 1813, it became part of the administrative divisions of the

Georgia Governorate The Georgian Governorate (; ka, საქართველოს გუბერნია) was one of the '' guberniyas'' of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Tiflis (Tbilisi). It was divided into uyezds of Gor ...

Georgia-Imeretia Governorate Georgia-Imeretia Governorate (, ka, საქართველო-იმერეთის გუბერნია) was a short-lived governorate (''guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, administered from Tiflis (T ...

Tiflis Governorate Tiflis Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire with its administrative centre in Tiflis (present-day Tbilisi). In 1897, it constituted in area and had a population of 1,051,032 inhabitants. ...

, and

Elizavetpol Governorate The Elizavetpol Governorate, also known after 1918 as the Ganja Governorate, was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Yelisavetpol (present-day Ganja). The area of the governorate st ...

. Following the dissolution of the

and the

Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic The Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR; 22 April – 28 May 1918) was a short-lived sovereign state, state in the Caucasus that included most of the territory of the present-day Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia (coun ...

, it became a part of the

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: ...

, followed by

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 ...

, and, since 1991, the Republic of

Etymology

The name Ganja derives from the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

word ''ganj'' (), meaning "treasure" or "treasury". It was called ''Janza'' in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

sources and ''Gandzak'' in

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

sources. The explanation that the city was named this after its founder discovered treasure nearby ( see below) is considered a

folk etymology Folk etymology – also known as (generative) popular etymology, analogical reformation, (morphological) reanalysis and etymological reinterpretation – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a mo ...

. According to one view, the city may have been named after

Ganzak Ganzak ( ''Ganzak'', ''Gazaka'', Latin language, Latin: ''Gaza'', ''Gazaca'', ''Ganzaga'', Arabic language, Arabic: جانزاك ''Janzaq'', جازنا ''Jazna'', ''Gandzak''), is an ancient town founded in northwestern Iran. The city stood som ...

, the pre-Muslim capital of

Adurbadagan Adurbadagan (Middle Persian: ''Ādurbādagān/Āδarbāyagān'', Parthian: ''Āturpātākān'') was a northwestern province in the Sasanian Empire, corresponding almost entirely to the present-day Azerbaijan region in Iran. Governed by a ''marzba ...

. The city was renamed ''Yelizavetpol'' ( rus, Елизаветпо́ль, r=Yelizavetpól', p=jɪlʲɪzəvʲɪtˈpolʲ) in 1813, when it was part of the

. After its incorporation into the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, it was initially renamed back to Ganja (''Gyandzha'') in 1924, but in 1935 the name was changed again to ''Kirovabad'' ( rus, Кироваба́д, r=Kirovabád, p=kʲɪrəvɐˈbat) in honor of the Soviet politician

Sergei Kirov Sergei Mironovich Kirov (born Kostrikov; 27 March 1886 – 1 December 1934) was a Russian and Soviet politician and Bolsheviks, Bolshevik revolutionary. Kirov was an early revolutionary in the Russian Empire and a member of the Bolshevik faction ...

, a name which the city retained throughout most of the rest of the Soviet period. In 1989, during

perestroika ''Perestroika'' ( ; rus, перестройка, r=perestrojka, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg, links=no) was a political reform movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s, widely associ ...

, the city regained its original name of Ganja (), which is known as ''Gyandzha'' (, ) in Russian, ''Gyanja'' () or ''Gandzak'' () in Armenian, and ''Ganjeh'' () in

History

Medieval era

According to the anonymous medieval Arabic history ''Tarikh Bab al-abwab'', the city of Ganja was founded in 859–60 by Muhammad ibn Khalid ibn Yazid ibn Mazyad, the Arab governor of the region during the reign of the caliph

Al-Mutawakkil Ja'far ibn al-Mu'tasim, Muḥammad ibn Harun al-Rashid, Hārūn al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (); March 82211 December 861, commonly known by his laqab, regnal name al-Mutawwakil ala Allah (), was the tenth Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid caliph, rul ...

, and so-called because of a treasure unearthed there. According to the legend, the Arab governor had a dream where a voice told him that there was a treasure hidden under one of the three hills around the area where he camped. The voice told him to unearth it and use the money to found a city. He did so and informed the caliph about the money and the city. The caliph made Muhammad the hereditary governor of the city on the condition that he would give the money he found to the caliph. The foundation of the city by the Arabs in the 9th century is supported by the medieval

historian

Movses Kaghankatvatsi Movses Kaghankatvatsi ( 'Moses of Kaghankatuk'), or Movses Daskhurantsi ( 'Moses of Daskhuran'), is the reputed author (or the alias of several authors) of a tenth-century Classical Armenian historical work on Caucasian Albania and the eastern ...

, who mentions that the city of Ganja was founded in 846–47 in the canton of Arshakashen by "Mahmed son of Xałtʿ" (i.e., Muhammad ibn Khalid). The 14th-century Persian historian

Hamdallah Mustawfi Hamdallah Mustawfi Qazvini (; 1281 – after 1339/40) was a Persian official, historian, geographer and poet. He lived during the last era of the Mongol Ilkhanate, and the interregnum that followed. A native of Qazvin, Mustawfi belonged to fami ...

instead claims that the city was founded in 659–60, when the Arab armies first arrived in the

South Caucasus The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...

. However, the Persian origin of Ganja's name suggests that there was an older pre-Islamic town there. According to some sources, it changed hands between Persians,

Khazars The Khazars ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a nomadic Turkic people who, in the late 6th century CE, established a major commercial empire covering the southeastern section of modern European Russia, southern Ukraine, Crimea, a ...

and Arabs even in the 7th century. The area in which Ganja is located was known as '' Arran'' from the 9th to 12th century; its urban population spoke mainly in the

Persian language Persian ( ), also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian languages, Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian subdivision ...

. Historically an important city of the South Caucasus, Ganja has been part of the

Sassanid Empire The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...

Great Seljuk Empire The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. The empire spanned a total area of from Anatolia and the Levant ...

Kingdom of Georgia The Kingdom of Georgia (), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a Middle Ages, medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in Anno Domini, AD. It reached Georgian Golden Age, its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign ...

Atabegs of Azerbaijan 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 wi ...

Khwarezmid Empire The Khwarazmian Empire (), or simply Khwarazm, was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim empire of Turkic '' mamluk'' origin. Khwarazmians ruled large parts of present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran from 1077 to 1231; first as vass ...

, Il-Khans,

Timurids The Timurid Empire was a late medieval, culturally Persianate, Turco-Mongol empire that dominated Greater Iran in the early 15th century, comprising modern-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, much of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and parts of contem ...

Qara Qoyunlu The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu (, ; ), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, English Black Sheep, Turkmen tribal federation tha ...

, Ak Koyunlu, the

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

, the Afsharid, the Zand and the

Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

empires of

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. Prior to the Iranian Zand and Qajar rule, following

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was a ...

's death, it was ruled locally for a few decades by the khans of the Ganja Khanate, who themselves were subordinate to the central rule in mainland Iran and were a branch of the Iranian Qajar family. Ganja is also the birthplace of the famous Persian poet

Nizami Ganjavi Nizami Ganjavi (; c. 1141 – 1209), Nizami Ganje'i, Nizami, or Nezāmi, whose formal name was Jamal ad-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn-Yūsuf ibn-Zakkī,Mo'in, Muhammad(2006), "Tahlil-i Haft Paykar-i Nezami", Tehran.: p. 2: Some commentators h ...

. The people of Ganja experienced a temporary cultural decline after an earthquake in 1139, when the city was taken by king

Demetrius I of Georgia Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumitru, Demitri, D ...

and its gates taken as trophies which is still kept in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and again after the

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

invasion in 1231. The city was revived after the Safavids came to power in 1501 and incorporated all of Azerbaijan and beyond into their territories. The city came under brief occupation by the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

between 1578–1606 and 1723–1735 during the prolonged Ottoman-Persian Wars, but nevertheless stayed under intermittent Iranian suzerainty from the earliest 16th century up to the course of the 19th century, when it was forcefully

ceded The act of cession is the assignment of property to another entity. In international law it commonly refers to land transferred by treaty. Ballentine's Law Dictionary defines cession as "a surrender; a giving up; a relinquishment of jurisdicti ...

to neighbouring Imperial Russia.

16th–19th centuries and Russian conquest

For a short period, Ganja was renamed Abbasabad by Shah Abbas after war against the Ottomans. He built a new city to the southwest of the old one, but the name changed back to Ganja during the time. During the

rule, it was the capital of the

Karabakh Karabakh ( ; ) is a geographic region in southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and Aras. It is divided into three regions: Highland Kara ...

province. In 1747, Ganja became the center of the Ganja Khanate for a few decades following the death of

, until the advent of the Iranian Zand and Qajar dynasties. The khans/dukes who de facto self-ruled the khanate, were subordinate to the central rule in mainland Iran and were from a branch of the Iranian Qajar family. From the late 18th century, Russia actively started to increase its encroachments into Iranian and Turkish territory to the south. Following the annexation of eastern Georgia in 1801, Russia was now keen to conquer the rest of the Iranian possessions in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. Russian expansion into the South Caucasus met particularly strong opposition in Ganja. In 1804, the Russians, led by General

Pavel Tsitsianov Prince Pavel Dmitriyevich Tsitsianov (; –) was an Imperial Russian general of Georgian noble origin who played a prominent role in the Russian conquest of the South Caucasus. He served as the Russian Commander-in-chief in the Caucasus from 18 ...

, invaded and sacked Ganja, sparking the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813. Some western sources assert that "the capture of the city was followed by a massacre of up to 3,000 inhabitants of Ganja by the Russians". They also claim that "500 of them were slaughtered in a mosque where they had taken refuge, after an

apprised the Russians that there might have been 'Daghestani robbers' among them". With their military superiority, the Russians were victorious in the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813. By the

that followed, Iran was forced to cede the Ganja Khanate to Russia. The Iranians briefly managed to oust the Russians from Ganja during the 1826 offensive during the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828, but the resulting

Treaty of Turkmenchay The Treaty of Turkmenchay (; ) was an agreement between Qajar Iran and the Russian Empire, which concluded the Russo-Persian War (1826–1828). It was second of the series of treaties (the first was the 1813 Treaty of Gulistan and the last, the ...

made its inclusion into the Russian Empire permanent. It was renamed ''Yelizavetpol'' () after the wife of

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

, and in 1840 became the capital of the

Elizavetpol uezd The Elizavetpol ''uezd'', also known as the Ganja ''uezd'' after 1918, was a county (''uezd'') of the Elizavetpol Governorate of the Russian Empire, and later of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and Azerbaijan SSR until its formal abolition in ...

and later in 1868, the Elizavetpol Governorate. The Russian name of the city was rejected by the local Azerbaijanis, who continued call it ''Ganja''.

20th century

Ganja—known then as Yelizavetpol—was one of the main sites of the Armenian–Tatar massacres of 1905–07. In 1918, Ganja became the temporary capital of the

, at which point it was renamed Ganja again, until

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

was recaptured from the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

-backed Centrocaspian Dictatorship. In April 1920, the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

occupied Azerbaijan. In May 1920, Ganja was the scene of an abortive anti-Soviet rebellion, during which the city was heavily damaged by fighting between the insurgents and the Red Army. In 1935,

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

renamed the city Kirovabad after

. In 1991, Azerbaijan re-established its independence, and the ancient name of the city was given back. For many years the

104th Guards Airborne Division The 104th Guards Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class Air Assault Division (; MUN 73612) is a division of the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) and formerly of the Soviet Airborne Troops. From 1998 until 2023 it was called the 31st Guards Airborne Brigade () ...

of the

Soviet Airborne Troops The Soviet Airborne Forces or VDV (from ''Vozdushno- desantnye voyska SSSR'', Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска СССР, ВДВ; Air-landing Forces) was a separate troops branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. First formed b ...

was based in the town. In November 1988, the Kirovabad pogrom forced the local Armenian population to leave the city.

21st century

Reconstruction in the 21st century has led to dramatic changes in the city's urban development, transforming the old Soviet city into a hub of high-rise, mixed-use buildings. In 2008, Ganja Mausoleum Gates were built on the basis of sketches of ancient Ganja gates made by local master Ibrahim Osmanoğlu in 1063. In 2020, during the

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians until 2023, and seven surrounding districts, inhabited mostly by Azerbai ...

, Ganja came under

bombardment A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire or by dropping bombs from aircraft on fortifications, combatants, or cities and buildings. Prior to World War I, the term was only applied to the bombardment of defenseless or undefended obje ...

by Armenian armed forces several times, killing 32 civilians and injuring dozens more. On 11 October, a residential apartment block in Azerbaijan's city of Ganja was destroyed overnight in an Armenian missile strike, killing 10 civilians and wounding 34 others. The Armenian MoD denied that this came from its territory, while Artsakh stated that Armenian forces had targeted and destroyed the Ganja military airbase on Ganja International Airport, which they alleged was used to bombard Artsakh's capital

Stepanakert Stepanakert officially Khankendi is a city in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. It was the capital city of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh prior to the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in ...

and also stated that the Azerbaijani population were given warning to move away from military facilities to avoid collateral damage. Subsequently, both a correspondent reporting from the scene for a Russian media outlet and the airport director denied that the airport, which had not been operational since March due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, had been shelled. On 17 October, 21 civilians were killed and more than 50 injured when an Armenian SCUD B ballistic missile hit a residential area in Ganja. Ganja Azerbaijan

Geography

City of Ganja Azerbaijan and Javadkhan mount

Location

Ganja, located above the sea level, lies on the Ganja-Dashkasan plain in the Kur-Araz lowland in the west of Azerbaijan, away from Baku. It is situated at the north-eastern foothills of the Lesser Caucasus mountain ranges on the Ganjachay river. The city borders on the administrative rayons of Goygol to the south, west and north-west and Samukh to the north-east.

Climate

Ganja has a

cool 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- ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''BSk''), with an average annual precipitation of , though annual precipitation varies in different years, ranging from in 1932 to in 1988. Winters are cold and may see snow, with 5 days per year in which snow cover is observed. Blizzard is seen in 0.2 days annually.

Administrative divisions

Today, Ganja is divided into 2 ''rayons'' (administrative districts). The mayor, presently Niyazi Bayramov embodies the executive power of the city. Ganja includes 6 administrative settlements, namely Hajikend, Javadkhan, Shikhzamanli, Natavan, Mahsati and Sadilli.

Kapaz rayon

Kapaz District (''Kəpəz rayonu'') was established on 21 November 1980 according to the decision of Supreme Soviet of

. The district consists of 2 administrative territorial units and 6 administrative settlements. It has an area of approximately mi) with the population of 178,000.

Nizami rayon

Nizami District (''Nizami rayonu'') was also established on 21 November 1980 according to the decision of Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan SSR as Ganja raion of Kirovabad city. When Ganja's historic name was restored and the city was renamed as Ganja instead of Kirovabad in 1989, the district was also renamed as Nizami rayon. The district consists of 2 administrative territorial units. The area of the district is roughly mi) and population is 148,000.

Demographics

Ganja is the third largest city of Azerbaijan after

and

Sumqayit Sumqayit (or Sumgait; ; , ) is a city in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, on the Absheron Peninsula, about away from the capital Baku. The city had a population of 427,000 at the beginning of 2024, making it the List of cities in Azerb ...

with about 335,600 residents. The city is also inhabited by a large number of Azerbaijani refugees from Armenia and

IDPs An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. I ...

from the Azerbaijani community of

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...

and surrounding areas. Their number was estimated to be more than 33,000 in 2011. Lezgi people in Ganja number around 20,000.

Historic Armenian community

In addition to Persian and Turkic-speaking Muslims, the city had a numerically, economically and culturally significant Christian

community. The city's traditional Armenian name is Gandzak ( Գանձակ), which derives from ''gandz'' ( գանձ), a

loan word A loanword (also a loan word, loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language (the recipient or target language), through the process of borrowing (linguistics), borrowing. Borrowing ...

from

Old Iranian The Iranian languages, also called the Iranic languages, are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family that are spoken natively by the Iranian peoples, predominantly in the Iranian Plateau. The Iranian language ...

, which means treasure or riches. The founder of the

Hethumid dynasty The Hethumids ( Hethumian) (also spelled Hetoumids or Het'umids), also known as the House of Lampron (after Lampron castle), were an Armenian dynasty and the rulers of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1226 to 1341. Hethum I, the first of th ...

Oshin of Lampron Oshin of Lampron ( - ''Oshin Lambronatsi'') was an Armenian nakharar. Historical sources mentioned that he was a lord of a fortress near the city of Ganja (modern-day Azerbaijan), who migrated in the early 1070s to Cilicia and founded the House o ...

was an Armenian ''

nakharar ''Nakharar'' ( ''naxarar'', from Parthian ''naxvadār'' "holder of the primacy") was a hereditary title of the highest order given to houses of the ancient and medieval Armenian nobility. ''Nakharar'' system Medieval Armenia was divided into l ...

'' (prince) and lord of a castle near Ganja who fled to

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

in 1075 during the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. The city's historically important Armenian figures include: *

Mkhitar Gosh Mkhitar Gosh ( 1130–1213) was an Armenian scholar, writer, public figure, thinker, and priest. He was one of the representatives of the Armenian Renaissance. Biography He was born in the city of Gandzak. He got his early education from publi ...

, 12th-century philosopher, author of the ''Code of Laws'' that was used in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, also known as Cilician Armenia, Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia, was an Armenian state formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian ...

and Armenian diaspora communities in Europe *

Kirakos Gandzaketsi Kirakos Gandzaketsi (; c. 1200/1202–1271) was an Armenian historian of the 13th century S. Peter Cowe. Kirakos Ganjakec'i or Arewelc'i // Christian-Muslim Relations. A Bibliographical History / Edited by David Thomas & Alex Mallet. — BRILL, 2 ...

, a 13th-century historian *

Vardan Areveltsi Vardan Areveltsi (; Vardan the Easterner, – 1271 AD) was a medieval Armenian historian, geographer, philosopher and translator. In addition to establishing numerous schools and monasteries, he also left behind a rich contribution to Armen ...

, 13th-century polymath * Grigor Paron-Ter, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1613–45 * Karo Halabyan, Soviet architect * Askanaz Mravyan, secretary of the Armenian SSR Communist Party *

Abram Alikhanov Abram Isaakovich Alikhanov (; , né Alikhanian; 8 December 1970) was a Soviet experimental physicist of Armenian origin who specialized in particle and nuclear physics. He was one of the Soviet Union's leading physicists. Before joining the So ...

and

Artem Alikhanian Artem Alikhanian (; ; 24 June 1908 – 25 February 1978) was a Soviet physicist of Armenian origin, one of the founders and first director of the Yerevan Physics Institute, a correspondent member of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union ( ...

, physicists *

Sergei Adian Sergei Ivanovich Adian, also Adyan (; ; 1 January 1931 – 5 May 2020), 4381, and hence for all multiples of those odd integers as well. The solution of the Burnside problem was certainly one of the most outstanding and deep mathematical results ...

, Soviet mathematician *

Albert Azaryan Albert Azaryan (; 11 February 1929 – 5 September 2023) was a Soviet and Armenian artistic gymnast who competed internationally representing the Soviet Union. He was the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Champion on the still rings. Azaryan was the first ...

, artistic gymnast and Olympic champion

Religion

The urban landscape of Ganja is shaped by many communities. Religious diversity has however greatly decreased over the last decades, with the emigration of most Armenians, Slavs, Jews and Germans. The religion with the largest community of followers by far is Islam. The majority of the Muslims are

Shia Muslims Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

, and the Republic of Azerbaijan has the second-highest Shia population percentage in the world after

. The city's notable mosques include Shah Abbas Mosque, the Imamzadeh Complex incorporating the Goy Imam Mosque, Shahsevenler Mosque, Qirikhli Mosque and Qazakhlar Mosque. Alexander Nevsky church in Ganja 2018

There are some other faiths practiced among the different ethnic groups within the country. The other faith worshipping places include Alexander Nevsky Church, German

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

, Saint John Church and Saint Sarkis Church. Before the Kirovabad pogrom in 1988 a significant community of

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

existed.

Population

According to the

State Statistics Committee The State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan Republic () is a governmental agency within the Cabinet of Azerbaijan in charge of collection, processing and disseminating statistical data on the economy, demographics and other sectors of activity i ...

, as of 2018, the population of city recorded 332,600 persons, which increased by 31,900 persons (about 10.6 percent) from 300,700 persons in 2000. 162,300 of total population are men, 170,300 are women. More than 26 percent of the population (about 86,500 persons) consists of young people and teenagers aged 14–29.

Economy

The economy of Ganja is partially agricultural, partially tourist based, with some industries in operation.

Ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...

minerals extracted from nearby mines supply Ganja's metallurgical industries, which produces copper and alumina. There are

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

, silk and

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serve the purpose of protective clothing, protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from rough ground; stability on slippery ground; and temperature. *Shoes and si ...

industries. Other industries process food, grapes and cotton from the surrounding farmlands. The city has one of the largest textile conglomerates in Azerbaijan and is famous for a fabric named ''Ganja silk'', which received the highest marks in the markets of neighboring countries and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. People are mainly employed in manufacturing, education, transportation, service sectors and catering. Det.Al-Aluminium is the largest employer operating in Ganja, followed by

Ganja Auto Plant Ganja Auto Plant () is an auto assembly plant situated in the Ganja city in Azerbaijan. The factory was founded in 1986 as KiAZ (Kirovabad Automobile Plant) for a production of run of 30,000 "GAZelle" vans according to the project brief. The comm ...

and Ganja Winery Plant 2.

Tourism and shopping

Traditional shops, modern shops and malls create a mixture of shopping opportunities in Ganja. Javad Khan Street is the traditional shopping street that is located in the old town. Constructed between 2014 and 2017, Ganja Mall is considered the city's largest mall. Other shopping centers include Khamsa Park, Taghiyev Mall and Aura Park. Ganja is one of the famous tourist destinations in Azerbaijan with its historic buildings such as

Nizami Mausoleum The Nizami Mausoleum (), built in honor of the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi, stands just outside the city of Ganja, Azerbaijan. The mausoleum was originally built in 1947 in place of an old collapsed mausoleum, and rebuilt in its pres ...

, Ancient gates, Juma Mosque,

Imamzadeh An imamzadeh () is a Persian term with two related meanings: a type of holy person in Shia Islam, and the shrine-tomb of such a person. Descendant An imamzadeh is an immediate descendant of a Shi'i Imam. The term is also used in Urdu and ...

, Tomb of Javad Khan, Chokak Hamam, Shah Abbas Caravanserai and Ugurlu Bay Caravanserai. Other tourist and entertainment spots include Javad khan street, Triumphal Arch near Heydar Aliyev Center, the Bottle House, Flag square, Hajikend resort zone. Goygol National Park with the sceneries of lake Goygol, lake Maralgol,

Mount Kapaz The Mount Kapaz or Kepez () is a mountain in Lesser Caucasus near Ganja city in central Azerbaijan. Kapaz rises 3,065 meters above the sea level. It is located next to Lake Göygöl and its huge rocks broke off the mount and blocked a nearby riv ...

and Mount Murov are located near Ganja. In 2016, Ganja was selected as the

European Youth Capital The European Youth Capital (abbreviated EYC) is a title awarded by the European Youth Forum to a European city annually, designed to empower young people, boost youth participation and strengthen European identity through projects focused on yout ...

by the final decision of international jury at the General Assembly of the

European Youth Forum The European Youth Forum (, YFJ) is an international non-profit association that serves as an umbrella organisation and advocacy group of the national youth councils and international non-governmental youth organisations in Europe. It works on y ...

. Ganja became the first city to win the title of European Youth Capital among the former Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) and non-EU cities. It was an event with a budget of 5.7 million euros, projected to boost tourism by about one-fifth.

Culture

Some of the city landmarks include Gates of Ganja. , the city along with

and

Lankaran Lankaran (, ) or Lánkon () is a city in Azerbaijan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, near the southern border with Iran. As of 2021, the city had a population of 89,300. It is next to, but independent of, Lankaran District. The city forms a disti ...

participates in

Earth Hour Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature, World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The event is held annually, encouraging the individuals, communities, and businesses to give an hour for Earth, and additionally marked ...

movement.

Museums

Ganja History - Ethnography Museum building

Ilham Aliyev reviewed the monumental complex Ganja Fortress Gates - the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography 20

Ganja State History-Ethnography Museum is the oldest museum in the city, with over 30,000 artifacts. The city is also home to Nizami Ganjavi Museum, which was built in 2014. The museum contains a research section, a library, a conference room, and corners for guests and tourists' relaxation. Other museums include Heydar Aliyev Museum, House Museum of Mir Jalal Pashayev, Memorial House-Museum of Nizami Ganjavi, Memorial-House Museum of İsrafil Mammadov, Ganja branch of Museum of Miniature Books, "Ganja Castle Gates – Archaeology and Ethnography Museum" monument complex, Cultural Center named after Mahsati Ganjavi, Museum of Modern Art and Museum of Mirza Shafi Vazeh.

Galleries

Ganja State Art Gallery was established in April 1984 according to the decision of Council of Ministers of

. The Gallery is headed by the carpet-artist Faig Osmanov.

Architecture

Ganja is primarily known for its Azerbaijani and

Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both Secularity, secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Muslim world, Islamic world encompasse ...

, but its buildings reflect the various peoples and empires that have previously ruled the city. During the Ganja Khanate period, the Khans proceeded to make an indelible impression on the skyline of Ganja, building towering mosques and houses from red bricks. Among the oldest surviving examples of Islamic architecture in Ganja are the

and Shah Abbas Caravanserai, which assisted the Shahs during their siege of the city. The area around and inside the mosques, contains many fine examples of traditional architecture like Chokak Bath. Another interesting building is the Bottle house of Ganja. Ganja State Philharmonic Hall facade

Music and media

The Ganja State Philharmonic was established in August 1990 according to the decision of the Ministry of Culture of the

. On 21 January 2012, president

Ilham Aliyev Ilham Heydar Oghlu Aliyev (born 24 December 1961) is an Azerbaijani politician who has been the fourth president of Azerbaijan since 2003. He is also the leader of the New Azerbaijan Party since 2005. The son and second child of former Aze ...

laid the foundation of the Ganja State Philharmonic. The facility includes a 1,200 concert hall, an open-air cinema theatre, a drawing gallery, an urban center and an observation tower. The new building of the Philharmonic Hall was put into use in 2017. The Goygol State Song and Dance Ensemble, the Orchestra of Folk Instruments and the Ganja State Chamber Orchestra operate under the Ganja State Philharmonic. File:Bottle House in Ganja.jpg, Bottle house in Ganja, a local icon entirely made of glass bottles Two regional channels, Kapaz TV and Alternativ TV, are headquartered in Ganja. Two newspapers are published in Ganja (''Gəncənin səsi'' and ''Novosti Qyandji'').

Theaters

Ganja State Drama Theater

The building of the Ganja State Drama Theater was built by the German entrepreneur Christofor Forer in the 1880s. Ganja Drama Theater was established in 1921 in Baku as "Tənqid-təbliğ" (literally means "Criticism-propaganda"). In 1935 the theater moved to Ganja with its staff and continues its activity here under different names until 1990. The theater has been called the Ganja State Drama Theater since 1990.

Ganja State Puppet Theater

Ganja State Puppet Theater was established according to Decree No. 299 of the Council of Ministers of the

in September 1986. Before receiving "state theater" status in 1986, it was functioning as public theater. Ganja Puppet Theater operates in the building of

Lutheran church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

constructed in 1885 by German settlers.

Parks and gardens

Ganja has many well-maintained parks and gardens, with the Khan's garden being one of the most scenic parks, and one of the city's most known landmarks. It features interesting landscaping, and consists of a wide variety of trees and plants in an open concept. Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the Heydar Aliyev Park Complex and the Heydar Aliyev Center in Ganja 13

Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the Heydar Aliyev Park Complex and the Heydar Aliyev Center in Ganja 13

Other prominent parks and gardens include Heydar Aliyev Park Complex, "Ganja 2016 European Youth Capital Park", "Ganja river" park-boulevard complex, Istiglal Avenue, Fikrat Amirov Park, Fuzuli Park, and Narimanov Park. Heydar Aliyev Park Complex includes an Amphitheater considered for organizing large outdoor events for up to 5000 people.

Sports

The city has one professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team, Kapaz, currently competing in the second-flight of Azerbaijani football, the

Azerbaijan First Division The Azerbaijan First League () is the second highest professional division in Azerbaijani professional football. The league is run by AFFA. The winner promotes to Premier Division. History Due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, all Azerbai ...

. The club has three Azerbaijani league and four cup titles. There are Olympic Sports Complex with 2 buildings (put into operation in 2002 and 2006 respectively),

Ganja City Stadium Ganja City Stadium is located in Ganja, Azerbaijan, Ganja, Azerbaijan. It is used by Kapaz PFC, Kapaz football club, and has a capacity of 15,000. In the 2016-17 domestic league season, tenants Kapaz PFK drew the highest average home attendance ( ...

with a capacity of 27,000 put into use in 1964 and other sporting facilities in Ganja. In September 2017 "Ganja Marathon 2017" was organized involving 11,000 people from different regions of Azerbaijan, as well as foreigners under the slogan "Be with us in the Marathon". The race started from Triumphal Arch and finished at the Heydar Aliyev Park Complex covering a distance of 17 kilometers.

Transportation

Public transport

Ganja has a large urban transport system, mostly managed by the Ministry of Transportation. In 2013, Ministry of Transportation stated that the city, along with Nakhchivan and

will have a new subway line within the framework of the 20-year subway program. The city had a trolleybus system, functioning from 1955 to 2004. Ganja is without a tram system since Ganja tramway network ceased in the 1980s.

Air

Ganja International Airport is the only airport in the city. The airport is connected by bus to the city center. There are domestic flights to

and international service to Russia and Turkey.

Rail

Ganja sits on one of the Azerbaijani primary rail lines running east–west connecting the capital,

, with the rest of the country. The

Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK), or Baku–Tbilisi–Akhalkalaki–Kars railway (BTAK), is a railway connecting Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia and Turkey, which became operational on 30 October 2017 following several years of delays. The ...

runs along the line through the city. The railway provides both human transportation and transport of goods and commodities such as oil and gravel. Ganja's Central Railway Station is the terminus for national and international rail links to the city. The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway, which directly connects

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, Georgia and Azerbaijan, began to be constructed in 2007 and completed in 2017. The completed branch connects Ganja with

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

in Georgia, and from there trains continue to

Akhalkalaki Akhalkalaki ( ka, ახალქალაქი, tr ; ) is a town in Georgia (country), Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe–Javakheti and the administrative centre of the Akhalkalaki Municipality. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti ...

, and

Kars Kars ( or ; ; ) is a city in northeast Turkey. It is the seat of Kars Province and Kars District.� ...

in Turkey.

Education

The first seminary in Azerbaijan aimed at professional training of school teachers was opened in Ganja in 1914 which was united with Girls Seminary in 1927 and renamed as Ganja Pedagogical Technical School (). Ganja is home to four major institutes for post-secondary education. Ganja State University was founded as Ganja Teachers Institute after Hasan bey Zardabi in 1939. In 2000, the

President of Azerbaijan The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. The Constitution of Azerbaijan, Constitution states that the president is the embodiment of Executive (government), executive power, co ...

renamed the institute to Ganja State University. The university includes 8 faculty departments and 10 offices. The city also includes Azerbaijan State Agricultural University, Azerbaijan Technological University and a local branch of the Azerbaijan Teachers' Institute. There are also schools offering secondary specialized education like Ganja Music College, Ganja Medicine College, Ganja State Regional College (established by combining Ganja Humanitarian College and Ganja Technical College in 2010). There are a total of 7 schools offering vocational education in Ganja, being located as 3 vocational lyceums and a vocational school in Kapaz raion, a vocational lyceum and 2 vocational schools in

Nizami raion Nizami Rayon () is a municipal district of the city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Its population is 201,239, and it includes the municipality of Keşlə. Of these, 25,626 lives in Keşlə municipality. The raion's area is 19.6 km². It is pos ...

Notable residents

The city's notable residents include: poet

, scientist Firuddin Babayev, Olympic champion Toghrul Asgarov, ruler of Ganja Khanate

Javad Khan Javad Khan (); 1748 – 1804) was a member of Ziyadoghlu Qajar, a clan of the Qajars (tribe), Qajar tribe, as well as the sixth and the last Khan (title), khan of the Ganja Khanate from 1786 to 1804 before it was lost to Russian Empire, Russia. ...

, poets Mirza Shafi Vazeh,

Mahsati Ganjavi Mahsati () was a medieval Persian female poet who was reportedly one of the first poets to compose '' ruba'iyat'' (quatrains) in her native language. Name Various interpretations of her name have been suggested based on the consonants ''mhsty' ...

, Nigar Rafibeyli, writer Ibn Khosrov al-Ustad, composer Fikrat Amirov, historian Farid Alakbarli, major political figure

Nasib Yusifbeyli Nasib bey Yusif bey oghlu Yusifbeyli () or Usubbeyov ( ; 5 July 1881 – 31 May 1920) was an Azerbaijani publicist, statesman and major political figure in the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Early years Nasib bey Yusifbeyli was born in 1881 in ...

, deputy speaker of

, Hasan bey Aghayev, geologist Mirali Qashqai, prime minister of Azerbaijan

Artur Rasizade Artur Tahir oghlu Rasizade (; born 26 February 1935) is an Azerbaijani politician who served as the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan from 1996 until 2018 under the authoritarian regimes of Heydar Aliyev and his son Ilham Aliyev. Thomas de Waal writ ...

, chess player

Faiq Hasanov Faiq Hasanov (transliterated as Gasanov; ; born April 13, 1940, in Kirovobad, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR) is an Azerbaijani chess International Arbiter (1980), coach, television presenter, author and vice-president of Azerbaijan Chess Federation. Ch ...

, footballer Mahmud Qurbanov,

automotive design Automotive design is the process of developing the appearance (and to some extent the ergonomics) of motor vehicles, including automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans. The functional design and development of a modern mot ...

Samir Sadikhov Samir Sadikhov (/, ; born July 20, 1990) is the first Azerbaijani professional automotive designer. Biography Sadikhov was born in Ganja, Azerbaijan SSR on July 20, 1990. He earned a bachelor's in vehicle design at (European Design University ...

, and Supreme Court Justice

Aziz Seyidov Aziz Jafar oglu Seyidov (Azerbaijani language, Azerbaijani: ''Əziz Cəfər oğlu Seyidov'') (born 6 October 1956) is the Justice of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan. He took office on 25 April 2017. He previously served as a Chief State Prosecuto ...

. There were also several notable Armenian residents of Ganja, including

, Grigor Paron-Ter, Karo Halabyan, Askanaz Mravyan and

.Мхитар Гош

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; , ''BSE'') is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Great Russian Enc ...

Алабян Каро Семенович

Мравян Асканаз Артемьевич

File:Nizami Rug Crop.jpg,

, the author of ''Khamsa'', considered one of the Middle East's greatest poets. File:Nesib bey Yusifbeyli.jpg,

, was a major political figure in the

. File:Toghrul Asgarov at the 2016 Summer Olympics awarding ceremony (cropped).jpg, Toghrul Asgarov, Azerbaijani Olympic and European champion in

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

. File:Kashkay.jpg, Mirali Qashqai, was an eminent Azerbaijani geologist, author of multitude works in the sphere of

geomorphology Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand wh ...

and

stratigraphy Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithost ...

. File:Hasan bay Agayev.jpg, Hasan bey Aghayev, served as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. File:Ilham Aliyev attended a ceremony dedicated to sport results of 2015 (Hasanov).jpg,

, known as

International Arbiter In chess tournaments, an arbiter is an official who oversees matches and ensures that the rules of chess are followed. International Arbiter ''International Arbiter'' is a title awarded by FIDE to individuals deemed capable of acting as arbiter ...

of chess and

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

of weekly ''Chess Club'' programme. File:Stamps of Azerbaijan, 2013-1106.jpg, Mahsati, a 12th-century woman poet persecuted for her courageous poetry condemning religious fanaticism and dogmas. File:Stamps of Azerbaijan, 2013-1088.jpg, Nigar Rafibeyli, writer and the Chairman of the Writers' Union of Azerbaijan. File:Mahmud.Qurbanov.jpg, Mahmud Qurbanov, won

Azerbaijan Premier League The Azerbaijan Premier League (), also known as Misli Premyer Liqası for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Azerbaijan and the highest level of the Azerbaijani football league system. It is contested by twelve ...

record 12 times with six different clubs.

Twin towns – sister cities

Ganja is twinned with: *

Derbent Derbent, also historically known as Darband, or Derbend, is the southernmost city in Russia. It is situated along the southeastern coast of the Dagestan, Republic of Dagestan, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucas ...

, Russia *

Kars Kars ( or ; ; ) is a city in northeast Turkey. It is the seat of Kars Province and Kars District.� ...

, Turkey (2001) *

Kutaisi Kutaisi ( ; ka, ქუთაისი ) is a city in the Imereti region of the Georgia (country), Republic of Georgia. One of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it is the List o ...

, Georgia (1996) *

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, Russia * Newark, United States (2004) *

Olomouc Region Olomouc Region (; , ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western and central part of its historical region of Moravia (''Morava'') and in a small part of the historical region of Czech Silesia (''České Sl ...

, Czech Republic (2012) *

Ordu Ordu () or Altınordu is a port city on the Black Sea coast of Turkey and the capital of Ordu Province. The city forms the urban part of the Altınordu, Ordu, Altınordu district, with a population of 235,096 in 2023. Name Kotyora, the origina ...

, Turkey *

Aksaray Aksaray () is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Aksaray Province and Aksaray District.