Qırmızı Qəsəbə is a village and municipality in the Quba District 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 ...

. As of 2010, it had a population of 3,598, mostly

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. It is widely believed to be the world's only population centre exclusively made up of

Jewish people Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

outside of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and is likewise considered to be the last surviving . Located across the Qudyal river from the city of

Quba Quba () is a city and the administrative centre of the Quba District (Azerbaijan), Quba District of Azerbaijan. The city lies on the north-eastern slopes of Mount Shahdagh, Shahdag mountain, at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level, on the ...

, it is the principal settlement of Azerbaijan's Caucasus Jewish population; the most widely spoken language in the village is

Judeo-Tat Judeo-Tat or Juhuri (, , ) is a Judeo-Persian dialect and the traditional language spoken by the Mountain Jews in the eastern Caucasus Mountains, especially Azerbaijan, parts of Russia and today in Israel. It belongs to the southwestern group ...

. The names of the municipality in Azerbaijani, Russian, and Hebrew all translate to "Red Town" or "Red Village", supposedly in reference to the red tiles used on the buildings. Other sources attribute the name of Qırmızı Qəsəbə to the protected status that it received during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when its residents were shielded from potential persecution in light of Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union.

History

Jews in Quba and Azerbaijan

The first Jewish settlement in the area was named Kulgat and was located on the left bank of the Gudjalchay River, just a few kilometers from present-day Qırmızı Qəsəbə. Old gravestones in the Kulgat area, as well as other evidence that was damaged during the attacks of

Nadir 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 ...

in the early 18th century, serve as proof that a Jewish population had been established and lived here.

Jewish town across from Quba

While Jews from the Azerbaijan highlands had been in the area around Quba since at least the 13th century, the formal creation of Krasnaya Sloboda is traced back to the 18th century. In 1742 the Khan of Quba, Huseynali Khan, gave the Jewish people permission to set up a community free of persecution across the river from the city of Quba. Originally referred to as ''Yevreyskaya

Sloboda A sloboda was a type of settlement in the history of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The name is derived from the early Slavic word for 'freedom' and may be loosely translated as 'free settlement'.

'' "Jewish Settlement", the name was changed to ''Krasnaya Sloboda'' "Red Settlement" under

Soviet 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 ...

rule. The massive settlement in the Red Town began in 1731 coinciding with an end to prohibition on Jewish land ownership. After the death of Huseynali Khan in 1758, his son Fatali Khan was the ruler of the Quba Khanate. Fatali Khan, highly appreciating the loyalty, wisdom, and industriousness of the Mountain Jews, allowed them to work in agriculture, trade, and crafts, which was uncommon due to the historic persecution and discrimination Jewish people had faced. The favorable living conditions created for Jews in Quba incentivized the relocation of Jews from other villages, such as Qusar,

Uçgün Uçgün (also, Üçgün and Uchgyun) is a village and municipality in the Quba Rayon of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the b ...

, Şuduq, Griz, and even from Baku,

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 ...

, as well as

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 ...

and other places, to Quba. The Jewish people who moved to Qırmızı Qəsəbə had previously lived in nine disparate settlements. Jews from Gilan moved to the settlement in the 1780s. The Gilaki settlement of the Gilani Jews was located in what is now the center of the Red Settlement. People coming from

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 ...

and Quba lived in the settlement of Mizrahi (Hebrew: "East"). Migration from different locations influenced the diversity of employment; for example, Jews moving from mountainous regions were engaged in various agricultural fields, and people who immigrated from Iran were engaged in trade. Finally, Mountain Jews who escaped attacks and persecutions joined the shelter at Husseynanli Khan in Quba. The Quba Khanate, which developed during the rule of Hussein Khan (1722–1758) and his son Fatali Khan (1758–1789), comprised the northern lands of Azerbaijan to

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 ...

. Since 1722, Mountain Jews have lived in the territory of Gudyalchay. Among

Russian Jews The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...

, the town once was known as "Little Jerusalem". The town has had an influx of financial support from residents’ relatives living in

, and is the home a new synagogue, the ''Bet Knesset''. However, after Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, many of the town’s residents migrated to Israel, the

, and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Due to this, the population dropped from the roughly 18,000 that lived there during the communist era to the circa 3,500 current residents as of 2025.

Demographics

Initially spread throughout the mountainous region, the Jewish population of the highlands became increasingly centered around Quba. In 1881, 213,138 Jewish people were officially registered in 34 settlements of 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 ...

. Over the past hundred years, along with Mountain Jews, Jews from other

ethnolinguistic group An ethnolinguistic group (or ethno-linguistic group) is a group that is unified by both a common ethnicity and language. Most ethnic groups share a first language. However, "ethnolinguistic" is often used to emphasise that language is a major bas ...

s or such defined by their region of origin also lived in Azerbaijan:

Ashkenazi Jews Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language ...

Krymchaks Krymchaks ( Krymchak: , , , ) are Jewish ethno-religious communities of Crimea derived from Turkic-speaking adherents of Rabbinic Judaism.Kurdish Jews Kurdistani Jews are the Mizrahi Jewish communities from the geographic region of Kurdistan, roughly covering parts of northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey. Kurdish Jews lived as closed ethnic communities ...

, and

Georgian Jews The Georgian Jews ( ka, ქართველი ებრაელები, tr, ) are a community of Jews who migrated to Georgia during the Babylonian captivity in the 6th century BCE.The Wellspring of Georgian Historiography: The Early Medi ...

. However, since the 19th century, the majority of the Jewish population of the republic consists of Mountain Jews.

Jewish religious practices

Two synagogues exist in Qırmızı Qəsəbə: the Six Dome Synagogue which was built in 1888 and renovated in 2000, and Giləki (Hilaki) synagogue which was built in 1896 and renovated recently. Residents speak in three languages:

, spoken by Mountain Jews in daily life, Russian and Azerbaijani. One of the two schools here is taught in Azerbaijani or Russian.

Notable residents

* Yevda Abramov (1948–2019) – politician, member of the Parliament of Azerbaijan * Yakov Agarunov (1907–1992) – was a poet and playwright * Zarakh Iliev (born 1966) – billionaire property developer, born in Krasnaya Sloboda * Yagutil Mishiev (1927-2024) – publicist * God Nisanov (born 1972) – billionaire property developer, vice-president of the World Jewish Congress * German Zakharyayev (born 1971) – businessman, vice-president of the Russian Jewish Congress * Albert Agarunov (1969-1992) – Jewish National Hero of Azerbaijan

References

Footnotes

Notes

Sources

* *Inga Saffron,
The Mountain Jews of Guba
, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. July 21, 1997, page 1. Accessed on May 1, 2006 *Tom Parfitt,

, ''The Daily Telegraph'', April 27, 2003, Accessed on October 21, 2014 *Amiram Barkat,
The village people
, ''Haaretz'' September 29, 2006, Accessed on September 30, 2006

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gyrmyzy Gasaba Azerbaijan–Israel relations Historic Jewish communities in Asia Historic Jewish communities in Europe Jewish communities Jewish enclaves Jews and Judaism in Azerbaijan Populated places in Quba District (Azerbaijan) Shtetls Places of settlement of Mountain Jews