Shamakhi District
40°38′N 48°40′E / 40.633°N 48.667°E
Shamakhi District | |
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UTC+4 (AZT) | |
Postal code | 5600 |
Website | shamaxi-ih |
Shamakhi District (Azerbaijani: Şamaxı rayonu) is one of the 69 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the east of the country and belongs to the Mountainous Shirvan Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Quba, Khizi, Gobustan, Hajigabul, Agsu, and Ismayilli. Its capital and largest city is Shamakhi. As of 2020, the district had a population of 106,400.[2]
In its history, eleven major earthquakes have rocked Shamakhi, but each time it was reconstructed by its inhabitants due to its role as the economic and administrative capital of Shirvan and one of the key towns on the way of the Silk Road. The only building to have survived eight of the eleven earthquakes is the landmark Juma Mosque (8th century CE).
History
Shamakhi was first mentioned as Kamachia by ancient Greco-Roman geographer
In the middle of the 16th century it was the seat of an English commercial factory, under the traveller
The British Penny Cyclopaedia stated in 1833 that "The bulk of the population of Shirvan consists of the Tatar, or, to speak more correctly, Turkish race, with some admixture of Arabs and Persians. . . . Besides the Mohammedans, who form the mass of the population, there are many Armenians, some Jews, and a few Gipsies. According to the official returns of 1831, the number of males belonging to the Mohammedan population was 62.934; Armenians, 6,375; Jews, 332; total males 69,641. The prevalent language of Shirvan is what is there called Toorkee or Turkish, which is also used in Azerbijan." The same source also states that according to the official returns of 1832, the city of Shamakhi was inhabited by only 2,233 families, as a result of the devastation from the sack of the city "in the most barbarous manner by the highlanders of Daghestan" in 1717.[6] The Encyclopædia Britannica stated that in 1873 the city had 25,087 inhabitants, "of which 18680 were Tartars and Shachsevans, 5177 were Armenians, and 1230 Russians." Silk production continued to be the main output, with 130 silk-winding establishments, owned mostly by Armenians, although the industry had considerably declined since 1864.[7]
Shamakhi was the capital of the Shamakhi Governorate of the Russian Empire until the devastating earthquake of 1859, when the capital of the province was transferred to Baku. The importance of the city declined sharply afterwards. According to the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (vol. 77, p. 460, published in 1903), Shamakhi had 20008 inhabitants (10450 males and 9558 females), of which 3% were Russians, 18% were Armenians, and 79% "Azerbaijani Tatars." With regard to religion, 79% of the population was Muslim, of which 22% was Sunni and the rest Shiite; the remaining 21% was "Armeno-Gregorian" (members of the Armenian Apostolic Church) and "Pravoslav" (Orthodox).[8]
The "Queen of Shemakha" is a major protagonist in the poem "
Demographics
According to the
Region | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shamakhy region | 81,4 | 82,3 | 83,1 | 84,0 | 84,8 | 86,0 | 87,3 | 88,4 | 90,0 | 91,4 | 92,5 | 93,7 | 95,3 | 96,9 | 98,3 | 99,7 | 101,2 | 102,7 | 103,9 |
urban population | 34,3 | 34,9 | 35,6 | 36,3 | 38,0 | 39,9 | 40,8 | 41,3 | 42,3 | 43,2 | 43,7 | 44,2 | 44,9 | 45,6 | 46,2 | 46,9 | 47,6 | 48,3 | 48,9 |
rural population | 47,1 | 47,4 | 47,5 | 47,7 | 46,8 | 46,1 | 46,5 | 47,1 | 47,7 | 48,2 | 48,8 | 49,5 | 50,4 | 51,3 | 52,1 | 52,8 | 53,6 | 54,4 | 55,0 |
Ethnic composition
Ethnic group |
Population | % of total |
---|---|---|
Azerbaijanis | 90,350 | 98.63% |
Turks | 879 | 0.96% |
Russians | 235 | 0.26% |
Lezgians |
87 | 0.09% |
Georgians | 21 | 0.02% |
Tats | 6 | 0.01% |
Others | 27 | 0.04% |
Earthquakes
- The 1191 earthquake was so destructive that the capital of Shirvan was transferred to Baku.
- The Persian merchants' reports.[who?]
- The 1859 Shamakhi earthquake on 2 December caused the shifting of the same-named government centre to Baku.
- The 1872 earthquake triggered emigration to Baku, where oil production had started in industrial proportions.
- The 1902 earthquake, a devastating earthquake destroyed the 10th-century Juma Mosque.
Nature
The productivity of lands in Shamakhi has always attracted people. The district has beautiful nature with a mild climate and mineral wells. The weather is not too cold and hot here. There are more than 50 medicinal plants in Shamakhi. The rich nature of the district allows various animals and birds to settle here. The fauna of the city has different animals such as roe, boars, bears and wild cats. 40–80 days of a year snow in this place. This district attracts tourists in summer and winter. Babadagh peak is also in Shamakhi. Rivers of Garachay, Valvalachay and Girdmanchay begin here in Babadagh.
Education
Not only Azerbaijan but also the Middle East, Central Asia, Turkey and from the other countries had studied science in madrassah of Juma mosque since the end of the 19th century. Some of them such as Khagani Shirvani, Feleki Shirvani, Muslim Shirvani, Imadeddin Nasimi, Nishat Shirvani, Mir Nazim Shirvani, Seyid Azim Shirvani, Mirza Nasrulla bey Dede, Mahmud Aga, Habib Efendi, Seyid Ünsizade and others. was prominent intelligent educators.
In the Middle Ages, many madrasahs of large mosques functioned in several cities of Azerbaijan. In the 10th–13th centuries, many cities of Azerbaijan, including Tabriz, Maragha, Ganja, Nakhchivan, Shamakhi and Ardabil, were known as the centres of science, education, art and culture in the East.
According to 17th-century famous Turkish traveller E. Chalabi, there were 40 schools, 7 madrassas in Shamakhi.
Nowadays, there are 72 secondary schools in the region, Shamakhi branch of the Azerbaijan Teachers Institute, Shamakhi Humanitarian College, Shamakhi State Industrial Economic College and
Culture
As one of the largest wine-growing regions of Azerbaijan, Shamakhi hosted the Grape and Wine Festival in August 2019 in Meysari village with the support of Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The festival was aimed to encourage local grape and wine production, as well as, to promote the history of wine-producing in Azerbaijan. The festival featured a wine exhibition, a parade of wine producers, an exhibition of different types of folk art of Azerbaijani districts including copper craft, carpet weaving and pottery.[14][15]
Twin cities
Notable natives
- Falaki Shirvani, poet, (1107, (Shamakhi – 1157, Shamakhi)
- )
- Imadaddin Nasimi, poet, (1369, Shamakhi – 1417, Aleppo)
- Zeynalabdin Shirvani, geographer, historian, ethnographer, philosopher and poet (16 August 1780, Shamakhi – 1838, near Jeddah)
- Seyid Azim Shirvani, poet, (10 July 1835 – 1 Iyun 1888)
- Alexander Shirvanzade (Movsisyan), novelist, playwright (18 April 1858, Shamakhi – 7 August 1935, Kislovodsk)
- Mirza Alakbar Sabir, poet (30 May 1862, Shamakhi – 12 July 1911, Shamakhi)
- Hovhannes Abelian, actor (23 October 1865, Shamakhi – 1 July 1936, Yerevan)
- Abbas Sahhat, poet (1874, Shamakhi – 11 July 1918, Ganja)
- Muhammed hadi, poet (1879, Shamakhi – 1920 Ganja)
- )
- Sultan Mejid Qanizade, teacher, writer
- )
- Armen Ohanian, dancer, actress, writer, political activist (1887, Shamakhi – 1976, Mexico)
Gallery
References
- ^ "İnzibati-ərazi vahidləri" (PDF). preslib.az. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Population of Azerbaijan". stat.gov.az. State Statistics Committee. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ Yule, Henry; Beazley, Charles (1911). Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 810–811. . In
- ^ Adam Olearius. Relation du voyage de Adam Olearius en Moscovie, Tartarie et Perse..., vol. 1, traduit de l'allemand par A. de Wicquefort, Paris, 1666, pp. 405–406.
- ^ "Shamaki, reckoned the capital of this province, stands on a river which falls into the Caspian-Sea, and is about sixty-six miles from Derbent towards the south, and ninety-two from Ganga to the south-east. This city was one of the best and most populous of Persia before it was destroyed by an earthquake. It is, however, supposed to contain near 60,000 inhabitants, chiefly Armenians and strangers, whom the pleasantness of the country and traffic have invited thither" (An Universal History: From the Earliest Accounts to the Present Time, by George Sale, George Psalmanazar, Archibald Bower, George Shelvocke, John Campbell, John Swinton, vol. 43, London, 1765, p. 138)
- ^ The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, vol. XI, London, 1833, pp. 174–175.
- ^ The Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 21, Philadelphia, 1894, p. 831, article "Shirvan."
- ^ "Шемаха / Энциклопедия Брокгауза и Эфрона". gatchina3000.ru.
- ^ a b "Political division, population size and structure: Population by towns and regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan". The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "Political division, population size and structure: Population by sex, towns and regions, urban settlements of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 2018". The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "Political division, population size and structure: Population at age 14–29 by towns and regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 2018". The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "Təhsil - ŞAMAXI RAYON Icra Hakimiyyəti". www.shamaxi-ih.gov.az.
- ^ "First Grape and Wine Festival opens in Azerbaijan's Shamakhi district". State News Agency of Azerbaijan. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ "First-ever Grape and Wine Festival to be held in Azerbaijan with support of Heydar Aliyev Foundation". Trend.Az. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
Further reading
- Каталог землетрясений Российской Империи (The Catalogue of the Earthquakes in the Russian Empire).