Qazax (Gazakh; (listen)ⓘ) is a city in and the capital of the Gazakh District of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 20,900.[2] Gazakh is a city and administrative district in the west of Azerbaijan, the "western gate" of Azerbaijan.[3]
From 1905 to 1906, during the Armenian–Tatar massacres, many Armenian homes were burned and looted by Tatars (later known as Azerbaijanis), as well as the Armenian school and church. Many Armenian inhabitants as a result fled to Tbilisi and other nearby Armenian-populated areas.[4][better source needed]
From an Armenian perspective, these territories were historical Armenian provinces—which had been, factually, incorporated in various Armenian states—and therefore, the Gazakh region was initially contested between the Armenian and Azerbaijani SSRs.[5] The Armenian name for the city is Ghazakh (Armenian: Ղազախ, romanized: Ġazax),[6] and it is based on the Azerbaijani name itself. Another Armenian name is Koght (Կողթ).[7]
In 1930, Gazakh became the administrative center of Azerbaijan's Gazakh District. The area has major strategic importance for modern-day Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey regional communication and energy projects.[citation needed]
Modern history
During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Armenian troops took control of several villages of the Gazakh district. Several Azerbaijani inhabitants were killed during the war whilst others were able to flee.[8][9]
According to the 1897 Russian Empire census, Gazakh had a population of 1,769—the linguistic composition was as follows: 802 (45.3%) Armenian, 601 (34.0%) Tatar (later known as Azerbaijani), 251 Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian, 60 (3.4%) Georgian, 19 (1.1%) Greek, 11 (0.6%) Polish, and 23 (1.3%) other language speakers.[11][12]
According to the Caucasian Calendar, the population of the city in 1907 was 732 people, primarily Armenians with Tatars (later known as Azerbaijanis) as a minority, and by 1910, the population was 1,050 people.[13] According to the 1912 publication, the city had an Armenian plurality.[13]
According to the 1926 census of the USSR, 6,767 people lived in the city.[14]
In 1970, the city was home to about 13,000 people,[15] in 1991, that number was about 19,300 people.[15]
By 2013, there were about 21,000 people living in Gazakh (10,200 men and 10,800 women).[16]
The main occupations of the population are carpet making[17] and horse breeding (specifically the Deliboz breed).[18]
The total population of the district is 98932 people as of 01.01.2021[19]
Economy
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The economy of Gazakh is partially agricultural, partially tourism-based, with some industries in operation.
Gazakh Cement Plant
The Gazakh Cement Plant is served by a railway branch off the BTK railway at Aghstafa.
Location
Gazakh region is located in the west of Azerbaijan. It borders with Georgia for 9 km and with Armenia for 168 km.
Gazakh region is located in the western part of the republic, in the western part of the vast Ganja-Gazakh plain, which starts from the slopes of the mountain range of the Lesser Caucasus and extends along the right bank of the Kura river. The highest elevation is "Odun" mountain (1316 meters). Its nature is mainly plain, the southern part is low mountainous.[20]
Culture
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2014)
^"Archived copy". www.stat.gov.az. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^Harutyunyan, Sargis; Danielyan, Emil. "Armenia-Azerbaijan Border 'Calm' After Deadly Clashes". azatutyun.am. RFE/RL. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020. ...the border between Armenia's northern Tavush province and the Tovuz district in Azerbaijan, the scene of the clashes.
^ abКавказский календарь на 1912 год [Caucasian calendar for 1912] (in Russian) (67th ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1912. p. 160. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.