Agstafa District

Ağstafa
Rayon

Map of Azerbaijan showing Agstafa District
Coordinates: 41°07′08″N 45°27′14″E / 41.11889°N 45.45389°E / 41.11889; 45.45389
Country  Azerbaijan
Rayon Ağstafa
Ağstafa 1939
Area
 • Total 1,503.7 km2 (580.6 sq mi)
Population (2010)[1]
 • Total 80,500
 • Density 53.53/km2 (138.6/sq mi)
Time zone AZT (UTC+4)
 • Summer (DST) AZT (UTC+5)
Telephone code (+994) 22[2]

Aghstafa (Azerbaijani: Ağstafa, Russian: Акстафа) is a rayon in the northwestern Azerbaijan.

Overview

Agstafa raion was created on 24 January 1939 as an independent administrative unit out of larger Qazakh region of Azerbaijan. On 4 December 1959, the status of the raion was abolished and it was incorporated into Qazakh Rayon. Then on 14 April 1990 by the decree of the Council of Deputees of Azerbaijan SSR, it was split from Qazakh raion and was again re-established as a separate raion. The regional center of the raion is its capital Ağstafa. The raion is located in the northwestern part of the country, between Qabirri basin and Lesser Caucasus mountain range, and Ganja-Qazakh lowlands and Ceyrançöl highlands. It is sandwiched by Qazakh raion in the west and Tovuz raion in east, and borders Armenia on the southern frontier and Georgia on the northern. The area of the raion is 1,503.7 km2. There are 36 villages in the raion. There are 39 secondary schools, lyceum, musical school, 2 museums, 38 cultural clubs, State Arts Gallery, 49 libraries, 3 city and 10 village hospitals functioning in the raion. Ganja, Qazakh and Qarayazi lowlands make up the most of the raion's area, whilst its southwestern and northeastern parts comprise lesser mountain sites.[3]

Etymology

The area's name comes from the name of the Oghuz Turks which include mainly the population of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. Ağstafa is a merger of two words: Oğuz + tayfa (Oghuz + tribe). However, some people argue that it is a merger of the other two words which are: Oğuz + təpə (Oghuz + hill).[3]

Economy

The region is rich with bentonite, sand, raw cement material (volcanic ash) and other resources which are considered a core of the Agstafa economy. Kura River passes through the region. Lower sections of Aghstafa and Həsənsu rivers also flow through the raion. Agstafa has always been in the spotlight because of the historic Silk Way trade which went through the region. Caravans from and to Georgia and Iran would stop in Agstafa. It was therefore named the "Camel route". In the 1990s, the caravan route was re-established within the TRACECA project initiated by Heydar Aliyev administration. Then Agstafa gained importance when it became a transit route on the Baku-Tbilisi railroad built in 1881. A railroad junction at Agstafa was built in 1914 thus creating leading to construction of Agstafa city.[4] In addition to the existing railway, the geostrategic importance of Agstafa was enriched by Baku-Gazakh-Tbilisi gas pipeline, Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline.[3]

Demography

The population of Agstafa raion is 78,983. Mostly populated villages are Dağ Kəsəmən, Köçəsgər, Muğanlı and Aşağı Kəsəmən and the town of Agstafa.

Tourism & Historical Monuments

Prehistoric monuments

Ancient to modern monuments

Prominent people from Agstafa

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Population by economic and administrative regions of the Azerbaijan Republic, The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan
  2. ↑ "Şəhərlərarası telefon kodları". Aztelekom MMC. Aztelekom İB. Retrieved 19 August 2015. (Azerbaijani)
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ağstafa rayonu. Retrieved September 28, 2010
  4. ↑ Ağstafa şəhəri. Retrieved September 28, 2010
  5. ↑ abidələr
  6. ↑ Michael Mainville (2007-05-03). "Ancient monastery starts modern-day feud in Caucasus". Middle East Times. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
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