Gülüstan, Nakhchivan
| Gülüstan | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
  Gülüstan | |
| Coordinates: 38°59′00″N 45°35′22″E / 38.98333°N 45.58944°ECoordinates: 38°59′00″N 45°35′22″E / 38.98333°N 45.58944°E | |
| Country |
 Azerbaijan |
| Autonomous republic | Nakhchivan |
| Time zone | AZT (UTC+4) |
| • Summer (DST) | AZT (UTC+5) |
Gülüstan (known as Cuğa until 1999)[1] is a village and municipality in the Julfa Rayon of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 482 (as of 2005).[2]
History
The modern site of Gulustan is the original location of the City of Julfa. Prior to the population removals started under Shah Abbas in 1604, Julfa was an Armenian city with a population of 40,000 people. The city was at the time the center of Armenian culture, and it included a fortress, a massive bridge, and the largest medieval Armenian Cemetery on earth. After the population removals, the site was degraded to the status of a small village, with a population of a few hundred, mostly Armenian residents. During the Nagorno Karabakh War, the Armenians of the village were ethnically cleansed, and The Armenian Cemetery, the only significant vestige of the once great city of Julfa left in the village, was destroyed in what is viewed as an act of Cultural Genocide, akin to the Talibans Destruction of the Buddhas of Bamian.[3]
Culture and sights
Gulustan Tomb
The architectural monument of the Middle Ages near the village of Gulustan, Julfa region. The Gulustan tomb which was built under the influence of the Momuna Khatun Tomb at the beginning of the 13th century belongs to the tower shaped tombs group of Azerbaijan. The twelve-faced body of the tomb was built of red sandstone, but the pedestal with the original structure (the corners are in form of the projected cubic) was built of the hewed stone. Despite of other tombs of Azerbaijan the vault of the Gulustan tomb is situated on the land surface (in the pedestal). The pedestal looks like the projected pyramid outside but inside is cylindrical. The projected pyramid which is square in plan (6.6 x 6.6 cm) turns to the right twelve-faced in the upper part outside and twelve-faced upper chamber is situated on it. The upper tent cover of the tomb was completely destroyed. In accordance with this to identify if the cover looked like a pyramid or conic form is very difficult. The tomb surfaces were decorated with the carving geometric ornaments and were framed with the decorative arches. Each face of the tower is completed with the arches, by means of salient forking. Inside the recesses were covered with the neaty designs as it exists in the tombs of Ajami Nakhchivani. When glanced at the designs in all twelve faces, it becomes clear that the succession existing here is completed by means of three kinds of geometric designs repeatedly. The joined part of the body with the stand, also the place passing to the dome, were encircled with the carved enforcement of stalactit shape. The assembling of the ornaments with other decorative elements and their connection give a rather more vivid and elastic image to the monument. The space structure of the Gulustan tomb is the unexampled specimen on the basis of a square from the circle, from cubic capacity to conic and thus the artistic – technical solution of the symmetric systems pass to one another. As the widespread area of these kinds of tombs is Anadolu, it is possible to regard the Gulustan tomb as the key indicator of the background unity of the central Azerbaijan and the tombs of the Anadolu Saljug. According to the symmetry between the architectural forms, cut and neatness of the designs the Gulustan tomb is differed from these stone tombs for its advantage.[4]
Mineral water
The Gulustan mineral water is in the bed of the Alinjachay (Alinja River), at 2.5 km distance from the village of Gulustan, in the territory of Julfa region. The mineral water is extracted from the well of 135 m in depth which was drilled in 1962. The water is carbonic aerated, less mineralized, hyrocarbonated with natrium-calcium-magnezium. It is of the same type of “Kislovodsk” (Russia) and “Sirab” (Babak) waters. It is used in treatment of the gastroenteric diseases.[5]
References
Sources
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