Gadabay District

Gadabay District
Map of Azerbaijan showing Gadabay District
Map of Azerbaijan showing Gadabay District
Country Azerbaijan
RegionGazakh-Tovuz
Established8 August 1930
CapitalGadabay
Settlements[1]109
Government
 • GovernorOrkhan Mursalov[2]
Area
 • Total
1,232 km2 (476 sq mi)
Population
 • Total
101,062
 • Density82/km2 (210/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+4 (AZT)
Postal code
2100
Websitegedebey-ih.gov.az

Gadabay District (Azerbaijani: Gədəbəy rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the Gazakh-Tovuz Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Dashkasan, Shamkir, Tovuz. Its administrative center is the city of Gadabay and it has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. It is part of the ancient culture of Khojaly and Gadabay. As of 2024, the population of the district is 101.062 [3]

Etymology

The toponym is derived from the ancient Turkish words "ket", "gedik"(hill) and "bek" (guard, watchman). Another possibility is that the word Dadabay was deformed and became Gadabay. in the Middle Ages, part of this district was divided between Atabay, Shakarbay, Gadabay - father and sons. Gadabey was the son of Atabey. There are still villages named Atabay and Shakarbay in the ragion. İn connection with the word "bek" - tepe, it is necessary to mention the Gadabay oykonimi. Gadabey is formed from the old turkish words "ket" - guard, guardian and turkish "bek" - hill and means guard, watchman.

Geography

In the west, Azerbaijan's border upon Armenia stretches for a distance of 123 kilometres (76 mi).

Gadabay District is located in a zone of midlands and highlands of the Lesser Caucasus. Its territory includes the northern parts of Shahdagh Mount, a part of Bashkend-Dastafur concavity and Shamkir massif.

The highest heights are Goshabulag (3549m) and Godzhadagh (3317m).

The drainage of the district is significantly poor. Akhinja, Zayam and Shamkir are the largest rivers. Mountain-forest, mountain-meadow and other grounds spread here. Mountain shrubland and rare forest meadows in midlands, broad-leaved forests, subalpine and alpine meadows at the top of mountains occupy the greatest territory of the district.

Depositions of the Jurassic, Paleogene, Quaternary and other periods cover the surface of district. Gadabay district is rich of its underground resources such as gold, uranium, copper and other mineral resources. Goldfield in Soyudlu was explored by the Siemens brothers until arrival of Red Army soldiers in 1920.[4][5] At present there is opened a factory producing gold, where work about 2000 workers. Gadabay District is also famous for its mineral waters, such as “Narzan”, “Mor-Mor”, “Chaldash”, “Turshsu” and “Soyudlu narzani” (in Soyudlu village).

Gadabay is within the middle and high mountain ranges of the Small Caucasus. The region of Gadabay covers the northern incline of the Shahdagh Ridge, the Bashkand-Dastafur basin and some part of the Shamkir mountain range. Goshabulak (3549 m.), Gocadagh (3317 m.) and others are the highest peaks. Within the area Jurassic, Tabashir, Paleogene and Anthropogenic sediments are spread. There are black and white marble stones. Summer is dry and there is mild heat and in the winter there is a dry mountainous tundra climate. The waterway network is tight. The Akhyncachay and Zayam waterways stream through this region. Within the south-western border of the area, the upper stream of Shamkirchay flows through. Gray mountain forest, meadow soils are spread. The region contains a well-known Red State Nature Reserve and four natural monuments - Govdu, Godakdara, Gamish and Shamlik. There is a beautiful waterfall at Kechidarasi cliff. Goat, sparrows, roe deer and Ayubbulaq as well as Chaldash, Gizilca Narzan, Mor-Mor mineral water springs can also be observed. Within the mountains, in the forests and valleys of the locale, animal and plant life is very rich. Gadabay locale is in the middle and high mountain ranges of the Small Caucasus. The district is located in the northern part of the Shahdagh ridge, the Bashkend-Dizafur depression and the Shamkir mountain range.[6]

History

As an administrative unit, Gadabay District originated on August 8, 1930, Gadabay district is one of the oldest human settlements in Azerbaijan. Historical cultural monuments in the region have entered our history as part of the Khojaly-Gadabay culture, which spans the 14th-8th centuries BC. In the mid-19th century, copper ore deposits were discovered in Gadabay region and in 1855-1856 a copper smelting plant was built by local entrepreneurs. Later the same plant was bought by the german company "Siemens" and rebuilt in 1865. In 1883, the "Siemens" company built the Galakand steel plant and in 1879, for the first time in Transcaucasia, a 28 km long railway was built between Gadabey and Galakand. On this railway 4 locomotives and 33 wagons moved. even today the bridges built on this road are historical monuments. In 1883, the first hydroelectric power plant on the territory of Tsarist Russia was built in the village of Galakand and copper was smelted by electrolysis at the Galakand copper smelter. At that time, kerosene lamps were used in the Central European cities of London, Paris and St. Petersburg, while electric light was used in Gadabay. at that time, archaeological excavations were carried out in the Gadabay region by German scientists. The results of the archaeological excavations were published by the German scientific publishing house "Folker Shpis" in Berlin in the scientific work "Galakend. During the nagorno-karabakh war, on august 8, 1992, two villages of the district, motudara and kasimagali, were destroyed by the armed forces of Armenia villages, including 78 residential houses, 1 school and 2 medical centers were burned. currently, a school and a medical center, 74 residential houses have been restored in those villages, and the restoration of other residential houses is ongoing.[7]

Geological structure

Jurassic, Tabashir, Paleogene and Anthropogenic sediments are spread. The granite-rich metamorphic rocks, Gadabayit, was first studied in Gadabay Copper-Cholerite bed (1903).

Rivers and water basins

The waterway network is tight. Gadabay is rich in minerals and table water springs such as Mormor, Turshsu, Koroglu, Shahzadeh, Narzan, and others. The main waterways are Akimca, Zayam, Inakbogan, Shamkir and others.

Population

Population of the district by the year (at the beginning of the year, thsd. persons) [8]
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Gadabay region 87,1 88,0 88,5 89,1 89,9 90,6 91,4 92,1 92,8 93,6 94,2 95,0 95,4 96,0 96,8 97,6 98,4 99,2 99,8 100,4 100,9 101,1
urban population 8,7 8,8 9,0 9,2 9,4 9,7 9,8 9,9 10,0 10,2 10,1 10,6 11,0 11,2 11,3 11,4 11,6 11,6 11,7 11,7 11,7 11,7
rural population 78,4 79,2 79,5 79,9 80,5 80,9 81,6 82,2 82,8 83,4 84,1 84,4 84,4 84,8 85,5 86,2 86,8 87,6 88,1 88,7 89,2 89,4

Notable people

Demographics

Ethnic groups

Religion

Language

References

  1. ^ "İnzibati-ərazi vahidləri" (PDF). preslib.az. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  2. ^ "New head of Gedabey region appointed". www.turan.az. 2022-08-11.
  3. ^ a b "Population of Azerbaijan". stat.gov.az. State Statistics Committee. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  4. ^ "German industrialists' legacy to be revived in Azeri region". azernews.az. February 11, 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15.
  5. ^ "Second plant in prospect at Azerbaijan gold mine". news.az. Archived from the original on 2014-08-21.
  6. ^ "Coğrafi mövqeyi - GƏDƏBƏY RAYON Icra Hakimiyyəti". www.gedebey-ih.gov.az. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Political division, population size and structure: Population by towns and regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan. "Population | The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan". The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Retrieved 2018-11-23.

40°33′56″N 45°48′58″E / 40.5656°N 45.8161°E / 40.5656; 45.8161