Quba (city)
Encyclopedia
Quba is a city in and the capital of the Quba Rayon of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

. It has a population of 38,100.
The city’s suburb of Qırmızı Qəsəbə (also known as Krasnaya Sloboda in Russian) is the home of Azerbaijan's largest community of Mountain Jews
Mountain Jews
Highland Jews, Mountain Jews or Kavkazi Jews also known as Juvuro or Juhuro, are Jews of the eastern Caucasus, mainly of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. They are also known as Caucasus Jews, Caucasian Jews, or less commonly East Caucasian Jews, because the majority of these Jews settled the eastern part...

 and considered as one of the largest communities of Jews in the former-Soviet Union.

History

Guba (Quba) city originated from the riverside village of Gudial. In the mid 18th century, after moving his residence from Khudat, Hussain Ali became Quba’s Khan and raised fortress walls around the city. He thereafer attempted to create a state separate from other Azerbaijani khanates. Nevertheless, Quba khanate, the same as other khanates, was occupied by Russia in the early 19th century and annexed by the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

 under the agreement of 1913.

Guba mass grave

In May 1918, an event similar to the March Days
March Days
The March Days, or March Events, refer to an inter-ethnic strife and massacres of up to 12,000 Azerbaijanis and other Muslims that took place between March 30 and April 2, 1918 in the city of Baku and adjacent areas of the Baku Governorate of Russian Empire.Facilitated by a political power struggle...

 occurred in the Guba, where Dashnak detachment
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...

, under the command of Hamazasp Srvantsyan, arrived from Baku following Armenian Bolshevist communist politician Stepan Shahumyan
Stepan Shahumyan
Stepan Gevorgi Shahumyan was a Bolshevist Russian communist politician and revolutionary active throughout the Caucasus. Shahumyan was an ethnic Armenian and his role as a leader of the Russian revolution in the Caucasus earned him the nickname of the "Caucasian Lenin", a reference to the leader...

's order. According to the investigative commission formed by the Government of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...

, Hamazasp's unit burned and destroyed the city of Quba and killed at least 122 people.

In 2007, during the construction of a stadium, builders discovered Guba mass grave
Guba mass grave
Guba mass grave is an alleged mass grave of victims of mass killings of Azerbaijani, Jewish, Lezgi civilians by Armenian Dashnaks and Bolsheviks during the March days of 1918 in Guba, Azerbaijan.-Discovery:...

. Studies of Azerbaijani and foreign scientists have confirmed that the human remains found there were local residents of various nationalities, including Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

 and Lezgins
Lezgins
The Lezgians are an ethnic group living predominantly in southern Dagestan and northeastern Azerbaijan and who speak the Lezgian language.- Historical concept :While ancient Greek historians, including Herodotus, Strabo, and Pliny the Elder, referred...

, who had been massacred in 1918. To date, 600 human remains found, including about 50 children and 100 women.

Economy

Quba has enjoyed strong economic growth
Economic growth
In economics, economic growth is defined as the increasing capacity of the economy to satisfy the wants of goods and services of the members of society. Economic growth is enabled by increases in productivity, which lowers the inputs for a given amount of output. Lowered costs increase demand...

 over the last decade, much of it spurred by tourism and the construction industry
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...

.

Juma Mosque

This mosque was erected in the 19th century and constructed in typical Quba province style mosques. Inside of the mosque there is a big hall crowned with a huge 16 m diameter dome.

Sakina-Khanum Mosque

Sakina-Khanum Mosque was built in 1854 by the widow of Abbasgulu Bakikhanov
Abbasgulu Bakikhanov
Abbasgulu Bakikhanov , also known as Gudsi , was an Azerbaijani writer, historian, journalist, linguist, poet and philosopher; descendant of the ruling dynasty of the Baku Khanate, nephew of the last khan of Baku...

. The mosque was built from red bricks and is similar to faceted cylinder. Each facet has a window in the form of a semicircular arch. The top of the facade is surrounded by an original eaves made from small bricks. From top this stately building is crowned with a big white metal dome in the shape of a multi-faceted helmet. The top of the dome is decorated by a graceful thin spike.

Old Hamam

Not far from the Juma Mosque is an old hamam. The hamam is unique in it's beehive shaped dome made of brick. The hamam is no longer operational but proves to be an interesting stop on any walking tour.

Mahir Lahmacun

The best doner in Azerbaijan. This little restaurant, not far from the bus station, is across the street from the Quba College. Tofiq, the doner chef is one of the nicest in the whole country and will always greet you with a smile. This place is frequented by Peace Corps volunteers for the reasonably priced doner and perashkis.

Cuisine

Quba's cuisine has largely been affected by its multicultural history. Quba’s signature cuisine includes Quba tıxması, spicy kebab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...

, sac and tandir kebab.

Education

There are seven public schools in Quba. Eleven years education in the schools and consists of primary, secondary and high school stages.
There are also private schools in Quba the most wellknown of which is Quba Private Turkish High School.
All villages have their own schools.

Transportation

Main transports to Quba are buses from Baku International Bus Terminal. The buses start to travel at 8:00 a.m every day in 1 hour intervals. Taxi is also available from Baku to Quba anytime.
There are also buses from neighbour towns (Khachmaz, Qusar, Shabran, Khudat).
Transportation inside Guba from center to villages and different regions is performed by buses, minibuses and taxi, which are available every day.

Twin cities

Quba is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with the following cities: Erzin, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, since 2011
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