Shamakhi
Encyclopedia
Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan
Politically, Azerbaijan is divided into:*59 districts ,*11 cities ,*1 autonomous republic , which itself contains:**7 districts**1 city...
of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and a town in the rayon. It is the historical center of the region of Shirvan
Shirvan
Shirvan , also spelled as Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both Islamic and modern times...
.
The town is 70 miles (112.7 km) west of Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
. It has more than 20,000 inhabitants, among them Azerbaijanis
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
(95%) and Russians. Once Shamakhy was famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers
Shamakhi Dancers
The Shamakhi dancers were the principal dancers of the entertainment groups that existed in Shamakhi up to the late nineteenth century...
.
Though Shamakhy has suffered from attack, earthquake and siege it remains rich in historical and cultural monuments, chief among them the Baba Zinda near the settlement of Maraza
Maráza
Maráza is a village in Baranya county, Hungary.-Reference:...
.
In its history eleven major earthquakes have rocked Shamakhi, but each time it was reconstructed by its inhabitants due to role as economic and administrative capital of Shirvan and one of the key towns on the way of the Silk Road
Silk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
. The only building to have survived eight of the eleven earthquakes is the landmark Juma Mosque (8th century CE).
History
Shamakhy was an important town during the Middle Ages and served as a capital of Shirvanshah
Shirvanshah
Shirvanshah also spelled as Shīrwān Shāh or Sharwān Shāh, was the title in mediaeval Islamic times of an Arab in Ethnos but speedily Persianized dynasty within their culturally Persian environment. The Shirvanshah established a native state in Shirvan...
state in 8-15 century and the capital of independent Shirvan Khanate
Shirvan Khanate
Shirvan Khanate was a self-governing khanate that existed in what is now Azerbaijan in 1748—1805.-History:In 1742 Shemakha was taken and destroyed by Nadir Shah of Persia, who relocated inhabitants into a new town under the same name about 16 miles to the west , at the foot of the main chain of...
, which was also known as khanate of Shemakha. The Catholic friar, missionary and explorer William of Ruysbroeck passed there on his return journey from the Mongol Great Khan's court.
In the middle of the 16th century it was the seat of an English commercial factory, under the traveler Anthony Jenkinson
Anthony Jenkinson
Anthony Jenkinson was born at Market Harborough, Leicestershire. He was one of the first Britons to explore Muscovy and present day Russia. Jenkinson was a traveller and explorer on behalf of the Muscovy Company and the English crown. He also met Ivan the Terrible several times during his trips...
, afterwards envoy extraordinary of the Persian Shah to Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Abass Gouli Bakukhanof, a XIX century scholar writes as follows :
"Şamaxı ilə Qudyal (indiki Quba) şəhərləri arasında qalan mahalda, məsələn: Şirvanda Hovz, Lahıj və Qoşunlu; Qubada Bərmək, Şəmpara, Buduğun aşağı hissəsi və bütün Bakı ölkəsində--altı tərəkəmə kəndindən başqa--bütün əhali tat dilində danışır" Which claims that not only Shirvan/Shamakhi, also the surrounding regions were Tat
Tat
Tat or TAT may refer to:in ethnology:* Tats, an Iranian ethnic group from the Caucasus* Tat language , their language* Juhuri language, the Jewish Tat language* Tati language , a group of northwestern Iranian dialects...
speakers.
Adam Olearius
Adam Olearius
Adam Olearius , born Adam Ölschläger or Oehlschlaeger, was a German scholar, mathematician, geographer and librarian...
, who visited Shamakhi in 1636, wrote that the population of the city consisted of Azerbaijanis,Persians and some Georgians, and while they all had their own languages, they spoke Turkish language, like the people of Shirvan in general. In the 1720s, the population of Shemakhi was about 60,000, most of whom were Azerbaijanis and strangers. In 1742 Shemakhy was taken and destroyed by Nadir Shah of Persia, who punished the inhabitants for their disobedience and Sunnite creed by building a new town under the same name about 16 miles (25.7 km) to the west, at the foot of the main chain of the Caucasus Mountains
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region .The Caucasus Mountains includes:* the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and* the Lesser Caucasus Mountains....
. The new Shemakha was at different times a residence of the Shirvan Khanate
Shirvan Khanate
Shirvan Khanate was a self-governing khanate that existed in what is now Azerbaijan in 1748—1805.-History:In 1742 Shemakha was taken and destroyed by Nadir Shah of Persia, who relocated inhabitants into a new town under the same name about 16 miles to the west , at the foot of the main chain of...
, but it was finally abandoned, and the old town rebuilt. The Russians first entered Shirvan in 1723, but soon retired leaving it to Ottomans who possessed it in 1723-35. Shirvan Khanate
Shirvan Khanate
Shirvan Khanate was a self-governing khanate that existed in what is now Azerbaijan in 1748—1805.-History:In 1742 Shemakha was taken and destroyed by Nadir Shah of Persia, who relocated inhabitants into a new town under the same name about 16 miles to the west , at the foot of the main chain of...
was finally annexed by Russia in 1805.
The British Penny Cyclopaedia
Penny Cyclopaedia
The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge was a multi-volume encyclopedia edited by George Long and published by Charles Knight alongside the Penny Magazine. The volumes were published from 1833 to 1843.-External links:...
published in 1833 stated that "The bulk of the population of Shirvan consists of the Tahtar, or, to speak more correctly, Turkish race, with me admixture of Arabs and Persians. Besides the Muslims, who form the mass of the population, there are Armenians, some Jews, and a few Gipsies. According to the official returns of 1831, the number of males belonging to the Muslim population was 62.934; Armenians, 6,375; Jews, 332; total males 69,641." The same source also states that according to the official returns of 1831, the city was inhabited by only 2233 families, as result of devastation during the wars. According to Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
The Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary is, in its scope and style, the Russian counterpart to the Encyclopædia Britannica. It contains 121,240 articles, 7,800 images, and 235 maps...
, Shamakhi had 20008 inhabitants (10450 males and 9558 females); of them Russians 3%, Armenians 18%, and Azerbaijani Tatars 79%.
Until the devastating earthquake of 1859
1859 Shamakhi earthquake
The 1859 Shamakhi earthquake was a tremor, that took place on December 2, 1859, in the Baku Governorate region of Azerbaijan . December 2, 1859 earthquake caused the shifting of the same-named government center to Baku....
, Shamakhi was the capital of the Shamakhi Governorate
Baku Governorate
Baku Governorate was one of the guberniyas of the Russian Empire, with its centre in Baku. Area : 34,4000 sq. verstas, population : 789,659. The only foreign border of the governorate was Persia, in the south...
of 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...
. From 1859, when the capital of the province was transferred to Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, the importance of the city declined.
"Queen of Shemakha" is a major protagonist in "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel
The Tale of the Golden Cockerel
The Tale of the Golden Cockerel is the last fairy tale in verse by Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin wrote the tale in 1834 and it was first published in literary magazine Biblioteka dlya chteniya in 1835...
" by Alexander Pushkin and opera "The Golden Cockerel
The Golden Cockerel
The Golden Cockerel is an opera in three acts, with short prologue and even shorter epilogue, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Its libretto, by Vladimir Belsky, derives from Alexander Pushkin's 1834 poem The Tale of the Golden Cockerel, which in turn is based on two chapters of Tales of the Alhambra by...
" by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. The character has, however, no real relation to the city.
Earthquakes
- 1191 earthquake was so destructive that the capital of Shirvan was transferred to Baku.
- 1667 earthquake is considered to be the worst with a death toll of 80,000 and one third of the city plunged according to the Persian merchants' reports;
- 1859 Shamakhi earthquake1859 Shamakhi earthquakeThe 1859 Shamakhi earthquake was a tremor, that took place on December 2, 1859, in the Baku Governorate region of Azerbaijan . December 2, 1859 earthquake caused the shifting of the same-named government center to Baku....
on December 2, 1859 earthquake caused the shifting of the same-named government center to BakuBakuBaku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
. - 1902 devastating earthquake that destroyed the 10-century Juma Mosque.
Famous people
- Falaki ShirvaniFalaki ShirvaniAbu Nizam Muhammad Falaki Shirvani was a Persian poet from Shirvan . His contemporary and rival was the famous Khaqani Shirvani.-References used:...
,poet, (1107 ShamakhiShamakhiShamakhi or Shamakhy is a rayon of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and a town in the rayon. It is the historical center of the region of Shirvan.The town is west of Baku. It has more than 20,000 inhabitants, among them Azerbaijanis and Russians...
- 1157 Shamakhi) - Khagani Shirvani, poet , (1121/1122 Shamakhi) - 1190 TabrizTabrizTabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
) - Imadaddin Nasimi, poet , (1369 Shamakhi) –1417 skinned alive in AleppoAleppoAleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
) - Seyid Azim ShirvaniSeyid Azim ShirvaniSeyid Azim Shirvani was an Azerbaijani poet. He was born in 1835 in Shamakhi. He got his elementary education in his native city, but soon was sent to Baghdad and then to Egypt to receive religious education. After returning to Shamakhi, Shirvani started paying attention to secular sciences and...
, poet , (10 July 1835 - 1 Iyun 1888) - Muhammed hadi, poet , (1879 Shamakhi - 1920 GanjaGanja, AzerbaijanGanja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and...
) - Abbas SahhatAbbas SahhatAbbas Sahhat , born Abbasgulu Aliabbas oglu Mehdizadeh , was an Azerbaijani poet and dramatist.-Life and career:...
, poet ,(1874, Shamakhi – 11 July 1918, GanjaGanja, AzerbaijanGanja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and...
) - Ziver bey Ahmedbeyov, architect , (1873 Shamakhi - 1925 BakıBaki-Geography:* Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan * Baki, Somalia, the capital of the Baki district of the Awdal region*Baki, Afghanistan* Baki, Sukoharjo, a subdistrict in Sukoharjo Regency, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia....
) - Zeynalabdin ShirvaniZeynalabdin ShirvaniZeynalabdin Shirvani , also known as Tamkin, was an Azerbaijani geographer, philosopher and poet.-Early life:...
, geographer, historian, ethnographer, philosopher and poet,(16 August 1780, Shamakhy — 1838, near JeddahJeddahJeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
), - Sultan Mejid Qanizade, enlighter, teacher, writer
- Mirza Alakbar SabirMirza Alakbar SabirMirza Alakbar Sabir , born Alakbar Zeynalabdin oglu Tahirzadeh . Sabir was a public figure, philosopher, teacher and a poet-innovator. He set up an inspiring attitude to classical traditions, rejecting well-trodden ways in poetry...
, poet ,(30 May 1862, Shamakhy – 12 July 1911, Shamakhy).
Sources and references
- Каталог землетрясений Российской Империи (The Catalogue of the Earthquakes in the Russian Empire).