Lankaran (Azerbaijani:Lənkəran,(listen)ⓘ) is a city inAzerbaijan, on the coast of theCaspian Sea, near the southern border withIran. As of 2021, the city had a population of 89,300. It is next to, but independent of,Lankaran District. The city forms a distinct first-order division of Azerbaijan.
The origin of the name "Lankaran" is uncertain. One theory consider it to derive from one of thePersian words,Langarkunān ("the place for dropping the anchor(s)") orLangarkanān ("the place for weighing anchor(s)"). Both meanings simply translate as "sea port." The pronunciation shifted through the years, andLangarkunān becameLankarān or, in the even more simpleTalysh pronunciation,Lankon. The other theory links it to the Talysh wordlankran ("cane house").[3]
It is unknown when the town of Lankaran was actually established. The French archaeologistJacques de Morgan (died 1924) discovered extremely ancient remains in Lankaran, such as dolmens, graves, and instances of bodies seemingly exposed in aZoroastrian manner.[4]
There are sandy beaches near Lankaran. Thermalsulphide,chloride,sodium-calcium waters ofAndjin (Upper and Lower) mineral springs are situated 12 km west of the town. Also to the west are the ruins ofBallabur castle, near the village with the same name.
Vast area of this region is covered by national parks, where a variety of fauna and flora are preserved.Gizil-Agach State Reserve hosts over 250 kinds of plants, 30 species of fish and more than 220 kinds of birds. Lankaran is also known forParrotia, or ironwood. It is naturally grown in the region and could be seen inHirkan National Park. Local myth has it that it is the only wood that sinks in water, hence the name (ironwood). Historically it has been used for heating since it burns for a long time and is not easily extinguished. ThePersian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolous) subspecies of theleopard, lives in the national park as well. In 1937, members of theOpilio lepidus species ofharvestman were sighted in the area.[6]
Dominating spheres in the economy of Lankaran are vegetable-growing,tea-growing, paddy cultivating, cattle-breeding, citrus plants,beekeeping,fishing, and grain farming.[10] Favourable humid subtropical climate, availability of good arable land, water and sufficient labour resources of the city provides a good basis for agricultural activities as well as the development of agro-processing enterprises. The city is also home to Azerbaijan's firsttea plant, built in 1937.[11]
Lankaran is the capital of theTalysh region (Talyshistan), the ethnic homeland of theTalysh people, and the main urban and cultural center of this people.[12][13][14]
The vast majority of the population of Lankaran isTalysh,[15] and the rest areAzerbaijanis and other nationalities.
The religion with the largest community of followers is Islam. The majority of the Muslims areShia Muslims, and the Republic of Azerbaijan has the second-highest Shia population percentage in the world afterIran.[16] The city's notable mosques includeKichik Bazar Mosque andBoyuk Bazar Mosque.[17]
Lankaran's cuisine has largely been affected by its multicultural history, hence the large variety of food originating duringTalysh Khanate. Lankaran's signature cuisine includes lavangi, Lankaran kulcha, marji plov, white plov, pumpkin plov and turshu kebab.[20][21][22]
^James Minahan.Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: S-Z. — Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, p. 1837.
^Talysh (Talishi) // Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East / Jamie Stokes. Consultants: Anthony Gorman,Andrew J. Newman —NY:Facts on File, 2009. — p. 682 — ISBN 9781438126760.
Shahvar, Soli[in Persian]; Abramoff, Emil (2018). "The Khan, the Shah and the Tsar: The Khanate of Talesh between Iran and Russia". In Matthee, Rudi; Andreeva, Elena (eds.).Russians in Iran: Diplomacy and Power in the Qajar Era and Beyond. London:I.B. Tauris. pp. 24–48.ISBN978-1-78673-336-8.
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