The city's official Azerbaijani spelling is "Nakhchivan" (Azerbaijani:Naxçıvan).[3][4] The name is transliterated from Persian as Nakhjavan (Persian:نخجوان).[5][6] The city's name is transliterated from Russian as Nakhichevan' (Russian:Нахичевань) and from Armenian as Nakhijevan (Armenian:Նախիջևան,romanized: Naxiǰewan).[7][8][9][10]
The city was first mentioned inPtolemy'sGeography asNaxuana (Ancient Greek:Ναξουὰνα,Latin:Naxuana).[11] The older form of the name isNaxčawan (Armenian:Նախճաւան).[12] According to philologistHeinrich Hübschmann, the name was originally borne by the city and later given to the surrounding region.[12] Hübschmann believed the name to be composed ofNaxič orNaxuč (probably a personal name) andawan, an Armenian word (ultimately of Iranian origin) meaning "place, town".[12]
In the Armenian tradition, the name of the city is connected with the Biblical narrative ofNoah's Ark and interpreted as meaning "place of the first descent" or "first resting place" (as if deriving fromնախ,nax, 'first' andիջեւան,ijewan, 'abode, resting place') due to it being regarded as the site whereNoah descended and settled after the landing of the Ark on nearbyMount Ararat.[13][14] It was probably under the influence of this tradition that the name changed in Armenian from the olderNaxčawan toNaxijewan.[14] Although this is a folk etymology,William Whiston believed Nakhchivan/Nakhijevan to be theApobatērion ("place of descent") mentioned by the first-century Jewish historianFlavius Josephus in connection with Noah's Ark, which would make the tradition connecting the name with the Biblical figure Noah very old, predating Armenia's conversion to Christianity in the early fourth century.[14][15][16]
In the Armenian tradition, Nakhchivan was founded byNoah after theFlood, and was the place of his death and burial.[17] According to the Armenian historianMovses Khorenatsi, KingTigranes I ofArmenia settledMedian prisoners of war at Nakhchivan in the second century BC.[18] Nakhchivan is first mentioned inPtolemy'sGeographia as Naxuana (Greek:Ναξουὰνα).[18]
The city and its surroundings were ruled either directly or indirectly byZakarid Armenia from 1201 to 1350, but more often than not they only had partial independence and often were vassals of other Empires.[23] In 1225, Nakhchivan was occupied by al-Maleka al-Jalāliya, daughter ofAtabegMuhammad Jahan Pahlavan.[18] In 1236 Nakhchivan was occupied by theMongol Empire and later theIlkhanate forcing Zakarid Armenia to pay taxes to the Mongol lords as well as owing them loyalty and troops.[24] Genoese merchants were known to trade in the city by 1280.[25] The city was conquered byTimur in 1401,[26] but was taken by KingGeorge VII of Georgia in 1405.[27]
Nakhchivan Khanate was annexed to theRussian Empire per theTreaty of Turkmenchay in 1828.[30] The city became the centre of theNakhichevan uezd of theErivan Governorate in 1849.[30] In 1896, Nakhchivan had a population of 7,433, roughly two-thirds of which were Azeri-speaking Muslims and one-third Armenian Christians.[18] According to the1897 census, Nakhchivan had the status of a county town (Russian:у. г. / уездный город,romanized: u. g. / uyezdny gorod).[31]
Nakhchivan City coat of arms underImperial Russia (designed in 1843)
After theFebruary Revolution of 1917, asoviet was formed in Nakhchivan, but the city was under the control of theSpecial Transcaucasian Committee from March to November 1917, and its successor theTranscaucasian Commissariat from November 1917 to March 1918.[32]Turkey occupied Nakhchivan from June until November,[32] after which the city was occupied by British soldiers in January 1919,[33] and a military governor was appointed to administer Nakhchivan.[32]
Nakhchivan on a 1961 stamp
It was decided that Nakhchivan would be granted to Armenia on 6 April 1919, and the city was annexed on 6 June 1919,[34] however, some months later the city became the center of a regionalMuslim uprising and pogrom against its Armenian inhabitants.[35] Britain, France, Italy, and the US, with approval from Armenia and Azerbaijan, agreed on 25 October 1919 to appoint American Colonel Edmond D. Daily as General-Governor of Nakhchivan, elections would be held, and both Armenia and Azerbaijan would withdraw its forces from the territory.[36] However, in March 1920, Turkish forces led byKâzım Karabekir occupied Nakhchivan.[33]
When Azerbaijan declared independence from the Soviet Union, Nakhchivan remained part of theRepublic of Azerbaijan. Following the2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, atrilateral ceasefire was signed between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. According to the agreement, Azerbaijan will gain a road access to Nakhchivan through Armenia which will be secured by Russian peacekeepers.[40]
The bishop ofMardpetakan resided at Nakhchivan,[19] and the Armenian historianTovma Artsruni records Sahak Vahevuni as bishop of Nakhchivan and Mardpetakan and brother of Apusahak Vahevuni.[42]
The city is spread over the foothills of Zangezur chain, on the right bank of theNakhchivan River at an altitude of almost 1,000 metres (3,300 feet). The floods and soil erosion spiked because of the decreased forest cover along riverbanks.[43] As a result,reforestation projects implemented in the city to encourage tree planting.[43]
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Traditionally, Nakhchivan was home to trade industry,handicraft,shoemaking andhatmaking by Azerbaijanians. These industries have been largely replaced. The restoration enterprises and development industry, liberalization of foreign trade and the extension of the customsinfrastructure, which has been largely responsible for Nakchivan'sgrowth in the last two decades, are now major parts of Nakchivan's economy.[52]
The city has a wide range of cultural activities, amenities and museums. Heydar Aliyev Palace, which has a permanent local painting exhibition and a theatre hall for an audience of 1000 people, and a recently restored Soviet-time Opera Theatre where the Nakhchivan State Musical Drama Theatre realises theatre plays, concerts, musicals and opera.[53]
Many of the city's cultural sites were celebrated in 2018 when Nakhchivan was designated an Islamic Culture Capital.[54]
The main sight in the city is the heavily restored 12th-centuryMomine Khatun Mausoleum, also known as Atabek Gumbezi. Momine Khatun was the wife of EldegizidAtabekJahan Pahlivan, ruler of the Atabek Eldegiz emirate. The 10-sided monument is decorated with intricate geometrical motives andKufic script, it uses turquoise glazed bricks. It shares the neighbourhood with a statue of itsarchitect –Ajami Nakhchivani – and a bust ofHeydar Aliyev. Also from the 12th century and by the same architect, is the octagonal Yusuf Ibn Kuseir tomb, known asAtababa, half abandoned near the main cemetery.
In 1993, the white marblemausoleum ofHussein Javid was built. The Azerbaijani writer died in theGulag duringJoseph Stalin'sGreat Purge. Both the mausoleum and his house museum are located east of the theatre. Although being a recent construction, Huseyn Javid's mausoleum is of great iconic importance, representing the ability of the exclave to live despite the Armenian embargo and becoming a symbol of Nakhchivan itself.
It has been suggested that this section besplit out into another article titledTendir lavash. (Discuss)(November 2020)
Nakchivan’s signature cuisine includesshirin plov (sweet rice with gravy; made with mutton, hazelnuts, almonds and dried fruits), dastana, komba, tendir lavash and galin.
Lavash is made with flour, water, and salt. The thickness of the bread varies depending on how thin it was rolled out. Toasted sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds are sometimes sprinkled on before baking. It is impossible to imagine any table without bread in Azerbaijan and also in Nakhchivan. In connection with this, the assortment of bread in Nakhchivan is different; the tendir lavash as thin as paper, galin (thick), dastana, and komba (ash cake). If prepared to saj it was called lavash, "Juha salmag" – spread Juha, lavash bread on saj, and if prepared in the tandir, the "llavash yapmag" lavash bread stick. The fact is that it was necessary to stick lavash bread on the hot inner walls of the tandir.it is impossible to fight with lavash bread, as the proverb reads "Gyaldi lavash – Bitdili Savas" – "Came lavash – the end of the war". There are many people’s ideological expressions about lavash "Yavash-yavash -pendir- lavash " "Quietly (slow) – cheese lavash " or "Khamrali hash – bagryna bass", "Khamraliev" (kind of bread) push to the chest, i.e. . lavash bread – eat slowly. "Of lavash folk sandwiches are made in a roll shape – durmek. In the village where children ran out to play or school they were supplied with these sandwiches. Inside durmeks – rolls was put butter and jam, cheese, cottage cheese and butter, cheese with herbs, potatoes, boiled eggs, etc."[57]
Ashabi-Kahf is a sanctuary in a natural cave which is located in the eastern part of the city of Nakhchivan, between the mountains of Ilandag and Nahajir in Azerbaijan.Since ancient times Ashabi-Kahf is considered as a sacred place.It is known not only in Nakhchivan, but also in other regions of Azerbaijan and countries of the Middle East.Each year ten thousands of people make a pilgrimage to this place.[citation needed]
The city also has many historical museums, the literature museum ofNakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Nakhchivan State History Museum, The Nakhchivan State Carpet Museum, and the house museums ofJamshid Nakhchivanski andBahruz Kangarli.[58] There is also an archaeological museum found on Istiqlal street. The city has a few interestingmosques, particularly the Jumamosque, with its large dome.
Modern museums in Nakchivan include the Museum under Open Air, Heydar Aliyev Museum and the Memorial Museum (Xatıra Muzeyi), dedicated to the national strife between Armenia and Azerbaijan.[59]
Nakhchivan is known for its "Goyja" fruit, sort of a cherry-plum, and hosts a traditional Goyja festival at the Nakhchivangala Historical-Architectural Museum Complex. Products made from goyja—jam, compote (drink), pickles, dried, lavasha (bread) – are shown at the festival.[66][67]
Another festival organized annually in Nakhchivan is associated with kata (Azerbaijani:kətə) – flat pie with greens, which is made with shomu (wild spinach), mixed greens,desert candle,pumpkin,asphodel, nettle, bean orlentil in a dough wrapped in the shape of an envelope and cooked in atandir. Kata festival is aimed to show and promote the preparation manner of various types of the kata specific to different regions ofNAR. The festival is held at the Historical-Architectural Museum Complex "Nakhchivangala" in April.[68][69][70][71]
Nakhchivan International Airport is the only commercial airport serving Nakhchivan. The airport is connected by bus to the city center. There are domestic flights to Baku and international service to Russia and Turkey.
TheM7 (European route E002) is a 89 km (55 mi) long highway in Nakhchivan. The route runs northwest from the city of Nakhchivan to the border with Turkey in the northwestern end of the exclave.
^Mentioned as "Tatars" in the 1897 census, mentioned as "Shia Muslims" in the 1916 almanac, and as "Turks" or "Turko-Tatars" in the 1926 census. In the 1939 census, they are referred to as "Azerbaijanis".
^(in Russian)"Nakhichevan" in theBrockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, St. Petersburg, Russia: 1890–1907.
^abcHiwbshman, H. (1907).Hin Hayotsʻ Teghwoy Anunnerě [Ancient Armenian Place Names] (in Armenian). Translated by Pilējikchean, H. B. Vienna: Mkhitʻarean Tparan. pp. 222–223, 385.
^Hakobyan, T. Kh.; Melik-Bakhshyan, St. T.; Barseghyan, H. Kh. (1991)."Nakhijevan".Hayastani ev harakitsʻ shrjanneri teghanunneri baṛaran [Dictionary of toponymy of Armenia and adjacent territories] (in Armenian). Vol. 3. Yerevan State University. pp. 951–953.
^Grekov, Boris, ed. (1953).Очерки истории СССР. Период феодализма IX-XV вв.: В 2 ч. [Essays on the history of the USSR. The period of feudalism IX-XV centuries: In 2 volumes]. Moscow:Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union.OCLC8470090.…the political power of the Zakarids was formed and strengthened, heading the restored Armenian statehood in indigenous Armenia. The territory subject to the Zakarids was an Armenian state, vassal to the then reigning house of the Georgian Bagratids; The Zakharid government had the right to court and collect taxes. The main responsibility of the Armenian government to the Georgian government was to provide it with military militia during the war.
^Hodous, Florence (2018)."Inner Asia 1100s-1405: The Making of Chinggisid Eurasia". In Fairey, Jack; Farell, Brian (eds.).Empire in Asia: A New Global History: From Chinggisid to Qing. Vol. 1. London: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 20.ISBN9781472591234.Vassal states such as the Uyghur kingdom of Qocho (until 1335), Zakarid Armenia, Cilicia, Georgia, and Korea similarly owed the empire taxes, troops, and loyalty, but were otherwise left to govern themselves.
^Karapetyan, Bakour.THE ROOTS OF KARABAGH PROBLEM. p. 119. Archived fromthe original on 3 August 2022.Turkey instigated a Muslim revolt against the Republic of Armenia in Nakhichevan. The Armenian troops and refugees were forced to leave the region.
^Демоскоп Weekly (еженедельная демографическая газета. Электронная версия): Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. Распределение населения по родному языку и уездам Российской Империи кроме губерний Европейской России-Нахичеванский уезд – г. НахичеваньArchived 4 February 2021 at theWayback Machine-Источник: Первая Всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. Таблица XIII. Распределение населения по родному языку. (Губернские итоги). Т.Т.51–89. С.-Петербург: 1903–1905
^Кавказский календарь на 1917 год [Caucasian calendar for 1917] (in Russian) (72nd ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1917. pp. 214–221. Archived fromthe original on 4 November 2021.
^"15. Нахичевань (троллейбус)" [15. Nahičevan (trolleybus)].Горэлектротранс (Electrotrans) website (in Russian). Дмитрий Зиновьев (Dmitry Zinoviev).Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved26 September 2012.
^"00188"Алиев Гейдар Али Рза оглы (in Russian). Справочник по истории Коммунистической партии и Советского Союза 1898–1991.Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved11 December 2010.
Blankinship, Khalid Yahya (1994).The End of the Jihad State: The Reign of Hisham Ibn 'Abd al-Malik and the Collapse of the Umayyads. State University of New York Press.
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