Ganja (city) Totally Explained

Everything about Ganja City totally explained

Ganja (Azerbaijani: Gəncə, Persian: گنجه / Ganjeh) is Azerbaijan's second largest city.

Foundation of the city

According to medieval Arab sources, the city of Ganja was founded in 859-60 by Mohammad b. Khaled b. Yazid b. Mazyad, the Arab governor of the region in the reign of the caliph Al-Mutawakkil, and so-called because of a treasure unearthed there. According to the legend, the Arab governor had a dream where a voice told him that there was a treasure hidden under one of the three hills around the area where he camped. The voice told him to unearth it and use the money to found a city. He did so and informed the caliph about the money and the city. Caliph made Mohammad the hereditary governor of the city on a condition that he'd give the money he found to the caliph.
Foundation of the city by Arabs is confirmed by the medieval Armenian historian Movses Kagankatvatsi, who mentions that the city of Ganja was founded in 846-47 in the canton of Arshakashen by the son of Khazr Patgos, “a furious and merciless man”. Khazr is believed to be a corrupted form of the name of “Khaled”, while “Patgos” stands for Persian “patgospan”, for example governor. Arshakashen (Armenian: Արշակաշեն, meaning "built by Arshak") was one of the cantons of the province of Utik, which was part of Armenia, before 387 AD, and of Caucasian Albania after the division of the Kingdom of Armenia between Persia and Byzantium.
However, modern historians believe that the Persian name Ganja ("Ganja" derives from the New Persian ganj (گنج: "treasure, treasury")) suggests that the city existed in pre-Islamic times and was likely founded in the fifth century A.D.

History

Historically an important city of the South Caucasus, Ganja has been part of the Kingdom of Armenia, Caucasian Albania, Sassanid empire, Great Seljuk Empire, Atabegs of Azerbaijan, Khwarezmid_Empire, Il-Khans, Timurids, Jalayirids, Qara Qoyunlu, Ak Koyunlu (External Link

), and the Ganja Khanate. Ganja is also the birthplace of the famous poet Nizami. The people of Ganja experienced a temporary cultural decline after an earthquake in 1139 and again after the Mongol invasion in 1231. The city was revived after the Safavids came to power. She was also managed by Ottomans between 1578-1603 and 1724-1735. For a short period, Ganja was renamed Abbasabad by Shah Abbas I. During the Safavid rule, it was the capital of the Karabakh (Ganja) beylerbey, one of the four such administrative units and principalities. In 1747, Ganja became the center of the Ganja Khanate.
   According to the October 1813 Gulistan Treaty, the Ganja Khanate, together with most of Azerbaijan and Georgia, was recognized as part of Russian Empire after Persia's defeat in the Persia-Russia wars. It was renamed Elizavetpol after the wife of Alexander I of Russia, Elizabeth, and in 1868 became the capital of Elizavetpol Governorate.. Elizavetpol was a uyezd of Tiflis Governorate before 1868.
   In 1918, Ganja became the temporary capital of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, at which point it was renamed Ganja again, until Baku was recaptured from the British backed Centrocaspian Dictatorship. In 1920, the Red Army occupied Azerbaijan and in 1935 Joseph Stalin renamed the city Kirovabad after Sergei Kirov. In 1991, Azerbaijan re-established its independence, and the ancient name of the city was given back.
   Today Ganja is the second largest city in Azerbaijan. (External Link

) According to the official government data, at the beginning of 2006, the population of Ganja was 305,600. It has an international airport, and is home to the Nizami Mausoleum, re-built in 1991.

Historic Armenian community

In addition to Persian- and Turkic-speaking Muslims, the city has had a numerically, economically and, culturally significant Armenian community . Among the Armenians, the city is known as Gandzak (Գանձակ). The word Gandzak is likewise associated with the concept of treasure or riches - gandz (Arm. - գանձ). According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services Country Reports, pogroms directed against the Armenian population have taken place in Ganja (Kirovabad) in November, 1988 following the expulsion of Azeris from Armenia (see Kirovabad pogrom) . The city’s Armenian population (about 1/3 of the whole population) left in 1989, in the process of forced population exchanges that defined the Karabakh conflict .
The city's historically important Christian figures include Kirakos Gandzaketsi (Կիրակոս Գանձակեցի, 1201-1271, author of the History of the Armenians ), Armenian philosopher Mkhitar Gosh (Մխիթար Գոշ, c. 1130–1213) author of the Code of Laws that was used in Armenia, Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and Armenian diasporan groups in Europe, and Grigor Paron-Ter (Գրիգոր Պարոն Տեր, 1560-1645) - Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem. Among the modern time's prominent Armenian person's of the city were Russian-Armenian architect Karo Halabyan, secretary of Armenian SSR communist party, President Askanaz Mravyan, Marshall Hovhannes Baghramyan, Chief Marshal Hamazasp Babadzhanian and the Olympic champion Albert Azaryan .

Education

Ganja is home to four major institutes for post-secondary education.

Famous people

Ganja is known for its famous people:

Nigar Rafibeyli

Ethnic groups

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Languages

About 99 % population Ganja speak in the Azerbaijani language, only 1 % speak the population in other languages. They basically which speak other ethnic groups on the native language.

Sister cities

Newark, New Jersey, U.S.

Rustavi, Republic of Georgia

Pictures of Ganja

Image:Nizami Ganjavi Monument.jpg|The Nizami Ganjavi Monument in Ganja Image:Ganja archeological museum.jpg|Ganja archeological museum Image:Ganja city hall.jpg|Ganja city hall Image:Ganja city hall close-up.jpg|Ganja city hall Image:Ganja State Academy of Sciences.jpg|Ganja State Academy of Sciences Image:Ganja city.jpg|Statue of Nizami Ganjavi in front of the crumbling Kyapas Hotel Image:Ganja downtown.jpg|Ganja downtown Image:Ganja street.jpg|Cavadxan St (formerly Ganja St and before that Sabir St!) Image:Shakh Abbas Mosque.jpg|Shah Abbas Mosque Image:Shakh Abbas Mosque view.jpg|Area around Shah Abbas Mosque Image:Ganja - Decorated House.jpg|Ganja's quirky 'Bottle House' (Huseynli St) Image:Nizami Ganjavi Monument 2.jpg|Nizami Mausoleum Image:Nizami Ganjavi Main Statue.jpg|Statues depicting scenes from the works of Nizami, near the Nizami Ganjavi Mausoleum (Ganja) Image:Nizami Ganjavi statue fragment.jpg|Statues depicting scenes from the works of Nizami, near the Nizami Ganjavi Mausoleum (Ganja) Image:Nizami Ganjavi statue fragment 2.jpg|Statues depicting scenes from the works of Nizami, near the Nizami Ganjavi Mausoleum (Ganja) Image:Nizami Ganjavi statue fragment 3.jpg|Statues depicting scenes from the works of Nizami, near the Nizami Ganjavi Mausoleum (Ganja) Further Information

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