Ganja, Azerbaijan

Oreegin o the name

Modren historians believe that the name Ganja (گنجه / Ganjeh) derives frae the New Persie ganj (گنج: "treasure, treasury") an suggests that the ceety existit in pre-Islamic times an wis likely foondit in the 5t century A.D.^[4] The aurie in which Ganja is locatit wis kent as Arran frae the 9t tae 12t century; its urban population spak mainly in the Persie leid.^[5][6]

Pre-1500

Accordin tae medieval Arab soorces, the ceety o Ganja wis foondit in 859-60 bi Mohammad b. Khaled b. Yazid b. Mazyad, the Arab govrenor o the region in the reign o the caliph Al-Mutawakkil, an sae-cried acause o a treasure unearthed thare. Accordin tae the legend, the Arab govrenor haed a dream whaur a vyce tauld him that thare wis a treasure hidden unner ane o the three hills aroond the aurie whaur he camped. The vyce tauld him tae unearth it an uise the money tae foond a ceety. He did sae an informed the caliph aboot the money an the ceety. The Caliph made Mohammad the hereditary govrenor o the ceety on a condeetion that he wad gie the money he foond tae the caliph.^[7]

Foondation o the ceety bi Arabs is confirmed bi the medieval historian Movses Kagankatvatsi, who mentions that the ceety o Ganja wis foondit in 846-47 in the canton o Arshakashen b the son of Khazr Patgos, “a furious an merciless man”.^[8]

Historically an important ceety o the Sooth Caucasus, Ganja haes been pairt o Sassanid empire, Great Seljuk Empire, Atabegs of Azerbaijan, Khwarezmid Empire, Il-Khans,^[9] Timurids,^[10] Jalayirids,^[11] Qara Qoyunlu,^[12] Ak Koyunlu,^[13][14] the Safavid, the Afsharid, the Zand an the Qajar empires o Persie/Iran, but eften ruled locally bi the khans/dukes o the Ganja Khanate. Ganja is an aa the birthplace o the famous poet Nizami Ganjavi

The fowk o Ganja experienced a temporary cultural decline efter an yirdquauk in 1139, when the ceety wis taken bi keeng Demetrius I o Georgie an its gates taken as trophies, an again efter the Mongol invasion in 1231. The ceety wis revived efter the Safavids came tae pouer. Ceety wis an aa managed bi Ottomans atween 1578–1603 an 1724-1735.

16t-19t centuries

For a short period, Ganja wis renamed Abbasabad bi Shah Abbas efter war against the Ottomans. He biggit a new ceety 8 km tae the soothwast o the auld ane, but the name chyngit back tae Ganja durin the time.^[15] Durin the Safavid rule, it wis the caipital o the Karabakh (Ganja) beylerbey,^[16] ane o the fower sic admeenistrative units an principalities. In 1747, Ganja became the centre o the Ganja Khanate.

Accordin tae the October 1813 Gulistan Treaty, the Ganja Khanate, thegether wi maist o Azerbaijan, wis recognised as pairt o Roushie Empire efter Persie's defeat in the Persie-Roushie wars except Persian occupation atween 1826-1827.^[17] It wis renamed Elizavetpol (Roushie: Елизаветполь) efter the wife o Alexander I o Roushie, Elizabeth, an in 1868 became the caipital o Elizavetpol Govrenorate. Elizavetpol wis an uyezd o Tiflis Govrenorate afore 1868. The Roushie name wis no acceptit bi Azerbaijanis who continued tae caw the ceety Ganja.^[18]

20t century

In 1918, Ganja became the temporary caipital o the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, at which pynt it wis renamed Ganja again, till Baku wis recaptured frae the Breetish backed Centrocaspian Dictatorship. In Aprile 1920, the Red Airmy occupee'd Azerbaijan. In Mey 1920, Ganja wis the scene o an abortive anti-Soviet rebellion, durin which the ceety wis hivily damaged bi fechtin atween the insurgents an the Reid Airmy.^[19] In 1935, Joseph Stalin renamed the ceety Kirovabad efter Sergei Kirov.^[20] In 1991, Azerbaijan re-established its unthirldom, an the auncient name o the ceety wis gien back.^[21] For mony years the 104t Guards Airborne Diveesion o the Soviet Airborne Troops wis based in the ceety.

The economy o Ganja is pairtially agricultural, pairtially tourist based, wi some industries in operation. Ore minerals extractit frae nearbi mines supply Ganja's metallurgical industries, which produces copper an alumina.^[23] Thare are porcelain, silk an fitweir industries. Ither industries process fuid, grapes an cotton frae the surroondin fermlands.

The ceety haes ane o the lairgest textile conglomerates in Azerbaijan an is famous for a fabric named Ganja silk, which received the heichest marks in the mercats o neighborin kintras an the Middle East.^[21][24]

The ceety haes ane professional fitbaa team competin in the tap-flicht o Azerbaijani fitbaa - FK Gäncä, umwhile kent as Kəpəz Gəncə currently playin in the Azerbaijan Premier League.^[25]

Twin touns — Sister ceeties

Ceety	Kintra
Ankara	Turkey
Olomouc	Czech Republic
Derbent	Roushie
Rustavi	Georgie
Newark, New Jersey	Unitit States
Izmir	Turkey
Moscow	Roushie
Dnipro	Ukraine
Kars	Turkey
Dushanbe	Tajikistan
Eskişehir	Turkey[26]

^[27]

• Ganja - The memories o stanes
• Ganja Automobile Factory