Ganja

Ganja, Azerbaijan’s second city, dates back 1,500 years. Different rulers controlled the region including Arabs, Persians, Turks and Russians. Each left their mark on the architecture and culture. Here are the top attractions in Ganja from ancient mosques to the largest park in the Caucasus.

History

Feudal era
A ccording to medieval Arabic sources, the city of Ganja was founded in 859-60 by Muhammad ibn Khalid ibn Yazid ibn 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 Muhammad the hereditary governor of the city on a condition that he would 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".
Historically an important city of the South Caucasus, Ganja has been part of the Sassanid empire, Great Seljuk Empire, Kingdom of Georgia, Atabegs of Azerbaijan, Khwarezmid Empire, Il-Khans, Timurids, Qara Qoyunlu, Ak Koyunlu, the Safavid, the Afsharid, the Zand and the Qajar empires of Persia/Iran. Prior to the Iranian Zand and Qajar rule, following Nader Shah's death, it was ruled locally for a few decades by the khans/dukes of the Ganja Khanate, who themselves were subordinate to the central rule in mainland Iran and were a branch of the Iranian Qajar family. Ganja is also the birthplace of the famous poet Nizami Ganjavi.
The people of Ganja experienced a temporary cultural decline after an earthquake in 1139, when the city was taken by king Demetrius I of Georgia and its gates taken as trophies which is still kept in Georgia, and again after the Mongol invasion in 1231. The city was revived after the Safavids came to power in 1501, and incorporated all of Azerbaijan and beyond into their territories. The city came under brief occupation by the Ottomans between 1578–1606 and 1723–1735 during the prolonged Ottoman-Persian Wars, but nevertheless stayed under intermittent Iranian suzerainty from the earliest 16th century up to the course of the 19th century, when it was forcefully ceded to neighbouring Imperial Russia.

16th-19th centuries and Iran's ceding to Russia for a short period, Ganja was renamed Abbasabad by Shah Abbas after war against the Ottomans. He built a new city 8 kilometres (5 miles) to the southwest of the old one, but the name changed back to Ganja during the time. During the Safavid rule, it was the capital of the Karabakh province. In 1747, Ganja became the center of the Ganja Khanate for a few decades following the death of Nader Shah, until the advent of the Iranian Zand and Qajar dynasties. The khans/dukes who de facto self-ruled the khanate, were subordinate to the central rule in mainland Iran and were from a branch of the Iranian Qajar family.
From the late 18th century, Russia actively started to increase its enroachments into Iranian and Turkish territory to the south. Following the annexation of eastern Georgia in 1801, Russia was now keen to conquer the rest of the Iranian possessions in the Caucasus. Russian expansion into the South Caucasus met particularly strong opposition in Ganja. In 1804, the Russians, led by General Pavel Tsitsianov, invaded and sacked Ganja, sparking the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813. Some western sources assert that "the capture of the city was followed by a massacre of up to 3,000 inhabitants of Ganja by the Russians". They also claim that "500 of them were slaughtered in a mosque where they had taken refuge, after an Armenian told the Russian soldiers that there might have been "Daghestani robbers" among them".
Militarily superior, the Russians ended the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813 with a victory. By the Treaty of Gulistan that followed, Iran was forced to cede the Ganja Khanate to Russia. The Iranians briefly managed to oust the Russians from Ganja during the 1826 offensive during the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828, but the resulting Treaty of Turkmenchay made its inclusion into the Russian Empire definite. It was renamed Elisabethpol (Russian: Елизаветполь) after the wife of Alexander I of Russia, Elisabeth, and in 1868 became the capital of Elisabethpol Governorate. Elizavetpol was an uyezd of Tiflis Governorate before 1868. The Russian name was not accepted by Azerbaijanis who continued to call the city Ganja.

20th century
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 April 1920, the Red Army occupied Azerbaijan. In May 1920, Ganja was the scene of an abortive anti-Soviet rebellion, during which the city was heavily damaged by fighting between the insurgents and the Red Army. 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. For many years the 104th Guards Airborne Division of the Soviet Airborne Troops was based in the town.
In November 1988, the Kirovabad pogrom forced many Armenians to leave the city.

21st century
Reconstruction in the 21st century has led to dramatic changes in the city's urban development, transforming the old Soviet city into a hub of high-rise, mixed-use buildings.
In 2008, Ganja Mausoleum Gates were built on the basis of sketches of ancient Ganja gates made by local master Ibrahim Osman oglu in 1063.

The Juma Mosque (Shah Abbas Mosque)
Located in central Ganja and dating to 1606, Juma Mosque boasts a red-brick exterior and a large white dome. Sheykh Baheddin Mohammad Amil of the Persian Safavid Empire commissioned the mosque which once had an adjoining madrassa. The two minarets were added later towards the end of the 18th-century.

Shah Abbas Caravanserai
Approximately 100 metres (328 feet) from Juma Mosque sits the 17th-century caravanserai. Centuries ago, trading merchants on the Silk Road stayed overnight in the rooms before continuing their journey. Recent excavations discovered a sophisticated lighting and ventilation system inside.

Heydar Aliyev Park
Covering a whopping 450 hectares, Heydar Aliyev Park has the title of Azerbaijan’s and the Caucasus’s largest park. A total of nine gates lead inside. The lavish Arch of Triumph marks the main entrance. Inside, manicured lawns and neat flower arrangements welcome visitors as they stroll through the complex. An amusement park, large pond and bicycle rentals provide entertainment while vendors sell popcorn, light snacks and refreshments. Despite the location on the city’s outskirts, the park ranks as a favourite attraction in Ganja.

Javad Khan Street

Not far from the Shah Abbas Caravanserai sits Ganja’s pedestrianised Javad Khan Street. Stroll through and marvel at the architecture. Some buildings date back to the Russian Empire. Souvenir shops and cafés fill the lower floors of the attractive facades. A few fountains and sculptures dot the walking street too.

Russian Church

Alexander Nevski, a legendary 13th-century Russian, has a few orthodox cathedrals named in his honour around Eastern Europe. Ganja’s Byzantine-style Russian Church dates back to 1887. After the Russian Empire fell following the 1917 Revolution, the church lost its religious function and briefly became a museum, and later a warehouse. The church reopened again in 1946. Icons of both Alexander Nevski and Mary Magdalene decorate the interior.

Nizami’s Mausoleum
Nizami Ganjavi, a 12th-century poet, is Azerbaijan’s most famous and revered figure. A large monument was erected which later collapsed from dilapidation in the 1840s. Reconstructed again in 1947 and renovated into its current form in 1991 after Azerbaijan’s independence, the tall cylindrical structure and surrounding gardens are a major attraction in Ganja. Tourists need to travel nine kilometres (5.6 miles) along the R51 Highway to reach the Mausoleum.

Imamzadeh
A few kilometres northeast of Ganja lies Imamzadeh, a sacred place in Shiite Islam. The name translates as ‘the sons of prophets’ referring to the burial place Prophet Ali’s descendants. The mausoleum dates back to the 14th-century and includes mosques, funerary monuments and an ornate blue-tile dome. Ganja’s Imamzade attracts Muslim pilgrims and lists as a protected monument in Azerbaijan.

Lake Goygol
A deep blue mountain lake surrounded by dense forest can be reached in just over an hour from Ganja. Lake Goygol, often rated as Azerbaijan’s most beautiful lake, sits 1,500 metres (4,921 feet) above sea level housing a wide variety of fish and wildlife. After recently opening to the public (closed because of the ongoing conflict with Armenia), only a small section is accessible to tourists. Don’t expect a day of hiking or exploring. But the drive through the mountains and passing traditional villages with a hint of German culture makes Lake Goygol a top attraction in Ganja.