Kəlbəcər (Rayon)

Location of Kəlbəcərs in Azerbaijan

Kəlbəcər (in Cyrillic Azerbaijani and Russian Кельбаджар , also Kalbajar or Kalbadschar ) is a rayon (district) in western Azerbaijan . The capital of the district is the city of Kəlbəcər . According to Azerbaijani data, in 2009 the rayon had 77,600 inhabitants.

history

The district bordering Armenia was created in 1930 after the area was part of the Kurdish Autonomous Province until 1929 .

With the abolition of the autonomy of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Oblast on November 26, 1991, the Azerbaijani government decided to incorporate the area west of Mardakert (Ağdərə, Martakert), which it did not control at that time , into the Kəlbəcər rayon, while the eastern area with Mardakert was even assigned to the Tərtər Rayon . After the start of the fighting around Nagorno-Karabakh , the Azerbaijani army captured the Mardakert region on July 4, 1992 as part of their summer offensive and thus for a short time de facto incorporated the area into the Kəlbəcər and Tərt kurzr rayons.

In July 1993 the rayon was occupied by troops from Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. Since then, its western part (located outside the former Autonomous Oblast) has formed the province of Shahumyan and the eastern areas that were formerly part of the Autonomous Oblast and a small strip to the west of it form part of the Martakert Province .

Up to this point there were 32 settlements with around 53,900 inhabitants in the district. Many residents of the district have since been living as refugees in other parts of Azerbaijan.

As part of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement , Azerbaijan regained control of the area previously evacuated from Armenia on November 25 of this year.

geography

The district covers 1936 km², as part of the Lesser Caucasus , it is one of the highest in Azerbaijan. Mount Kamiş (3724 m) in Murovdağ Mountains is the highest point. The territory is rich in mineral resources such as gold , chromium and mercury , and Kəlbəcər has many mineral springs, such as in Yuxarı, Aşağı İstisu, Bağırsaq and Keşdəkvə. The area is also densely forested.

economy

Rayon is grain grown and livestock operation. In the 1980s, a health resort was built over the İstisu spring. There were 2 sanatoriums in the settlement, which were frequented by 50,000 guests every year.

Attractions

In the area is the Tərtər Canyon and in its vicinity the monasteries of Dadiwank (also called Chotawank / Khotavank), Gandsassar and Jeritz Mankanz (Yerits Mankants).

Web links

• Azerbaijani website about the history of the area (Azerbaijani)
• agdaban.org about the region (Azerbaijani)
• birlik-az.org about the region (Azerbaijani)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Azerbaijani Statistical Authority ( Memento from November 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ ^{a b} azerb.com about the rayon
3. ↑ ^{a b} Azerbaijan Development Gateway ( Memento of November 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) about the rayon