Nakhichevan

Image:Nakhichevan Mausoleum.jpg

The Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (Azerbaijani: Naxçıvan Muxtar Respublikası, Armenian: Նախիջեվան, Turkish: Nahcivan Özerk Cumhuriyeti, Russian: Нахичеванская Автономная Республика), known simply as Nakhichevan, Naxçivan, Nakhchivan or Nakhijevan, is an exclave of Azerbaijan. The 5,500 km² region borders Armenia (221 km), Turkey (9 km) and Iran (179 km) and consists of 7 rayons: Babak, Julfa, Kangarli, Ordubad, Sadarak, Shahbuz and Sharur. The main city is Nakhichevan, home to the Nakhichevan State University.

Climate and Resources

Nakhichevan is extremely arid and mountainous and contains large salt deposits. Major industries in the region include: the mining of minerals such as salt, molybdenum, and lead, cotton ginning/cleaning, silk spinning, fruit canning, meat packing, tobacco producing, growing of grain and market garden produce, and, in the dryer regions, sheep farming. The Republic contains very basic facilities and lacks heating fuel during the winter.

History

The city of Nakhichevan was first mentioned in Ptolemy's "Geography" as Naksuana and was said to be established in 4400 BCE. Naksuana is ancient Greek for "the land of sweet water". Since it frequently changed empires, sultanates, and khanates, the name of Nakhichevan was altered many times, changing to: Nakshijahan, Nuhchikhan (the place where Noah landed), Nesheva and etc. Throughout history Nakhichevan land brought up prominent persons such as Hindushah ibn Nakhchivani, Abdurrakhman en Neshevi, Ekmouladdin Nakhchivani, Ajami Nakhchivani, Generals Ehsan, Kelbali, Ismail, Hussein, Jamshid khan Nakhichevanski, Presidents of Azerbaijan Republic Heydar Aliyev and Abulfaz Elchibey and others.

The oldest material culture artifacts found in Nakhichevan date back to the Neolithic Age. The region was part of the states of Mannae, Urartu and Media in 8 – 7 BCE, Achaemenid state in 6 BCE, and later became part of the state of Atropatene, before which it was part of Tigran the Great's Armenian Empire.. In the 3rd century, Nakhichevan was conquered by Persia, in 623 by the Byzantine Empire, and in the middle 7th century by Arabs. In 8th century this area was the arena of Babak uprising. Nakhichevan was part of feudal states of Sajids and Salarids in 9–10 century, and fell under control of Seljuks in 11th century.

In 12th century the city of Nakhichevan became the capital of the Ildegezid state. The magnificent 12th century mausoleum of Momine khatun, the wife of Ildegizid ruler Jahan Pehlevan, is the main attraction of modern Nakhichevan. In 13 – 14 centuries the region was invaded by mongols and Tamerlane. In the 15th century, the territory of Nakhichevan became part of the states of Kara Koyunlu and Ak Koyunlu. In the 16th century control of the region passed to the Safavid dynasty of Persia. Because of its geographic position, it frequently suffered during the wars between Persia and the Ottoman Empire in 14th – 18th centuries. In 1604, Shah Abbas I, concerned that the lands of Nakhichevan and the surrounding areas would pass into Ottoman hands, decided to institute a scorched earth policy. He forced most of the local population. The Nakhichevan khanate emerged in the region in 1747 after the death of Nadir Shah Afshar, the ruler of Persia. After the two Russo-Iranian wars and the Treaty of Turkmenchay, Nakhichevan khanate passed into Russian possession in 1828. With the onset of Russian rule, the tsarist authorities encouraged massive resettlement of Armenians from Persia and Turkey to Nakhichevan and other areas of the Caucasus. Special clauses of the Turkmenchay and Adrianople treaties allowed for this. [1] According to Russian envoy to Persia Alexandr Griboyedov, the number of Armenian population resettled to Nakhichevan in 1828 exceeded all reasonable limits, and this resulted in tensions between the newcomers and local population. Griboyedov requested Russian army commander count Ivan Paskevich to give orders on resettlement of some of the arriving people further to the region of Daralayaz to quiet the tensions.Template:Ref Nakhichevan khanate was dissolved in 1828, its territory was merged with the territory of the Irevan khanate, which in 1849 was renamed the Erivan governorate of the Russian Empire. Nakhichevan became the Nakhichevan uyezd of the governorate. [2], [3].

After the February Revolution the region was under the authority of Special Transcaucasian Committee of the Russian Provisional Government. In 1918 Musavat Party proclaimed in Nakhichevan the Republic of Araks, while the Armenian Republic claimed Nakhichevan for itself. The ethnic clashes led to forceful exchange of population.Template:Fact In late 1918 Nakhichevan was occupied by British troops. After withdrawal of British troops Nakhichevan was occupied by 11th Red Army troops and Soviet Socialist Republic of Nakhichevan was proclaimed on 28 July 1920. In 1920, Transcaucasia was taken over by the Bolsheviks who, in order to attract public support, promised they would allot Nakhchivan to Armenia, along with Karabakh and Zangezur (a strip separating Nakhichevan from Azerbaijan proper). However, Moscow also had far-reaching plans concerning Turkey -- hoping that it would, with a little help from Russia, develop along Communist lines. Needing to appease Turkey, Moscow agreed to a division that left Zangezur to Armenia, while leaving Karabakh and Nakhichevan in Azerbaijan. As a result, on February 9th 1924 Nakhichevan Soviet Socialist Autonomous Republic was formed within the Azerbaijan SSR. Most of the decisions on the transfer of the territories, and the establishment of new autonomous entities, were made under pressure from Stalin, who is still blamed by both Armenians and Azeri's for arbitrary decisions made against their national interests.

In January 1990, Nakhichevan declared independence from USSR to protest suppression of national movement in Azerbaijan, and became Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic within newly independent Republic of Azerbaijan a year later. It now exists and is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan governed by its own elected parliament.

Footnotes

1. Template:Note A.S. Griboyedov. Letter to count I.F.Paskevich. (In Russian)
2. Template:Note Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. Nakhichevan. St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890-1907 (In Russian)
3. Template:Note Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. Erivan. St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890-1907 (In Russian)

Geography

Nakhichevan is an atmospheric, semi-desert region that is separated from the main portion of Azerbaijan by Armenia. A range of arid mountains make up the border with Armenia and Iran.

Demographics

As of 1990, Nakhichevan's population was estimated to be 350,000. 98% of the population are Azeri. Ethnic Russians constituted the remaining population.

Disputes

Image:Jugha-khachkar-CIMG1581.JPG

• Nakhichevan's border with Armenia has been closed since 1989; the border was closed by Armenia in retaliation to Azerbaijan's closure of the rest of its borders as part of a larger conflict the two countries were involved in (see Nagorno-Karabakh.) [4]

• Nakhchevan has been blockaded by Armenia since 1989.

• Armenia has occupied Nakhichevan's exclave village of Karki since 1989.

• In defiance of United Nations resolutions, Nakhichevan issued a declaration in the late 1990's recognizing the sovereignty of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and calling upon Azerbaijan to do so. While sympathetic to the TRNC, Azerbaijan has not followed suit because of Greek Cypriot threats to recognize the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Armenian-occupied Azeri territory). Source: [5]

• Azerbaijan has completely demolished the cemetary of finely carved Armenian khachkars in Julfa. Azerbaijan denies there has been destruction, but IWPR has confirmed that nothing remains of the thousands of khachkars[6].

External links

• Official website of Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic
• Nakhchivan State University
• Nakhichevan Guide on Armeniapedia.org with Armenian history and monument information.ar:ناخيتشيفان

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