Mingəçevir Mingəçevir |
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Coordinates: 40°46′12″N 47°02′56″E / 40.77000°N 47.04889°E | ||
Country | Azerbaijan | |
City | Mingachevir | |
Founded | 1948 | |
Area | ||
• Total | 47 km2 (18 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 545 m (1,788 ft) | |
Population (2014) | ||
• Total | 94,700 | |
• Density | 2,000/km2 (5,200/sq mi) | |
Time zone | AZT (UTC+4) | |
• Summer (DST) | AZT (UTC+5) | |
Area code(s) | +994 024 27 | |
Website | Official website |
Coordinates: 40°46′12″N 47°02′56″E / 40.77000°N 47.04889°E
Mingachevir (Azerbaijani: Mingəçevir, Мингечаур, مینگهچئویر), is the fourth-largest city in Azerbaijan with a population of about 95,000. It is known as city of lights because of its hydroelectric power station on the Kur River, which splits the city in half.
The area has been settled for thousands of years, but the current city was founded in 1948, partly by German soldiers who were taken prisoner during World War II. Mingechevir is also home to Mingachevir Polytechnic Institute. The city forms an administrative division of Azerbaijan.
Despite the fact that Mingecevir is a young town, the territory where the town is located is known as an ancient abode. The history of this abode covers a period from the eneolith era (3000 BC) to the AD 17th century. It was the chairman of the Caucasus archeological committee, A. I. Berje, who first gave information about the archeological monuments of Mingecevir at the second congress of archeologists in St Petersburg in 1871. Although this information was not precise, Berje presented Mingecevir as an ancient settlement.
After this, Mingecevir remained out of archeologists’ attention for many years. Archeological researches resumed in Mingecevir only in mid-1930s as part of the construction of the hydroelectric power station. The researches started under the leadership of Prof. Pakhomov in 1935. These researches revealed two ancient settlements and cemeteries, which were composed of various types of graves. Unfortunately, World War II prevented the research being completed.