Nakhchivan Naxçıvan Нахчыван |
||
---|---|---|
City and municipality | ||
|
||
Coordinates: 39°12′58″N 45°24′38″E / 39.21611°N 45.41056°ECoordinates: 39°12′58″N 45°24′38″E / 39.21611°N 45.41056°E | ||
Country | Azerbaijan | |
Autonomous republic | Nakhchivan | |
Area | ||
• Total | 15 km2 (6 sq mi) | |
• Land | 14.2 km2 (5.5 sq mi) | |
• Water | 0.8 km2 (0.3 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 873 m (2,864 ft) | |
Population (2010)census data | ||
• Total | 74,500 | |
Demonym(s) | Naxçıvanli | |
Time zone | GMT+4 (UTC+4) |
The city of Nakhchivan (Azerbaijani: Naxçıvan, Нахчыван, ناخجیوان) is the capital of the eponymous Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan, located 450 km (280 mi) west of Baku. The municipality of Nakhchivan consists of the city of Nakhchivan, the settlement of Əliabad and the villages of Başbaşı, Bulqan, Haciniyyət, Qaraçuq, Qaraxanbəyli, Tumbul, Qarağalıq, and Daşduz. It is spread over the foothills of Zangezur Mountains, on the right bank of the Nakhchivan River at an altitude of 873 m (2,864 ft) above sea level.
Since June 9, 2009, by the decree of the President of the Azerbaijan Republic, the Bulqan, Garachug, Garakhanbeyli, Tumbul and Haciniyyət villages of the Babek Rayon are included in the scope of the administrative territorial unit of the Nakhchivan city.
Armenian tradition claims Noah as the founder of Nakhichevan (the Naxuana of Ptolemy), and a mound of earth in the city is still visited by many pilgrims as his grave. See Tomb of Noah and Noah’s Mausoleum (Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan). It should be noted that Armenian literature of the 5th through the 10th centuries does not have an Ark story. It is not until the 13th century that the Ark legends began to appear in Armenia, and by the 14th century these stories became popular.
Nakhchivan was one of the prominent cities of the Armenian Kingdom under the Artaxides, Arshakides and Bagratides dynasties from the 2nd century BC until the 11th century AD. In the 2nd century, Nakhchivan was known to Ptolemy under the name Ναξουὰνα (Naxouana), and some scholars have sought to identify Strabo's otherwise unidentified Arxata, mentioned in his description of the cities of Armenia, with Nakhchivan. Herodotus wrote that the river of Araz flows from the mountains of Matean to the country of Nakhar. Potts writes that Nakhchivan was probably the capital of the Siwnik region of Sassanid Armenia during the late-Sassanid period, when Siwnik was described as being located "along the Araxes" by Ananias of Shirak. According to Sebeos, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius marched through the Nakhchivan region during his campaign against the Sassanid empire in 627-628. Some Armenian chroniclers additionally state that Heraclius destroyed the town of Nakhchivan before marching on to Ganzak. A legend that the city of Nakhchivan was founded by Noah developed during the Christian-era.