Sadarak District
| Sadarak | |
|---|---|
| Rayon | |
 Map of Azerbaijan showing Sadarak Rayon |
|
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| Rayon of | Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic |
| Capital | Heydarabad |
| Area | |
| • Total | 163,74 km2 (6,322 sq mi) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 15,300 |
| Time zone | AZT (UTC+4) |
| Postal code | AZ 7300 |
| Telephone code | (+994) 36 |
Sadarak (Azerbaijani: Sədərək) is a rayon of Azerbaijan in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. It was split from the Ilyich rayon (present-day Sharur) in 1990. It has an exclave in Armenia - Karki - which has been under Armenian control since May 1992 when it was captured during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Sadarak covers 163,74 km2, located in the north-west of Nakchivan Autonomous Republic and has three villages. The capital of Sadarak is Heydarabad. The distance from Sadarak to Yerevan is 60 km.
Sadarak is the only Azerbaijani district bordering on Turkey. In the years of blockade Nakhchivan's only "road of life" passed through Sadarak, which is considered Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic's fortress. Mount Ararat is visible from here. The bridge over the Aras, also called the "bridge of hope", links Azerbaijan with Turkey. It was opened in a ceremony on 26 May 1992 and proved instrumental in eliminating the blockade Nakhchivan was subjected to in the 1990s. The Nakhchivan-Istanbul bus route passes through the bridge.
There are different theories about the word's origin. Some say Sadarak means three valleys in Farsi. Indeed, there are three valleys in Sadarak: Chanagchichay, Chahannamdara, Bagirsag (due to its length). Linguists link the word to "sed rang", i.e. a hundred colors. Sedrak means a place inhabited by many people in Arabic. In the 14th century, it was inhabited by the Saadli tribe. Local etymology suggests that Sadarak is made up of sel and garak (flood-prone). Researchers believe that the word relates to a place called Sakrak mentioned in the Book of Dede Korkut.
The Barda-Erevan-Nakhchivan-Julfa-Tabriz section of the Great Silk Way linking Azerbaijan's north with Middle Eastern countries passed through Sadarak. During the 1722 attack of Peter the Great on the Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, Nakhchivan fell under the influence of the Ottomans, while following the 1828 Turkmenchay agreement it was passed on to Russia to become part of Erevan province. In a letter to Gen Paskevich from 23 September 1828, A. Griboyedov provided information about the Nakhchivan population. In an effort to expand its borders and step up its positions, Czarist Russia abolished local khanates on 21 March 1828 and started massive settlement of Armenian families in Nakhchivan. Under a 1828 decree of Czar Nicolas the First, an "Armenian province" was established on the territory of Erevan and Nakhchivan khanates and about 130,000 Armenians resettled there from Iran and Turkey.
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