Shamakhi
| Şamaxı | ||
|---|---|---|
| City | ||
|
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 Şamaxı
|
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| Coordinates: 40°37′49″N 48°38′29″E / 40.63028°N 48.64139°ECoordinates: 40°37′49″N 48°38′29″E / 40.63028°N 48.64139°E | ||
| Country |
 Azerbaijan
|
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| Rayon | Shamakhi | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 6 km2 (2 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 709 m (2,326 ft) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 31,704 | |
| • Density | 5,300/km2 (14,000/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | AZT (UTC+4) | |
| • Summer (DST) | AZT (UTC+5) | |
| Area code(s) | +994 176 | |
Şamaxı (also, known as Shamakhi) is a city in and the capital of the Shamakhi Rayon of Azerbaijan. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence. The city's estimated population as of 2010[update] was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving its name to the Soumak rugs.
In its history eleven major earthquakes have rocked Shamakhi, but through multiple reconstructions it maintained its role as the economic and administrative capital of Shirvan and one of the key towns on the Silk Road. The only building to have survived eight of the eleven earthquakes is the landmark Juma Mosque of Shamakhi, built in the 10th century.
Shamakhi was first mentioned as Kamachia by the ancient Greco-Roman Egyptian geographer Claudius Ptolemaeus in the 1st to 2nd century CE.
Shamakhi was an important town during the Middle Ages and served as a capital of the Shirvanshah realm from the 8th to 15th centuries.
The Catholic friar, missionary and explorer William of Ruysbroeck passed through it on his return journey from the Mongol Great Khan's court. In 1476 Venetian diplomat Giosafat Barbaro, while describing the city, stated: "This [Sammachi] is a good city; it has from four to five thousand houses, it produces silk, cotton as well as other things according to its tradition; it is situated in greater Armenia (Armenia grande) and the majority of its residents are Armenians".
In 1500-1501, it was taken by the Safavid Iranians. Following the conquest of the area by the first Safavid ruler Ismail I, he allowed the descendants of Farrukh Yassar to rule Shamakhi and the rest of Shirvan under Safavid suzerainty. This lasted until 1538, when his son and successor, king Tahmasp I (r. 1524-1576), turned the territory into a full Safavid province and appointed its first Safavid governor. From then on, Shamakhi functioned as the capital of the Shirvan province. In 1562 Englishman Anthony Jenkinson described the city in the following terms: "This city is five days' walk on camels from the sea, now it has fallen a lot; it is predominantly populated by Armenians..."Adam Olearius, who visited Shamakhi in 1637, wrote: "Its inhabitants are in part Armenians and Georgians, who have their particular language; they would not understand each other if they did not use Turkish, which is common to all and very familiar, not only in Shirvan, but also everywhere in Persia". The Ottoman traveller Evliya Celebi visited the town in 1647 and described it as having
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