Sumgayit
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Sumqayıt Sumqayıt |
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| City & Municipality | ||
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 Sumqayıt
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| Coordinates: 40°35′23″N 49°40′07″E / 40.58972°N 49.66861°E | ||
| Country |
 Azerbaijan
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| City | Sumgait | |
| Founded | November 22, 1949 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Zakir Fərəcov | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 73 km2 (28 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 26 m (85 ft) | |
| Population (2015) | ||
| • Total | 298,000 | |
| • Density | 4,065/km2 (10,530/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | AZT (UTC+4) | |
| • Summer (DST) | AZT (UTC+5) | |
| Area code(s) | +994 18 | |
| Website | Official website | |
Sumqayit (Azerbaijani: Sumqayıt, Сумгајыт, سومقاییت; also transliterated as Sumgait or Sumgayit) is the third largest city in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, about 31 kilometres (19 miles) away from the capital, Baku. The city has a population of around 298,000, making it the third-largest city in Azerbaijan after the capital Baku and Ganja. The city has a territory of 83 square kilometres (32 sq mi). It was founded on November 22, 1949. Two settlements are within the city administration: Jorat and Haji Zeynalabdin, a settlement named after oil businessman and philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. It is home to Sumqayit State University.
According to the local folklore the city is named after the Sumqayit River. In retrospect the legend tells the tale of a hero by the name of "Sum", who is chosen by the community to fight a monster that was blocking the Sumqayit River. Sum eventually manages to kill the monster, but when the river is released he is swept by the waters and never seen again. After that, his beloved, Jeyran, inconsolable by Sum's disappearance, would go to the river and cry "Sum qayıt!" (which means "Sum, come back!" in Azerbaijani). So the river became known as Sumgayit, upon the city was named after.
According to historians, Medean tribes lived in the area. During the construction boom, when the foundation of the executive power building was being excavated, remains of an ancient caravanserai along with personal items and kitchenware was found at the site.
The first reports of settlements at the present site of Sumgayit were in 1580, when English traveller H. Barrow mentioned Sumgayit in his writings and in 1858, when Alexander Dumas wrote about the area in his memoirs Trip to Caucasus, although nothing substantial was created on the site until the Soviet Union gained control over the area in the 1920s.
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Wikipedia