Yevlakh (Azerbaijani: Yevlax, pronounced [jevˈlɑx]) is a city in Azerbaijan, 265 km west of the capital of Baku. It is surrounded by — but administratively separate from — the Yevlakh District.

Yevlakh
Yevlax
City
Coat of arms of Yevlakh
Yevlakh in Azerbaijan
Yevlakh in Azerbaijan
Coordinates: 40°37′02″N 47°09′00″E / 40.61722°N 47.15000°E / 40.61722; 47.15000
CountryAzerbaijan
RegionCentral Aran
Government
 • MayorAnar Taghiyev
Area
 • Total1.47 km2 (0.57 sq mi)
Elevation
17 m (56 ft)
Population
 • Total71,962
 • Density49,000/km2 (130,000/sq mi)
 • Population Rank in Azerbaijan
9th
DemonymYevlakhly (Yevlaxlı)
Time zoneUTC+4 (AZT)
Vehicle registration66 AZ
Websiteyevlax-ih.gov.az

Etymology

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The settlement is mentioned by the 13th century Armenian historian Stephen Orbelian in the form of Evaylakh (Armenian: Եւայլախ).[2] The name "Yevlakh" is derived from Old Turkic and means "wetland" according to 20th century Soviet geographer Evgeny Pospelov.[3]

History

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The city of Yevlakh was initially established as a station in the 1880s and known as the "Vagzal" for a long time by the local population. In the official documents and sources of the 19th century and early 20th century the city is referred to as Yevlakh station of Yelizavetpol province, then Yevlakh village of Yelizavetpol province, and in 1920, it took the name of Yevlakh village located in the Javanshir region. The Yevlakh region first was organized on February 20, 1935, by the decision of Azerbaijan SSR, on February 1, 1939, by the decision of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Yevlakh was referred to as a city. The Yevlakh region was abolished by the decision of the tenth session of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic on December 26, 1962, and its territory was transferred to Agdash, Barda and Gasim Ismayilov districts, and it became the industrial city in Azerbaijan SSR. In 1965, Yevlakh again turned into an independent region. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijani SSR on January 6, 1965, Yevlakh was included in the list of cities in Azerbaijan SSR and started the construction of industrial enterprises in the city. Nowadays, the city has 4200 meters long Heydar Aliyev, Nizami avenues, 5500 meters long and 168 streets. The monument dedicated to Azerbaijan's national leader Heydar Aliyev that locates in the biggest square within the city: Heydar Aliyev Square, Heydar Aliyev Alley, Dede Gorgud, Samad Vurgun, Nizami, Friendship, Independence parks have been established lately.[4]

In September 2023, the town was chosen as the site for meetings with representatives of Armenian residents of Nagorno-Karabakh after the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes.[5][6]

Geography

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Yevlakh is located in the Central Aran Economic Region. The climate that common for this region is dry subtropical.[7]

Climate

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Yevlakh has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk).

Climate data for Yevlax (1971-1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7.2
(45.0)
8.7
(47.7)
13.1
(55.6)
21.5
(70.7)
26.4
(79.5)
30.2
(86.4)
34.3
(93.7)
32.9
(91.2)
28.7
(83.7)
21.4
(70.5)
14.4
(57.9)
9.5
(49.1)
20.7
(69.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 2.0
(35.6)
3.2
(37.8)
7.3
(45.1)
14.4
(57.9)
19.9
(67.8)
24.4
(75.9)
27.8
(82.0)
26.4
(79.5)
22.3
(72.1)
15.1
(59.2)
9.3
(48.7)
4.5
(40.1)
14.7
(58.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −1.5
(29.3)
0.0
(32.0)
4.1
(39.4)
9.1
(48.4)
14.1
(57.4)
18.5
(65.3)
21.6
(70.9)
20.4
(68.7)
16.8
(62.2)
10.9
(51.6)
5.5
(41.9)
0.9
(33.6)
10.0
(50.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 16
(0.6)
20
(0.8)
22
(0.9)
34
(1.3)
47
(1.9)
45
(1.8)
22
(0.9)
22
(0.9)
17
(0.7)
49
(1.9)
25
(1.0)
20
(0.8)
339
(13.3)
Average precipitation days 4 5 6 6 7 5 3 2 3 5 4 4 54
Mean monthly sunshine hours 104.5 97.7 130.4 189.6 222.3 262.2 280.1 261.1 217.9 162.3 112.4 104.5 2,145
Source: NOAA[8]

Demographics

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As of 2016, the population increased in the city in comparison with the previous years by about 7.1 thousand people. According to the population census data in 2009, urban population accounted for 55.04% and rural was 44.96%.[9]

Number of population

(Based on population census data in 2009)
Area Total Male Female
number % number % number %
Yevlakh city 57681 48,96 26098 46,99 31583 50,72

Economy

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There are agricultural processing enterprises, manufacturing and industrial complexes within Yevlakh city.[10]

Yevlakh city is also rich with natural resources like clay mixture sand deposits, as well as clay, sand and gravel deposits needed for brick making.

Culture

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In the city of Yavlakh, there are 45 libraries that serve the population of the district. Ten of them are located in the city center and 35 in the villages. There are 552300 copies of books in the book fund of the libraries. Currently, there are 18 culture houses (2 in the city, 16 in the villages), 22 clubs and 6 music schools in the city. Yevlakh History and Ethnography Museum (2005) and Heydar Aliyev Museum (2006) are two main museums in Yevlakh.[11][12]

Music and media

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The regional channel EL TV is headquartered in the city.[13]

Transport

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Yevlax Airport is the only airport in the city.[14] The airport is connected by bus to the city center. There are domestic flights to Baku.

Rail

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Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway will directly connect the city with Turkey and Georgia.

Yevlakh sits on one of the Azerbaijani primary rail lines running east–west connecting the capital, Baku, with the rest of the country. The Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway will run along the line through the city. The railway provides both human transportation and transport of goods and commodities such as oil and gravel.

Yevlakh's Central Railway Station is the terminus for national and international rail links to the city. The Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway, which will directly connect Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, began to be constructed in 2007 and is scheduled for completion in 2015.[15] The completed branch will connect Yevlakh with Tbilisi in Georgia, and from there, trains will continue to Akhalkalaki, and Kars in Turkey.[16]

 
Yevlakh Rail Road Station

Notable natives

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The city's notable residents include: Orthodox theologian Pavel Florensky, human rights activist Anar Mammadli and government civilian Elmar Valiyev.

References

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  1. ^ "Population of Azerbaijan". stat.gov.az. State Statistics Committee. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  2. ^ Acharian, Hrachia (1967). Կյանքիս Հուշերից (in Armenian). Միտք հրատարակչություն. p. 254. Ստեփանոս Օրբելյանի պատմության մեջ գտել եմ «Եւայլախ» տեղանունը, որ անշուշտ սրա հետ նույն է [In Stepanos Orbelyan's history I found the place name "Evaylakh", which is certainly the same as this]
  3. ^ Pospelov, Evgeny Mikhailovich (1998). Географические названия мира: топонимический словарь: свыше 5000 единиц (in Russian). Moscow: Russkie slovari. p. 149. ISBN 978-5-89216-029-2. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Tarixi | Azərbaycan Respublikası Yevlax şəhər İcra Hakimiyyəti". yevlax-ih.gov.az.
  5. ^ "Presidential Administration: On September 21, a meeting will be held with representatives of Armenian residents of Karabakh in Yevlakh - AZERTAC".
  6. ^ "Russian-mediated ceasefire announced in Nagorno-Karabakh". Armenpress.
  7. ^ "INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHER. Kur-Araz natural-economic zones. Aran (Kur-Araz) economic region (2012)". 19 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Yevlax Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  9. ^ "THE STATE STATISTICAL COMMITTEE OF AZERBAIJAN. Yevlax rayonu. Demoqrafik göstəricilər". Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  10. ^ "Ərazi | Azərbaycan Respublikası Yevlax şəhər İcra Hakimiyyəti". yevlax-ih.gov.az.
  11. ^ "Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Yevlakh city". Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  12. ^ "Mədəniyyət | Azərbaycan Respublikası Yevlax şəhər İcra Hakimiyyəti". yevlax-ih.gov.az.
  13. ^ "Radio-TV yayımı" (in Azerbaijani). Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  14. ^ "İlham Əliyev Yevlax hava limanının açılışında iştirak etmişdir". www.president.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  15. ^ "Azerbaijani FM: Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad to be built in 2012". trend.az. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  16. ^ Railway Gazette International February 2009 p54 with map
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