Nardaran

For other places with the same name, see Nardaran (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 40°33′22″N 50°00′20″E / 40.55611°N 50.00556°E / 40.55611; 50.00556

Nardaran
—  Municipality  —
Nardaran
Coordinates: 40°33′22″N 50°00′20″E / 40.55611°N 50.00556°E / 40.55611; 50.00556
Country	Azerbaijan
City	Baku
Raion	Sabunçu
Population (2008)[1]
- Total	8,300
Time zone	AZT (UTC+4)
- Summer (DST)	AZT (UTC+5)

Nardaran is a settlement and municipality on the Abşeron Peninsula in Baku, Azerbaijan.^{[citation needed]} It has a population of 8,300.

Located 25 kilometers northeast of central Baku, it is politically part of the Baku city-subdivision and treated as a suburb. Unlike the rest of the country which is staunchly secular and which is considered religiously progressive, Nardaran is a lone center of conservative Shi'a Islam in Azerbaijan.

Nardaran's name come from Persian: Nar (Pomegranate)نار +Daran (trees) داران"Place with Pomegranate trees".

The town is the site of an early-14th century castle, featuring a round tower approximately 12.5 meters high. During Soviet rule, the city was known as a center growing flowers. Since Azerbaijan's independence, the economy has dwindled and the town is reputed for its caviar poachers^[2].

Nardaran is the only place in the whole of Azerbaijan where its inhabitants are devoutly religious and conservative, where its streets display religious banners and where most women wear chadors in public. The town is home to a madrassah as well as the Rehime Khanim Mosque, a large Shia mosque built in the late 1990s over the tomb of Rahima Khanim, the sister of Imam Reza. The now banned Islamic Party of Azerbaijan was founded in this town and its base was centered there. Nardaran has been the site of strong protests and unrest, notable riots in June 2002 over what protesters deemed inadequate living standards and another in January 2006 which resulted in the deaths of three people^[3]. Ironically Nardaran is possibly one the poorest places in Azerbaijan, while it is so close to the richest place in Azerbaijan, Baku.

See also

• 1842 Baku earthquake

References

1. ^ World Gazetteer: Azerbaijan – World-Gazetteer.com
2. ^ C.J. Chivers, "Corruption Endangers a Treasure of the Caspian", The New York Times, Nov. 11, 2005, Accessed 05-01-2006
3. ^ Overseas Security Advisory Council, Safety & Security Report: Unrest in Nardaran, Azerbaijan, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, U.S. Department of State, Feb. 1, 2006, Accessed 05-01-2006

• Nardaran at GEOnet Names Server