Zaqatala (city)

Infobox City
name = Zaqatala
settlement_type=City & Municipality
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pushpin_mapsize = 300
map_caption = Location of Zaqatala
subdivision_type1 = Country
subdivision_name1 = flag|Azerbaijan
subdivision_type2 = Rayon
subdivision_name2 = Zaqatala
latd=41 |latm=38 |lats=1 |latNS=N
longd=46 |longm=38 |longs=36 |longEW=E
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population_as_of = 2008
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population_footnotes = [ [http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&des=wg&geo=-26&srt=npan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&pt=c&va=x World Gazetteer: Azerbaijan] – World-Gazetteer.com]
population_total = 19018
timezone = AZT
utc_offset = +4
timezone_DST = AZT
utc_offset_DST = +5
elevation_ft = 1702
elevation_m = 518
elevation_footnotes = [cite web
url = http://www.fallingrain.com/world/AJ/70/Zaqatala.html
title= Zaqatala, Azerbaijan Page
accessdate=2008-07-03 ]
website =
footnotes =

Zaqatala (also, Sakataly, Zakatali, Zakatalsk, and Zakataly) is a city in northwest Azerbaijan. With a municipal population of 26,000 inhabitants, it is located northwest of Sheki, by the Tala River and is the main municipality of the Zaqatala rayon. The municipality consists of the city of Zaqatala and the nearby village of Qazangül. [AJmuni]

History

Zaqatala has several sites of historic significance, most of which are centered on its 19th century town centre. The main square, formerly called Lenin Square, features a pair of 700 year old plane trees.

The city's most prominent feature is a ruined fortress, built in the 1830s by occupying Russian forces during the Caucasian War to defend the city from rebels. In the 1850s, the town was the site of battles between Russians and Dagestani leader Imam Shamil.fact|date=December 2007

In the 20th century the town and its fortress became more famous when the fortress was used as one of the prisons for the mutinous crew of the battleship "Potemkin", whose actions in the failed 1905 Revolution were a precursor to the eventual 1917 revolution. The statue of one of the mutineers erected in the Soviet era still decorates Heydar Aliyev park not far from the fortress.cite web
last = Nicas
first = Peter
title = Azerbaijan Things to See & Do Guide
publisher = ProfessionalTravelGuide.com
date =
url = http://www.professionaltravelguide.com/see-and-do/azerbaijan/destinations-101317
accessdate = 2008-06-17 ] Currently, the fortress still houses a military garrison as well as several Soviet-style apartment buildings. Near the northern part of the ramparts and off of the main square is a beautiful, but abandoned, Georgian church.cite web
last = Torres Curado
first = L.M.
title = Zaqatala (Zakataly)
publisher = Azerb.com
date =
url = http://www.azerb.com/az-zaqatala.html
accessdate = 2008-01-03 ] The town now sports a sizable new mosque.fact|date=December 2007

The town

It is served by the A315 road coming from Mingachevir and leading to the Georgian border at Lagodekhi as well as by a small airfield. opportunities. Due to its climate the town became a mountain health resort.fact|date=December 2007

In the town centre is the Soviet-style Hotel Azerbaijan (formerly the Intourist hotel). This spartan, undesirable is still fully occupied by refugees displaced by the Nagorno-Karabakh war. There are alternatives in Zaqatala and the surrounding villages like Ashghi Tala and Jar (also spelled Car/Djari) (both about 3 kilometres 2 miles) from Zaqatala, the pension Tala, built recently and providing very decent conditions.fact|date=December 2007

Demographics

Azerbaijanis, Avars, Lezgins, and Tsakhurs inhabit Zaqatala and the surrounding rayon. In addition to the Azeri population, which is the majority here and in most of the rest of Azerbaijan, communities of Dagestani peoples, including the Avars, Tsakhurs, and Lezgins, live in the area.cite web
last = Clifton
first = John M.
title = The Sociolinguistic Situation of the Tsakhur in Azerbaijan
publisher = SIL International
date = 2005
url = http://www.sil.org/silesr/2005/silesr2005-016.pdf
accessdate = 2008-06-02 ] Recently, there has been some unrest in Zaqatala amongst the various ethnic groups, although it is unclear how much ethnic disputes led to these disturbances, including attacks on police.cite web
last =
first =
title = Current Status of Active and Potential Conflicts and Security Threats: The Zaqatala Region
publisher = Cornell Caspian Consulting
date = 2002
url = http://www.cornellcaspian.com/sida/sida-cfl-2.html
accessdate = 2008-06-02 ]

References