Balakən (; av, Билкан) is a city and the administrative centre of the
Balakan District of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
. The city is situated at the foot of the
Greater Caucasus Mountains
The Greater Caucasus ( az, Böyük Qafqaz, Бөјүк Гафгаз, بيوک قافقاز; ka, დიდი კავკასიონი, ''Didi K’avk’asioni''; russian: Большой Кавказ, ''Bolshoy Kavkaz'', sometimes translat ...
and on the Balakan river, a tributary of the
Alazani River.
Etymology
According to the ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Place Names'', the name ''Balakan'' may be derived from an
Old Georgian
Old Georgian (ႤႬႠჂ ႵႠႰႧႭჃႪႨ, ''enay kartuli'') was a literary language of the Georgian monarchies attested from the 5th century. The language remains in use as the liturgical language of the Georgian Orthodox Church and ...
word "ბელის კანი (belis k'ani)" meaning "skin of a bear cub".
History
Throughout its history, the city was ruled by different kingdoms and khanates. In 1918–1920, Balakan was
disputed
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...
between
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920,''Bulletin d'Information de l'Azerbaidjan'', No. I, September 1, 1919, pp. 6–7''125 H.C.Debs.'', 58., February 24, 1920, p. 1467. Caucasian Az ...
and
Democratic Republic of Georgia
The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG; ka, საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა ') was the first modern establishment of a republic of Georgia, which existed from May 1918 to ...
until both countries were occupied by Soviet Russia and the city became part of
Azerbaijan SSR. In 1965, Balakan gained
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...
status after the Azerbaijani government's approval.
[Balakan Government's Official Website]
Economy
The economy of Balakan is partially agricultural, partially tourist-based, with some industries in operation.
Society and Culture
Demography
The majority of the population of Balakan is ethnic
Azerbaijanis
Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic people living mainly in Azerbaijan (Iran), northwestern Iran and the Azerbaijan, Republi ...
. There's a significant minority of
Avars and smaller minorities of
Ingiloys (a subgroup of
Georgians).
According to a 2005 survey, 85% of the population was ethnic
Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Azerbaijan
* Azerbaijanis
* Azerbaijani language
See also
* Azerbaijan (disambiguation)
* Azeri (disambiguation)
* Azerbaijani cuisine
* Culture of Azerbaijan
The culture of Azerbaijan ...
, 14%
Avar, and the remaining 1% consisted of other ethnicities.
Cuisine
Balakan's signature cuisine includes ''maxara'', ''cüttü'', chicken chigirtma and Balakan
halva
Halva (also halvah, halwa, and other spellings, Persian : حلوا) is a type of confectionery originating from Persia and widely spread throughout the Middle East. The name is used for a broad variety of recipes, generally a thick paste made ...
.
Gallery
File:Park in Balaken.jpg, Central Park in the city
File:BalakenCentralPark.jpg, View of the central park of Balakan
File:IMAG2180 1(1).jpg, Nature of Balakan
File:Balakən Mədəniyyət Mərkəzi 2013.jpg, Balakan Culture House
File:Azerbaycan Balaken.jpg, Forest in Balakan
File:Ilham Aliyev attended opening of Balakan Automated Management and Control Center owned by “Azərİşıq” OJSC 02.jpg, Center of Azerishiq in Balakan
References
External links
*
Populated places in Balakan District
Avar-speaking countries and territories
{{Balakan-geo-stub