Dashkasan District () is one of the 66
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the
Ganja-Dashkasan Economic Region. The district borders the districts of
Goygol,
Kalbajar,
Gadabay,
Shamkir, and the
Gegharkunik Province
Gegharkunik (, ) is a provinces of Armenia, province (''Administrative divisions of Armenia, marz'') of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is Gavar. Gegharkunik is inhabited by approximately 209,669 people and the majority are ethnic Armenian ...
of
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
. Its capital and largest city is
Dashkasan. As of 2020, the district had a population of 35,400.
History
The district was established on 8 August 1930 and was known as ''Dastafur'' () until 1956, when it was changed to Dashkasan. The capital was established as an urban facility on March 16, 1948, after the end of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, mainly to explore and mine
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...
and other natural resources.
Administrative divisions
The rayon itself was founded as an administrative center in 1930 and was named Dastafur until 1956 when it was renamed Dashkasan. In 1963, the rayon status was eliminated and Dashkasan province was merged with
Khanlar District. However, in 1965, it was split again and Dashkasan regained its administrative rayon status. There is one city, six-city type settlements and 42 villages in Dahskasan District. Dashkasan rayon shares an 8 km border with
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
and 24.5 km border with
Shamkir District
Shamkir District () is one of the 66 Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan, districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north-west of the country and belongs to the Gazakh-Tovuz Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Gadabay Di ...
, 23 km border with
Kalbajar District
Kalbajar District () is one of the 66 Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan, districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the East Zangezur Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Lachin Distric ...
, 41 km border with
Gadabay District, 56.3 km border with Khanlar District.
Demographics
Ethnic groups
Population 30,510
*
Azerbaijanis
Azerbaijanis (; , ), Azeris (, ), or Azerbaijani Turks (, ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group living mainly in the Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. They are predomin ...
- 99,5%
*
Russians
Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...
- 0,3%
* Others - 0,2%
Religion
*
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
- 99,8%
*Other religions - 0,2%
Language
*
Azerbaijani Language
Azerbaijani ( ; , , ) or Azeri ( ), also referred to as Azerbaijani Turkic or Azerbaijani Turkish (, , ), is a Turkic languages, Turkic language from the Oghuz languages, Oghuz sub-branch. It is spoken primarily by the Azerbaijanis, Azerbaij ...
100%
Population
Nature
The district covers the Dashkasan plateau of the
Lesser Caucasian Mountain range encompassing parts and tips of
Shahdagh and
Murovdag ranges. The highest altitudes are at
Hinaldag Peak (3,367 meters) and Qoshqar Peak (3,361 meters). Part of Bashkend-Dastafur lowlands also falls in Dashkasan rayon. This part of the region is rich with
cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
chalk. The average annual rainfall is 600–900 mm. It mostly rains during springtime. The mountains are enriched with
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
forests.
There is a lot of vegetation used for curing various deceases. Among the treating plants, one can find
thyme
Thyme () is a culinary herb consisting of the dried aerial parts of some members of the genus ''Thymus (plant), Thymus'' of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are native to Eurasia and north Africa. Thymes have culinary, medici ...
,
achillea,
asteraceae
Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...
,
stellaria
''Stellaria'' is a genus of about 190 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include starwort, stitchwort and chickweed.
Description
''Stellaria'' species are relatively small ...
, mountain
viola
The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
, etc.
There are also so-called treatment springs containing pure mountain water which cleanse the internal organs.
# Yumurtalı spring -
Qabaqtəpə village;
# Narzan spring -
Yuxarı Daşkəsən settlement;
# Turşsu spring -
Alaxançallı village;
# Qiblə spring -
Qabaqtəpə kəndi;
# Qayğı spring -
Qabaqtəpə kəndi;
# Böyrək spring -
Alunitdağ settlement;
# İdris spring -
Əmirvar village;
# Seyid spring -
Xoşbulaq village.
In Dashkasan rayon, the animal habitat is rich with
roe deer,
gazelle
A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . There are also seven species included in two further genera; '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third former subgenus, ' ...
,
deer
A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...
,
Caucasian goat,
rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...
,
marten
A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...
,
hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...
,
badger
Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...
,
wild bear,
lynx
A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...
,
wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
,
bear
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
,
fox,
jackal
Jackals are Canidae, canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe Canina (subtribe), canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-b ...
.
Climate
In the Dashkasan locale the temperature changes from -5 C to -20 C in winter and from +20 C to +35 C in summer. The average annual temperature is 0–100 in Dashkaran. The average monthly temperature in January is -2-140, the average monthly temperature of July is + 5–200. Sometimes the absolute maximum temperature of the air is higher than + 20-310, the absolute minimum temperature of air is lower than 20–300 in summer. In the middle mountain range, the average absolute minimum air temperature changes from +50 to +70 during the year. The average annual soil surface temperature is + 80, the average temperature of January is -50, the average monthly July temperature is 210. The average annual relative humidity of the air is 75% and changes between 67 and 82% per year. The annual rainfalls in the area are 600–900 mm. Most of the rainfalls fall in the spring. The possible evaporation is 300–800 mm from the soil surface in a year.
Natural resources
Starting from Soviet times, the region was one of the strategic centers for mining
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...
,
aluminum
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
,
cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. ...
,
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
. At the moment,
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
,
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
, cobalt, iron ore, marble are being mined.
References
External links
Minerals in Dashkasan
{{Authority control
Districts of Azerbaijan