Ganja Fortress () is a fortress in

Ganja ''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...

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 ...

. The remains of walls of the fortress can be seen in the territory of the oldest park of the city, Khan's Garden and in the entrance to the city, along the Ganja River.

History

Farhad Pasha, who headed the Turkish army in the Caucasus, went to Ganja, controlled by the

Safavids The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

, by the order of Sultan

Murad III Murad III (; ; 4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. His rule saw battles with the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburgs and exhausting wars with the Safavid Iran, Safavids. The long-inde ...

. Ganja was captured on 1 September 1588. After taking Ganja, on 3 September 1588, Pasha ordered the construction of the castle 7–8 kilometers from the city. About forty days later the castle was built in length and in height with thick walls. It was built in a flat area and on the left bank of the Ganja River. Ganja was divided into four parts by the fortress in the 16th century: the outer city, Shahristan, Ichgala and Naringala. In 1868, after Ganja became the regional center of the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

, a new master plan for the city was prepared by architect Ignati Kshishtalovic. After the master plan was approved in 1873 by Alexander II, the walls of the fortress were demolished and European-styled neighborhoods were built. At present, a very small part of the Ganja fortress – Shiralibey tower – remains. In 2007, the fortress wall was renovated.

Architectural features

While building the castle, some neighborhoods of Ganja were kept outside the walls of the fortress. It was built in an uneven polygonal shape. In the construction of the fortress, clay-mud, cobblestones and baked red bricks – traditional Ganja architecture – were used. For that reason its south-west, north-west, and north-east walls were strong. The total length and height were and respectively. A total of 30 defensive towers were built across the wall every . At certain height of the fortress walls,

embrasure An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of Age of Gunpowder, gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a sp ...

s and watchtowers were constructed. They were important to use to attack the enemy. From those places, local fighters used to spill boiling oil and lubricant on attacking enemies.

Gallery

References

{{Castles and fortresses in Azerbaijan Castles and fortresses in Azerbaijan Palaces in Azerbaijan Tourist attractions in Azerbaijan

History

Architectural features

Gallery

See also

References