Julfa District () is one of the 7

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 the

Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (, ) is a landlocked country, landlocked Enclave and exclave, exclave of the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. The region covers Official portal of Nakhchivan Autonomous RepublicNakhchivan Autonomous Republi ...

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 district borders the districts of

Ordubad Ordubad is the second largest city of Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the capital of an eponymous district. Ordubad is a medieval city of the Caucasus and in its current capacity of a town was founded in the 18th century. The town ...

, Babek, Shahbuz, as well as the

Syunik Province Syunik (, ) is the southernmost province of Armenia. It is bordered by the Vayots Dzor Province to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave to the west, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran to the south. Its capital and larg ...

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 the

East Azerbaijan Province East Azerbaijan province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Tabriz. The province is located in Azerbaijan (Iran), Iranian Azerbaijan, bordering Armenia, the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan, Ardabil pro ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. Its capital and largest city is Julfa. As of 2020, the district had a population of 47,000.

History

Established in 1930 and initially named Abragunus, it has been called Julfa District since 1950. The names, Jolfa/Julfa are also used for several regions in neighboring

. On November 28, 2014, by the decree of the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Azerbaijan Republic 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 Nahajir and Goynuk villages of Julfa District were removed and added to the territory of

Babek District Babek District () is one of the 7 districts of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. The district borders the districts of Julfa, Shahbuz, Kangarli, Nakhchivan city, as well as the Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia and the East Azer ...

Geography

The district borders

to the North-East, and

to the South. Julfa District is in the east from Nakhchivan city. ''Damirlidagh Mountain'' (3368 m) is the highest point of the district. Summer of the district is hot and dry, but winter is cold. Average temperature in January is between -10 and -3 °C, in July between +19 and +28 °C. Amount of annual precipitation is 200–600 mm. The Alinja, Garadara Rivers and the

Aras River The Aras is a transboundary river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, between Iran and both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and, fin ...

(along the border with Iran) flow through the district's territory. There are forest massifs in the mountains where trees such as

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 ...

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

and

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the family Betulaceae. Its species occur across much of the temperateness, temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names The common English name ''hornbeam'' derives ...

grow. Fauna is represented by such animals as

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 ...

fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

and

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 ...

Population

Compared to 1980, at the beginning of the 2005 the district's population increase of about 13,177 people or a 52.4%. On average density per 1 km2 is 39 persons. Its large settlements are the Julfa city and the villages of the Yayji, Abragunus and Bananiyar. According to the

State Statistics Committee The State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan Republic () is a governmental agency within the Cabinet of Azerbaijan in charge of collection, processing and disseminating statistical data on the economy, demographics and other sectors of activity i ...

, as of 2018, the population of city recorded 46,400 persons, which increased by 10,000 persons (about 27.4 percent) from 36,400 persons in 2000. 23,300 of total population are men, 23,100 are women. More than 25,4 percent of the population (about 11,800 persons) consists of young people and teenagers aged 14–29.

Cultural heritage

On the banks of the Araz River are remains of structures belonging to the medieval Armenian settlement of Jugha, also known as Old Julfa. Its principal monument, a cemetery containing some 4000 grave markers, was completely destroyed in 2006. Believed to be still surviving are the ruins of a 13th-century caravanserai - one of the largest on the territory of Azerbaijan, and the ruins of a bridge dated to the beginning of the 14th century, built by decree of Nakchivan Khan ''Khakim Ziya Ad-Din''. There is the small

Gulustan Mausoleum The Gulustan Mausoleum (), also known as the Dasht ("fields") Mausoleum, and the Vardut (Armenian for "roses") Mausoleum after the site's original name, is a medieval sepulchral monument in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan region. The settlement of Vardut ...

(13th century) near the village of Gülüstan and more mausoleums near the village of

Darkənd Darkənd (also, Dər, Dar, and Der) is a village and municipality in the Ordubad District of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlock ...

(particularly well preserved is the Tower Mausoleum (15th century). Further inland from the river there is the fortress of Alindzha (12th-13th centuries) and a number of other monuments and ancient ruins.

References

{{Authority control Districts of Azerbaijan Subdivisions of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic