Lenkoran Uezd

The Lenkoran uezd was a county (''uezd'') within the Baku Governorate of the Russian Empire, and then of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Azerbaijan SSR until its formal abolishment in 1929. The ''uezd'' was located on the southern part of the governorate, bordering Caspian sea to the east, Javad uezd to the north, and Iran to the southwest. The administrative center of the ''uezd'' was the city of Lenkoran (present-day Lankaran).

Administrative divisions

The subcounties (''uchastoks'') of the Lenkoran uezd in 1912 were as follows:

History

The uezd was established on 10 April 1840, by the name Talyshinsky uezd on the basis of Talysh Khanate. It was initially made part of the Caspian oblast on 1840, and later renamed Lenkoran uezd in 1845 and made part of the Shamakhi Governorate in 1846. Due to an earthquake in Shamakhi in 1859, the centre of the Shamakhi Governorate was moved from Shamakhi to Baku and the governorate was renamed Baku Governorate.

In 1918, after the collapse of the Russian Empire, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic gained brief independence. Bolshevik Baku Commune was in control of Baku at the time, and they were trying to spread their control over other places in Azerbaijan, such as Lenkoran uezd. This led to the creation of the Mughan Soviet Republic in the territories of the Lenkoran uezd on 25 April 1919, but the republic was short-lived and it collapsed 3 months later, on 27 July 1919. Subsequently, the uezd was integrated into Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

After the Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan in 1920, Azerbaijan was integrated into the Soviet Union and the uezd was abolished by Soviet authorities in 1929.

Demographics

According to the "Code of statistical data on the population of the Transcaucasian region" from 1886, the population of the uezd was 109,340 people, of which 50,887 (46.5%) Talysh, 50,510 (46.2%) were Azerbaijanis, 7,634 were Russians and 273 (0.2%) were Armenians.

Russian Empire census (1897)

According to the Russian Empire census of 1897, the Lenkoran uezd had a population of 130,987, including 72,492 men and 58,495 women. The majority of the population indicated Tatar (later known as Azerbaijani) to be their mother tongue, with significant Talysh and Russian speaking minorities.

The significant share reduction of the Talysh population in comparison with the data of 1886 cannot be explained by natural demographic processes and is a consequence of the registration of Iranian-speaking Talysh as Azerbaijanis (“Caucasian Tatars”). After 1886, the Talysh did not move out and did not die out. It is clear that a significant part of the Talysh, on the basis of their language, are ranked among the Azerbaijanis (“Caucasian Tatars”).

Caucasian Calendar (1917)

According to the 1917 publication of the ''Caucasian Calendar'', the Lenkoran uezd had 203,319 residents in 1916, including 106,891 men and 96,428 women, 195,247 of whom were the permanent population, and 8,072 were temporary residents:

Soviet census (1926)

In 1926, the population of the uezd rose to 208,479.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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Geographic history of Azerbaijan
States and territories established in 1840
1840 establishments in the Russian Empire
1929 disestablishments in the Soviet Union
Uezds of Baku Governorate
Uezds of the Soviet Union
States and territories disestablished in 1929
History of Talysh

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