Mingachevir
Encyclopedia
Mingachevir sometimes spelled Mingecevir, is the fourth-biggest city in Azerbaijan
with a population of about 100,000. It is known as city of lights because of its hydroelectric power station on the Kur River
, which splits the city in half.
The area has been settled for thousands of years, but the current city was founded in 1948, partly by German soldiers who were taken prisoner during World War II. Mingechevir is also home to Mingechevir Polytechnic Institute
. The city forms an administrative division of Azerbaijan.
It was the chairman of the Caucasus archeological committee, A. I. Berje, who first gave information about the archeological monuments of Mingecevir at the second congress of archeologists in St Petersburg in 1871. Although this information was not precise, Berje presented Mingecevir as an ancient settlement.
After this, Mingecevir remained out of archeologists’ attention for many years. Archeological researches resumed in Mingecevir only in mid-1930s as part of the construction of the hydroelectric power station. The researches started under the leadership of Prof. Pakhomov in 1935. These researches revealed two ancient settlements and cemeteries, which were composed of various types of graves. Unfortunately, World War II prevented the research being completed.
The construction of the hydroelectric power station started immediately after the war. This marked a start of systematic and planned research of Mingecevir as an ancient abode. Archeological excavations were carried out from April 1946 to August 1953 by a group of archeologists headed by S. M. Qaziyev in connection with the construction of the Mingecevir hydroelectric power station under a decision by the Supreme Board of the Azerbaijani Academy of Sciences. Over 20,000 historical monuments – graves and tumuli, means of production, things related to daily life, jewelry etc., which reflected historical periods in chronological sequence, were found during the excavations.
Most ancient written monuments in Caucasian Albanian alphabet and other archeological finds proved that Mingecevir was a 5,000-year-old abode. The majority of these finds are currently exhibited in the Azerbaijani Historical Museum, while part of them is held at the Mingecevir Historical Museum.
History knows a great deal of facts about ancient Mingecevir. Historical sources indicate that a fierce battle took place between the powerful army of Roman commander Pompey and the army of Albanian governor Oris just on the territory of the current dam on the bank of the River Kur in the 1st century BC.
Historical facts also prove that the ancient Silk Road laid via Mingecevir.
Renowned Turkish traveler Ovliya Calabi, who lived in the AD 17th century, wrote about Mingecevir and described it as a large settlement on the right bank of the River Kur near the Bozdag Mountain. According to him, several mosques, workshops manufacturing fiber silk and silk cloth, bathhouses etc. were operating in this settlement. Interestingly, the road passing from here used to be called the "road of messenger". The "road of messenger" was connecting lots of camelcade and trade roads to Middle East countries and Azerbaijani towns like Saki, Qabala, Samaxi, Barda, Beylaqan and others.
A great number of people came to Mingechevir from all districts in Azerbaijan in connection with the construction of the Mingechevir hydroelectric power station, and a total of 20,000 people took part in the construction of this power station. About 10,000 German POWs were among those who contributed to the construction of this power station by the end of the 1940s. The most experienced specialists of the country were involved in the construction of this building site as the biggest hydroelectric power station of the then Soviet Union.
Today's Mingechevir, which was built in connection with the hydroelectric power station, was granted a status of town in 1948. The population of the town currently stands at 120,000 people, including 20,000 internally displaced people from Karabakh
and the occupied adjacent districts. The area of the town is 139.53 km². Mingechevir is situated 55 meter above sea level on the foothill of the southeast of the Bozdag Mountain chain and on the edge of the Mingechevir reservoir in the Kur-Araz lowland in central Azerbaijan. The town was built in a mild and warm zone and has warm and dry summer, while mild winter. The average annual temperature is 14 - 15 °C, highest temperature 42 °C (July-August) and the lowest temperature (January-February) -10 °C. The average annual rain constitutes 250–300 mm.
The town lies on both banks of the River Kur - a 1515 km-long river, which is the biggest and longest one in the South Caucasus. (The river originates from Turkey
, runs down Georgia
and Azerbaijan and flows to the Caspian Sea
.) Mingechevir is situated in 280–300 km west of the capital of the republic, Baku
.
Mingechevir has been developing speedily over the last 54 years, since it has been established. Mingechevir, which is currently considered to be the fourth town of the country both for its economic potential and the number of population, is one of the central towns of the republic in terms of energy, industry, science, education and culture.
The number of able-bodied people in Mingechevir is 53,000, while the number of people actually involved in labor is 16,000. The number of people engaged in small-sized businesses stands at
4,000 people
and hydroelectric power station was completed in 1953. The hydroelectric power stations soil dam, whose total capacity is 15.6 cubic kilometers of water, is one of the highest dams in Europe that was constructed through sprinkling. The length of the reservoir is 70 km, width from 3 to 18 km, deepest point about 75 meters and total area 605 km².
Apart from the River Kur, the reservoir feeds two channels of the 172 km-long Upper Qarabag Channel and the 123 km-long Upper Sirvan Channel. These channels are used to irrigate 10,000 square kilometres of area in the steppes of Mil, Mugan and Sirvan. The Varvara reservoir and the Varvara hydroelectric power station are in 20 km east from the Mingechevir reservoir on the River Kur. The volume of the Varvara hydroelectric power station's energy blocks is 16 MW.
A total of 1,814 teachers and 471 mentors engaged in education in the town. A total of 18,125 students study at high schools in Mingecevir, while 200-250 students graduate from schools every year. In 2002, 274 graduates entered various higher education institutions in the republic and abroad.
There are also seven non-educational centers under the Mingecevir education department. They are the chess school, the canoe-training center, the technical creative center, the center for students’ environmental upbringing, the creative center for children, the youth sports center and the center of youth tourism and regional geography.
These centers are of great importance to let children obtain new skills and knowledge and to reveal ingenious young people.
Teachers and students establish very rich study halls at high schools.
There are 21 nursery schools in Mingecevir. A total of 2,825 children of different ages are brought up in these nursery schools. Two of the nursery schools - No 10 and 16 - switched to the "step by step" methodology devised by the Open Society Institute (USA) in March 1998.
The institute offers specialties as follows: the regulation of economy; management of economy; state and municipality management; heating and electric power stations; mechanical engineering; vehicles and tractors; technical exploitation of vehicles; organization of vehicular traffic; electro insulation; cables and condensers; information processing and automation of management systems, and repair of vehicles and services. A total of 1,210 students are currently studying in the institute. Of these, 1,200 students study for bachelor's degree, while 10 for master's degree.
The number of staff of the institute is 150, of which 52 are doctors of science and candidates of sciences.
There are wide lecture halls, laboratories, a canteen, a reading hall, a library, a gymnasium, an assembly hall etc. in the institute. A computer center, which was established by the Soros international humanitarian organization and connected to the Internet, operates in the institute.
The rector of the institute is Akif Novruz oglu Haciyev, who is a candidate of pedagogical sciences.
There are also training courses on improving teachers skills in the institute. The number of students in the institute is 520, while the number of staff is 80, including 13 doctors and candidates of sciences.
The head of this institute of high education is Aslan Hasan oglu Damirov, who is candidate of physics and mathematics sciences.
The school offers specialties as follows:
There is a computer room at the school. What is more, every study hall was equipped with computers.
A total of 594 people are currently studying at the school, and 47 teachers with university degree instruct them.
team competing in the top-flight of Azerbaijan
i football - Energetik FC
, currently playing in the Azerbaijan First Division
. The city also contains high modern rowing Kur Olympic Sport Complex, which was renovated and unveiled in 2010.
with the following cities: Tolyatti
, Russia
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
with a population of about 100,000. It is known as city of lights because of its hydroelectric power station on the Kur River
Kura River
Kura is a river, also known from the Greek as the Cyrus in the Caucasus Mountains. Starting in north-eastern Turkey, it flows through Turkey to Georgia, then to Azerbaijan, where it receives the Aras River as a right tributary, and enters the Caspian Sea...
, which splits the city in half.
The area has been settled for thousands of years, but the current city was founded in 1948, partly by German soldiers who were taken prisoner during World War II. Mingechevir is also home to Mingechevir Polytechnic Institute
Mingechevir Polytechnic Institute
Mingechevir Polytechnic Institute , sometimes written Mingecevir Polytechnic Institute, is a public institute of technology located in Mingechevir, Azerbaijan....
. The city forms an administrative division of Azerbaijan.
History of Mingechevir
Despite the fact that Mingecevir is a young town, the territory where the town is located is known as an ancient abode. The history of this abode covers a period from the eneolith era (3000 BC) to the AD 17th century.It was the chairman of the Caucasus archeological committee, A. I. Berje, who first gave information about the archeological monuments of Mingecevir at the second congress of archeologists in St Petersburg in 1871. Although this information was not precise, Berje presented Mingecevir as an ancient settlement.
After this, Mingecevir remained out of archeologists’ attention for many years. Archeological researches resumed in Mingecevir only in mid-1930s as part of the construction of the hydroelectric power station. The researches started under the leadership of Prof. Pakhomov in 1935. These researches revealed two ancient settlements and cemeteries, which were composed of various types of graves. Unfortunately, World War II prevented the research being completed.
The construction of the hydroelectric power station started immediately after the war. This marked a start of systematic and planned research of Mingecevir as an ancient abode. Archeological excavations were carried out from April 1946 to August 1953 by a group of archeologists headed by S. M. Qaziyev in connection with the construction of the Mingecevir hydroelectric power station under a decision by the Supreme Board of the Azerbaijani Academy of Sciences. Over 20,000 historical monuments – graves and tumuli, means of production, things related to daily life, jewelry etc., which reflected historical periods in chronological sequence, were found during the excavations.
Most ancient written monuments in Caucasian Albanian alphabet and other archeological finds proved that Mingecevir was a 5,000-year-old abode. The majority of these finds are currently exhibited in the Azerbaijani Historical Museum, while part of them is held at the Mingecevir Historical Museum.
History knows a great deal of facts about ancient Mingecevir. Historical sources indicate that a fierce battle took place between the powerful army of Roman commander Pompey and the army of Albanian governor Oris just on the territory of the current dam on the bank of the River Kur in the 1st century BC.
Historical facts also prove that the ancient Silk Road laid via Mingecevir.
Renowned Turkish traveler Ovliya Calabi, who lived in the AD 17th century, wrote about Mingecevir and described it as a large settlement on the right bank of the River Kur near the Bozdag Mountain. According to him, several mosques, workshops manufacturing fiber silk and silk cloth, bathhouses etc. were operating in this settlement. Interestingly, the road passing from here used to be called the "road of messenger". The "road of messenger" was connecting lots of camelcade and trade roads to Middle East countries and Azerbaijani towns like Saki, Qabala, Samaxi, Barda, Beylaqan and others.
A great number of people came to Mingechevir from all districts in Azerbaijan in connection with the construction of the Mingechevir hydroelectric power station, and a total of 20,000 people took part in the construction of this power station. About 10,000 German POWs were among those who contributed to the construction of this power station by the end of the 1940s. The most experienced specialists of the country were involved in the construction of this building site as the biggest hydroelectric power station of the then Soviet Union.
Today's Mingechevir, which was built in connection with the hydroelectric power station, was granted a status of town in 1948. The population of the town currently stands at 120,000 people, including 20,000 internally displaced people from Karabakh
Karabakh
The Karabakh horse , also known as Karabakh, is a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse. It is named after the geographic region where the horse was originally developed, Karabakh in the Southern Caucasus, an area that is de jure part of Azerbaijan but the highland part of which is currently...
and the occupied adjacent districts. The area of the town is 139.53 km². Mingechevir is situated 55 meter above sea level on the foothill of the southeast of the Bozdag Mountain chain and on the edge of the Mingechevir reservoir in the Kur-Araz lowland in central Azerbaijan. The town was built in a mild and warm zone and has warm and dry summer, while mild winter. The average annual temperature is 14 - 15 °C, highest temperature 42 °C (July-August) and the lowest temperature (January-February) -10 °C. The average annual rain constitutes 250–300 mm.
The town lies on both banks of the River Kur - a 1515 km-long river, which is the biggest and longest one in the South Caucasus. (The river originates from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, runs down Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and Azerbaijan and flows to the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
.) Mingechevir is situated in 280–300 km west of the capital of the republic, Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
.
Mingechevir has been developing speedily over the last 54 years, since it has been established. Mingechevir, which is currently considered to be the fourth town of the country both for its economic potential and the number of population, is one of the central towns of the republic in terms of energy, industry, science, education and culture.
The number of able-bodied people in Mingechevir is 53,000, while the number of people actually involved in labor is 16,000. The number of people engaged in small-sized businesses stands at
4,000 people
Reservoir and hydroelectric power station
The construction of the Mingechevir reservoirReservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
and hydroelectric power station was completed in 1953. The hydroelectric power stations soil dam, whose total capacity is 15.6 cubic kilometers of water, is one of the highest dams in Europe that was constructed through sprinkling. The length of the reservoir is 70 km, width from 3 to 18 km, deepest point about 75 meters and total area 605 km².
Apart from the River Kur, the reservoir feeds two channels of the 172 km-long Upper Qarabag Channel and the 123 km-long Upper Sirvan Channel. These channels are used to irrigate 10,000 square kilometres of area in the steppes of Mil, Mugan and Sirvan. The Varvara reservoir and the Varvara hydroelectric power station are in 20 km east from the Mingechevir reservoir on the River Kur. The volume of the Varvara hydroelectric power station's energy blocks is 16 MW.
Culture of Mingechevir
Sixteen public libraries with 406,677 books in total are operating in the town. The number of subscribers in these libraries stands at 46,282 people. Every book is requested 2.9 times in average annually, and readers took books from libraries 904,395 times last year.Museums
The Mingacevir Historical Museum was established in January 1968. The museum has two branches – Martyrs’ Memorial and Independence Museum. The museum has 14,461 exhibits.Club-Houses
There are 8 clubhouses, including the Martyr Azar Niftaliyev clubhouse, S. Vurgun clubhouse, N. Narimanov clubhouse and others, in the town. Town residents also enjoy parks, like Sahil Park and Friendship Park.Musical Schools
There are 3 musical schools – Hacibayov School, Bulbul School and Martyr Qasimov School – in Mingacevir. The study in these schools lasts 7 years. A total of 1,500 students study at these schools, and 350 professional teachers train them. These schools have different courses on tar, kamanca, nagara, saz (national musical instruments), piano, violin and vocal.Theatre
The Davudova Mingacevir State Theatre was established on the basis of folk theatre in 1969 (Pic 21). Every clubhouse has its own ensemble. There are also singing and music circles, as well as training courses on computer, tailoring, board games, military patriotic and arts are functioning in the clubhouses.Education in Mingechevir
Mingecevir is also one of the central towns of science, education and culture. There are two institutions of higher education, one college, 20 high schools, 3 musical schools, one private Turkish lycee and a drivers’ training school in the town.A total of 1,814 teachers and 471 mentors engaged in education in the town. A total of 18,125 students study at high schools in Mingecevir, while 200-250 students graduate from schools every year. In 2002, 274 graduates entered various higher education institutions in the republic and abroad.
There are also seven non-educational centers under the Mingecevir education department. They are the chess school, the canoe-training center, the technical creative center, the center for students’ environmental upbringing, the creative center for children, the youth sports center and the center of youth tourism and regional geography.
These centers are of great importance to let children obtain new skills and knowledge and to reveal ingenious young people.
Teachers and students establish very rich study halls at high schools.
There are 21 nursery schools in Mingecevir. A total of 2,825 children of different ages are brought up in these nursery schools. Two of the nursery schools - No 10 and 16 - switched to the "step by step" methodology devised by the Open Society Institute (USA) in March 1998.
Mingecevir Polytechnic Institute
This institution of higher education started as a branch of the Azerbaijani Oil Academy in 1991, but became independent and was developed into Mingecevir Polytechnic Institute the same year.The institute offers specialties as follows: the regulation of economy; management of economy; state and municipality management; heating and electric power stations; mechanical engineering; vehicles and tractors; technical exploitation of vehicles; organization of vehicular traffic; electro insulation; cables and condensers; information processing and automation of management systems, and repair of vehicles and services. A total of 1,210 students are currently studying in the institute. Of these, 1,200 students study for bachelor's degree, while 10 for master's degree.
The number of staff of the institute is 150, of which 52 are doctors of science and candidates of sciences.
There are wide lecture halls, laboratories, a canteen, a reading hall, a library, a gymnasium, an assembly hall etc. in the institute. A computer center, which was established by the Soros international humanitarian organization and connected to the Internet, operates in the institute.
The rector of the institute is Akif Novruz oglu Haciyev, who is a candidate of pedagogical sciences.
The Mingecevir branch of the Azerbaijani Teachers Training Institute
This institute of higher education was established on the basis of Mingecevir Polytechnic college in 2002. The institute prepares specialists in the following areas:- pedagogy and methodology of pre-school education
- pedagogy and methodology of secondary education
- mathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
- mathematics and physicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
- Azerbaijani language and literature
- history
- English language
There are also training courses on improving teachers skills in the institute. The number of students in the institute is 520, while the number of staff is 80, including 13 doctors and candidates of sciences.
The head of this institute of high education is Aslan Hasan oglu Damirov, who is candidate of physics and mathematics sciences.
Mingecevir medical school
The school was established in 1991. There are 17 study halls at the school: anatomy, therapy, surgery, pediatrics and others.The school offers specialties as follows:
- medical treatment
- obstetricsObstetricsObstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
- orthopedic stomatology
- nursery
- laboratory diagnosis
- pharmacologyPharmacologyPharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
There is a computer room at the school. What is more, every study hall was equipped with computers.
A total of 594 people are currently studying at the school, and 47 teachers with university degree instruct them.
Sports
The city has one professional footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team competing in the top-flight of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i football - Energetik FC
Energetik FC
Energetik FC is an Azerbaijani football club based in Mingachevir. One of the oldest and popular clubs in Azerbaijan. For a moment it participates at Azerbaijan First Division.-History:...
, currently playing in the Azerbaijan First Division
Azerbaijan First Division
The Azerbaijan First Division is the second highest professional division in Azerbaijani professional football. The division is run by AFFA.-History:...
. The city also contains high modern rowing Kur Olympic Sport Complex, which was renovated and unveiled in 2010.
Notable natives
- Dilgam Nagiyev — National Hero of Azerbaijan.
- Eugene Rindin — Hero of Russia.
- Ruslan Muradov — National Hero of Azerbaijan.
Twin cities
Mingachevir is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with the following cities: Tolyatti
Tolyatti
Tolyatti , also known as Togliatti, is a city in Samara Oblast, Russia. It serves as the administrative center of Stavropolsky District, although it is administratively separate from it...
, Russia