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Zaqatala (city)
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Zaqatala (also, Sakataly, Zakatali, Zakatalsk, and Zakataly) is a city in northwest Azerbaijan. With a municipal population of 26,000 inhabitants, it is located northwest of Sheki, by the Tala River and is the main municipality of the Zaqatala rayon. The municipality consists of the city of Zaqatala and the nearby village of Qazangül.
tala has several sites of historic significance, most of which are centered on its 19th century town centre.
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Encyclopedia
Zaqatala (also, Sakataly, Zakatali, Zakatalsk, and Zakataly) is a city in northwest Azerbaijan. With a municipal population of 26,000 inhabitants, it is located northwest of Sheki, by the Tala River and is the main municipality of the Zaqatala rayon. The municipality consists of the city of Zaqatala and the nearby village of Qazangül.
History
Zaqatala has several sites of historic significance, most of which are centered on its 19th century town centre. The main square, formerly called Lenin Square, features a pair of 700 year old plane trees.
The city's most prominent feature is a ruined fortress, built in the 1830's by occupying Russian forces during the Caucasian War to defend the city from rebels. In the 1850's, the town was the site of battles between Russians and Dagestani leader Imam Shamil.
In the 20th century the town and its fortress became more famous when the fortress was used as one of the prisons for the mutinous crew of the battleship Potemkin, whose actions in the failed 1905 Revolution were a precursor to the eventual 1917 revolution. The statue of one of the mutineers erected in the Soviet era still decorates Heydar Aliyev park not far from the fortress. Currently, the fortress still houses a military garrison as well as several Soviet-style apartment buildings. Near the northern part of the ramparts and off of the main square is a beautiful, but abandoned, Georgian church. The town now sports a sizable new mosque.
The town
It is served by the A315 road coming from Mingachevir and leading to the Georgian border at Lagodekhi as well as by a small airfield. North of the town there is an important wildlife and nature preserve. The Caucasus Mountains provide it with natural protection from the north winds. The wooded mountainsides, with frequent waterfalls offer great hiking opportunities. Due to its climate the town became a mountain health resort.
In the town centre is the Soviet-style Hotel Azerbaijan (formerly the Intourist hotel). This spartan, undesirable is still fully occupied by refugees displaced by the Nagorno-Karabakh war. There are alternatives in Zaqatala and the surrounding villages like Ashghi Tala and Jar (also spelled Car/Djari) (both about 3 kilometres 2 miles) from Zaqatala, the pension Tala, built recently and providing very decent conditions.
Demographics
Azerbaijanis, Avars, Lezgins, and Tsakhurs inhabit Zaqatala and the surrounding rayon. In addition to the Azeri population, which is the majority here and in most of the rest of Azerbaijan, communities of Dagestani peoples, including the Avars, Tsakhurs, and Lezgins, live in the area. Recently, there has been some unrest in Zaqatala amongst the various ethnic groups, although it is unclear how much ethnic disputes led to these disturbances, including attacks on police.
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