Beylagan (town)

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Beylagan (Azerbaijani: Beyləqan) is the capital city of Beylagan rayon of Azerbaijan. During the Soviet era, it was renamed Zhdanov (Жданов) after Stalinist politician Andrei Zhdanov. This move was reverted in 1991 when the city assumed its original name again. Beylagan is one of the oldest towns in Azerbaijan. It is located in the triangle between the Kura and Aras rivers in the Mil steppe.

[edit] Etymology

The 5th century Armenian historian Moses of Chorene states that this name is from the Persian name Payda-gharan (پایداقاران), that it's meaning is not clear , but "-an" in the last section means "place of " in Persian^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] History

Beylagan is said to have been founded by the Sassanid emperor Qobad and it may have been built during the time of Iranian migration and colonization of the region. In pre-Islamic times the city was known as Paytakaran. The city surrendered peacefully to the Arabs and a period of Islamisation ensued, in which the city of Paytakaran became known as Baylaqan^{[citation needed]}. Muslim chronicles describe it as a flourishing city. In the 10th and 11th centuries, the city was under the control of the Kurdish rulers of Arran, the Shaddadids, although it was also coveted by the Yazidis of Shirvanshah. In the 12th century, the city had to pay tribute to Georgia and was sacked in 1220 by the Mongols, who slaughtered the inhabitants and burned it down. However, survivors subsequently returned and rebuilt it.^[1] At the end of the 14th century it was destroyed by Timur, who later rebuilt it, but the city was abandoned. Its ruins are now known as Oren-kala and lie near Kabirli village, a 22km drive from the modern city of Beylagan.^[2]