Khachmaz: the fruity paradise of Azerbaijan

By AzerNews

You do not need money if you are in Khachmaz, one of the most beautiful places of Azerbaijan. This is the most popular saying about Khachmaz that emerged due to its rich nature, history, historical monuments and sights. Khachmaz, a region in northern Azerbaijan located close to the Caspian Sea shore, is known as the fruit paradise of the country.

The word Khachmaz has several meanings. According to scholars, the title Khachmaz is linked to the name of the Khachmatak or Khachmat Huns who arrived and settled in this territory in the past. There is a village in the Oghuz region which is also called Khachmaz. Scholars believe that one of the Hun tribes living in Khachmaz had moved there and founded this village.

Khachmaz has ancient history. Archeologists have found working and hunting tools there, along with domestic belongings which were used in the Bronze Age.

The word Khachmaz was first mentioned in the works of Herodotus and Strabo. In the fifth century, Sassanid Shah Yezdagird ordered to build enormous stone walls in Darband in order to prevent the invasions of Alans, Huns, Sabirs and others.

Khachmaz is abound with historical monuments as well. The ancient Khudat fortress, the Shah Abbas mosque, the Sheikh Movlana Yusif Baba Mosque could be good sites for those who like to make trips to historical places. The most ancient archaeologi­cal monuments are ancient Bronze Age barrows near the villages of Mollabur­han, Hulovlu, Garajik and Hasangala and medieval settlements near Janakhir and Bostanji. The most well-known monuments in the region are the ancient Albanian church, the water tower and the historical railway station.

One of the historical sites in Khachmaz is Veli Amir Shrine, which is located near the Valamir village. People go to the Veli Amir shrine on a pilgrimage with a hope of cure and fulfilment of their wishes.

The title of the shrine is linked to Veli Amir and Veli Omar brothers who were holy men and had the sacred ability to heal people.

Khachmaz is located on the border with Russia. The Niyazabad port is one of the historical parts of Khachmaz. From the 16th century, the port played an im­portant role in the establishment of relations between Azerbaijan and neighboring countries by sea and in the expansion of trade and export of silk, crafts and dried fruits to the northern countries.

Khachmaz has been historically engaged in fruit export. Its residents export their products to the Russian market during all seasons of the year.

Fruits are also used for preparation of juice and vinegar. Well-known German traveler Adam Ole­ari who visited Azerbaijan recorded in his memoirs that the local population produced fruit juices and made delicious drinks from juice by mixing them with water and vinegar.

In order to prevent the fruits from getting spoilt, people keep them under the sun or dry them in stoves. They also make "rasa" from dried fru­its. They thread dried pear and walnut kernels onto a string. The rasa is known as "the beauty of the house and a symbol of wealth".

The beautiful building of the Khachmaz railway sta­tion, which is located in the center, was built in 1898. It is one of the first railways built in the South Ca­ucasus. In the 19th century, railways were built to transport goods from the Caucasus to Russia. With the launch of the railway, products of the country gained access to the Russian mar­ket.

This railway was also used for delivery of water. The Absheron peninsula and Baku, which were suffering from water shortage, received drinking water by railway from Khach­maz. The water tower at the station, which was built in 1903, was used as a water reservoir. Water was filled into tanks and was sent to the capital by railway.

The well-known Shollar wa­ter pipeline, which was put into opera­tion in 1917, comes from the village of Shollar near Khudat. This water pipeline has several special features. There is no need to purify the water because there are no infectious bacteria in it. Also, no substantial repair or reconstruction work have been carried out on the pipeline as most of the water pipeline was laid under the ground.

Khachmaz has a moderate, semi-desert and arid steppe climate and has a rich flora and fauna. Its area is covered with forests. The climate is temperate, thermal and mineral springs are available. There are also good opportunities for hunting and fishing there.

When you say Khachmaz, the first thing that comes to mind is Nabran. It is a beautiful place with forests, sandy beaches and climatic resorts. The sea, hot sand and sunbathing is useful for recreation and treatment of many diseases. The tourism infrastructure is highly developed in Nabran. Many hotels, hostels and guest houses have been built and welcome tourists each year, especially in summer.

If you travel to Nabran, it will be embedded in your mind with its beautiful beaches, forests, clean air as well as entertainment like discotheques.

Among the most popular tourism centers in Nabran are Atlant, Palma, Malibu, Sahil, Lotos and Green Ville. The most popular entertainment for holidaymakers includes water parks, swimming pools, scooter rides, paintball, soccer, beach volleyball, tennis and badminton.