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Barda (Azerbaijani: Bərdə) is the capital city of the Barda Rayon in Azerbaijan, located south of Yevlax and on the left bank of the Terter river. Once an Azerbaijan town, and later the capital of Caucasian Albania perhaps since the end of the fourth century, Barda became the chief city of the Islamic province of Arran, the classical Caucasian Albania, remaining so until the tenth century.
In the 460 s acting under the orders of the Sasanian Emperor Peroz I had founded the settlement known as Partav, and replaced Qabala as the capital of Caucasian Albania.
In about 645, Partav fell under the control of the Muslim Arabs and was referred to as "Barda" or "Barda'a" in Arabic. By the ninth to tenth centuries, Barda had largely lost its economic importance to the nearby town of Ganja; the seat of the Catholicos of the Church of Albania was also moved to Bardak (Berdakur), leaving Partav as a mere bishopric. According to the Muslim geographers Estakhri, Ibn Hawqal, and Al-Muqaddasi, the distinctive Caucasian Albanian language (which they called al-Raniya, or Arranian) persisted into early Islamic times, and was still spoken in Barda in the tenth century.Thus, Ibn Hawkal mentioned that the people of Barda spoke Arranian, while Estakhri stated that Arranian was the language of the "country of Barda. During this time, the city boasted a Muslim Arab population, as well as a substantial Christian community.
The same Muslim geographers describe Barda as a flourishing town with a citadel, a mosque (the treasury of Arran was located here), a circuit wall and gates, and a Sunday bazaar that was called "Keraki," "Korakī" or "al-Kurki. In 914, the city was captured by the Rus, who occupied it for six months. In 943, it was attacked once more by the Rus and sacked.This may have been a factor in the decline of Barḏa in the second half of the tenth century, along with the raids and oppressions from the rulers of the neighboring regions, when the town lost ground to Beylaqan.
Centuries of earthquakes and, finally, the Mongol invasions destroyed much of the town's landmarks, with the exception of the fourteenth century tomb of Ahmad Zocheybana, built by architect Ahmad ibn Ayyub Nakhchivani. The mausoleum is a cylindrical brick tower, decorated with turquoise tiles. There is also the more recently built Imamzadeh Mosque, which has four minarets.
At the Modern time,agriculture is the main activity in the area. Local economy is based on the production and processing of cotton, silk, poultry and dairy products. The cease fire line, concluded at the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994, is just a few kilometers west of Barda, near Terter.
Sightseeing tours |
1. Overview (2 hours) tour with a visit to the Barda History Museum, the main landmarks and Olympic sports complex
2. Remains of the fortifications of the medieval fortress "Nyushabya Galasi" (ancient period), in the locality "Kёgnya Sheher" / "Old City" / in Barda
3. Mausoleum "Allah-Allah" (1322) and the open-air museum and recreation area on the territory of the ancient fortress "Nyushabya galasy"
4. The memorial complex "Imam zade" / mosque, mausoleum and ancient burial (XVII-XIX centuries.) in the old cemetery in Barda
5. Remains of the ruins / foundations / mausoleum "Akhsatan Baba" (XIV c.)
6. Mausoleum "Byahmyan Mirza» (XVIII c.)
7. Mosque "Ibrahim meschidi» (XVIII-XIX centuries.)
8. The ruins of the old bridge (VII-IX centuries.) On the river Tartar in Barda
9. Sightseeing thermal mineral sulfur springs in Barda region
10. Mosque (XIX c.) and bath (XVIII c.) in the village Shirvanli
11. Mosque "Ugurbyayli" (XIX c.) in the village Tezekend
12. 8-sided mausoleum (XVIII c.) and the old medieval cemetery in the village Guloglular
13. Places of archeological excavations at the ancient settlement and ancient necropolis, north-east