Şahtaxtı

Şahtaxtı (also, Shah Takhti and Shakhtakhty) is a village and municipality in the Kangarli Rayon of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. The village is located in the Sharur plain, 4.5 km south-west from the regional center. Its population is busy with farming and animal husbandry. There are secondary school, kindergarten, cultural house and a medical center in the village. It has a population of 3,100. The medieval monuments of Cinlidere is located in the south-west of the village, but in the west, at the Givrag plateau, is located Shahbaghy.[1]

Clay vessel from the village of Shakhtakhty, Azerbaijan. Karmirberd culture, mid-II millennium BC
Şahtaxtı
Municipality
Şahtaxtı
Coordinates: 39°22′19″N 45°05′46″E
CountryAzerbaijan
Autonomous republicNakhchivan
RayonKangarli
Population
(2005)
 • Total3,100
Time zoneUTC+4 (AZT)

Etymology

The modern settlement was established as a result of the settlement of the Kengerli tribe of Turkic peoples. The area of the location of Alinja fortress was also called 'Şahtaxtı' (Shahtakhty) in the past. The researchers translate this place-name as "smooth plain in the foothills of the mountain".[2]

Ancient settlement

Nearby is the site of an ancient settlement of the Bronze and first Iron Age; it is located south-west from the village. According to the findings, the earliest settlement of Shahtakhti belongs to the 3-1 millennium BC.[1]

The area is about 2 hectares. As a result of wear and tear, the remains of the monuments and the destroyed stone buildings need to be monitored.

The thickness of the cultural layer, which was defined at the result of researches (1936 and 1979-90), is 3–4.5 m. The castle walls, built of large stones (2.2–2.6 m in width, 1,2-2,5 m in height) and remains of the residential buildings are very interesting.

During the 15-14th centuries BC, Shahtakhti became a type of a fortress-city settlement, and has been the center of a large tribal unions of Nakhchivan. The pottery, metalwork, jewellery etc. were highly developed in Shahtahty. A rich painted ceramics, cylindrical seals (15-14 centuries BC), and the exquisite decorative patterns found here show that the Shakhtakhti was in close contact with the ancient cultural centers of the Middle East.

The pink, gray and black pottery, ornaments, stone tools and osteologic remains were found in Shahtakhti.

Notable natives

References
  1. ANAS, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (2005). Nakhchivan Encyclopedia. volume II. Baku: ANAS. p. 291. ISBN 5-8066-1468-9.
  2. Encyclopedic dictionary of Azerbaijan toponyms. In two volumes. Volume I. p. 304. Baku: "East-West". 2007. ISBN 978-9952-34-155-3.
  3. "Шахтахтинский Бейбут Ага". Справочник по истории Коммунистической партии и Советского Союза 1898 - 1991.
  4. "ИБРАГИМОВ, Гусейн Мамедали оглы". Литературная энциклопедия.
  5. "Bu gün məşhur oftalmoloq alim, akademik Zərifə xanım Əliyevanın doğum günüdür". «Trend». 2010-04-28.
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