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4ABOUT SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING TO THE HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF KARABAKH'S REGION OF AZERBAIJAN (20-90S OF XX CENTURY)
ORUCOVA SUQRA ASKAR
A PhD candidate in Historical Geography, Baku State University. Azerbaijan. Baku. A Teacher of
Department of History in Baku State University; A Guide in National Museum Of History Of Azerbaijan
Annotation. The given article is the research work grounding on new conception, studies in complex the socio-political processes. This work is written mainly in this direction. The article provides firstly information about history, education of Karabakh's cities in the Soviet period. Basing on sources entered to circulation it is proved that the main factor for socio-economic and cultural development in Karabakh was Azerbaijan government's direct attention to the region. The history of the Azerbaijan, is ofgreat importance and great interestfor research. The study of the emergence and development of cities and districts of Karabakh has the great scientific and political importance. This makes the study of the work actual.
Keywords: Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Heydar Aliyev, Ilham Aliyev, cities, education.
The history of Azerbaijan, is of great importance and great interest for research. The history of the cities and districts of Nagorno-Karabakh is one of the least studied topical problems of the history of Azerbaijan. (On November 10, 2020, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, in an address to the people, announced the abolition of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. And thus, at present, the term "Nagorno-Karabakh" as a political-geographical term is not used). The great scientific interest is a comprehensive study of the origin and development of the regions of Karabakh. The study of the emergence and development of cities and districts of Karabakh has the great scientific and political importance. Since historical geography is a new science, various sources were used to write article. The choice of this topic is connected with the importance of Karabakh, an integral part of Azerbaijan. Karabakh is the most ancient place for mankind. First of all, it should be noted that the word "Karabakh", which translates from Azerbaijani as "Black Garden", proves that this land historically belongs to Azerbaijan. Karabakh occupies a special place and plays a special role in the history of Azerbaijan. This region of our country is one of the most ancient habitats in the world. Monuments of ancient times have been discovered on its territory. The jaw bone of a primitive man from Azykh named azyhanthropus was found in the Azykh cave in 1968 [6, p. 25]. Significant changes in the history of Karabakh took place in the VII-IX centuries, with the occupation by the Arab Caliphate, as a result of which the majority of the population converted to Islam. Karabakh was part of various Muslim states, such as the Sajids, Salarids, Shaddadids, Atabeks, Hulagids, Garagoyunlu, Aggoyunlu, which replaced each other in Azerbaijan. The Safavid state was established in 1501, which marked the beginning of the centralization of all Azerbaij ani lands. One of the four beklarbaks founded by the Safavids was called Karabakh or Ganja beklarbek.
The creation of the Karabakh Khanate, the formation of the city of Shusha and the beginning of its history, which is the most expensive and great historical corner of Azerbaijan [5, p. 45]. The Karabakh Khanate was founded in 1747 by Panakhaly Khan Javanshir. Panakhali Khan Javanshir created the city and fortress of Shusha; this is a great monument created by the Azerbaijani people and our ancestors, not just a city, but a great historical monument [7, 34]. In this city, a great culture, cultural heritage and heroic examples of the Azerbaijani people with a centuries-old history were created around it [4, p.98]. "Shusha is not only for the residents of Shusha, for all Azerbaijanis, for every citizen who loves his homeland and his people for this, Shusha is an expensive city, an expensive land, an expensive fortress, an expensive monument." These words, spoken by the national leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, help us
understand the meaning of Shusha. During the reign of Panakhali Khan's son, Ibrahim Khan, the Karabakh Khanate became even more powerful. Ibrahim Khan signed an agreement with the commander of the Russian troops Tsitsianov in Kurakchai in 1805. According to the Kurakchai Treaty, the Karabakh Khanate was annexed to Russia. The Kurekchai Treaty is one of the most important documents testifying that Karabakh, including its mountainous region, historically belonged to the Azerbaijani people. On May 28, 1918, after almost 100 years of Russian rule, the Azerbaijani people founded a new independent state in the North of Azerbaijan, which was of great importance for today's Azerbaijan [1, p. 88]. This Republic did not last long, in 1920, Soviet power was established in April. This dependence continued until 1991, fortunately, the Republic of Azerbaijan was established. With the declaration of its independence, the New Republic began to carry out various reforms.
In particular, in Soviet times, the number of investigated works related to Karabakh cities was a minority. This makes the study of the work actual. The article provides firstly information on history, education of Karabakh's cities in the Soviet period. The given article is the research work grounding on new conception, studies in complex the socio-political processes. Basing on sources entered to circulation it is proved that the main factor for socio-economic and cultural development in Karabakh was Azerbaijan government's direct attention to the region.
The study of the realities of economic, social and cultural life of Karabakh is very important today. The Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is one of the oldest cultural centers in the world. Favorable natural and geographical conditions, the richness of fresh water resources, the plant and animal world, and the presence of natural caves have created conditions for primitive people to settle here since ancient times. In Karabakh there are cities with great history such as Shusha, ancient settlements such as Khojaly, Khankendi, Khojavand, Agdara, Hadrud and other developed regions, which are very essential and important to explore their history in general [2, p. 3]. Today, the history of the cities and regions of Azerbaijan, including the cities and regions of Karabakh, is one of the least developed topical problems in the history of Azerbaijan. The study of the emergence and development of cities and regions of Karabakh is of great scientific importance. In recent years, the study of the history of cities and regions of Azerbaijan has become very serious. First of all, this is due to the recommendations, instructions and decisions of our national leader Heydar Aliyev. His idea of "The history of the ancient cities of Azerbaijan should be studied" put a great responsibility on historians and increased their attention to the study of such topics [3, p. 34].
The study of the history of the city and District of Azerbaijan has recently acquired a serious character. In 1974, during a meeting with leading scientists of ANAS, Heydar Aliyev said with great foresight that " the history of the ancient cities and regions of Azerbaijan should be studied... people should always remember their roots... every page of our history is dear to us... Our historians must accept, comprehend, evaluate and objectively study our history as it is."
Before starting to study the historiography of the historical problem of the cities and regions of Karabakh, it is necessary to pay special attention to the fact that the history of the topic has not been studied in depth, the history of Shusha, Askeran, Hadrud, Khankendi, Khojaly, Khojavand, Agdara has not been studied separately in the scientific literature.
The difference of this work is research of it from historical geography point. It should be noted that historical geography is a complex discipline that studies the physical and socio-economic aspects of past eras, as well as the cultural and political aspects in historical context. It was formed through the intersection of history and geography, and there are different definitions of the subject matter of historical geography. Historical geography studies changes in geographical distribution over time, and how these changes relate to historical events and processes. It also examines the impact of these events on society, such as the formation of nations and states. By understanding the factors that have influenced these
changes, we can better understand the evolution of landscapes and territories over the course of centuries. This is why historical geography is an important field of study [9, p. 5].
Jekulin defines historical geography as the science that studies the historical and geographical position of a particular territory or country in a specific historical period. It concretizes historical concepts by placing them in chronological order and connecting them to specific territories. This allows historical geography to reveal the characteristics of a country's physical, economic and political geography at different stages of its development. Despite its rich history, historical geography has the features of a relatively young scientific discipline, with corresponding challenges. As a branch of knowledge, it is younger than both historical and geographical sciences, which originated in the ancient world [10, p. 45]. However, its history has never been a subject of scholarly inquiry. In some bourgeois historical and geographical works, short historical reviews of literature on historical geography can be found. For example, the book by S. M. Seredinin "Historical Geography" contains a small chapter on the development of the science of historical geography.
Here, information about aspects of historical geography is provided. Historical geography combines the following aspects: 1) Physical and geographical interpretations: relief, climate, water resources, soil cover, flora, fauna, and minerals. 2) Geography of population: issues of formation of ethnic composition, settlement, and displacement of population [11, p. 34].
Mirza Jamal Javanshir, who was the vizier of the Karabakh Khanate, described the borders of Karabakh in his work "History of Karabakh" (1847) as follows: "the borders of the Karabakh province are as follows: from the Khudaferin bridge to the Siny Bridge on the South Side-the Araz River. Now it is between Gazakh, Shamshadtil and Demirchi-Hasanli Jammat, and Russian state officials call it Krasny most, that is, the Red Bridge with the Russian invasion. From the east side is the Kura River, which joins the Araz River in Javad village and flows into the Caspian Sea. From the North Side the border of Karabakh with Yelizavetpol is the Goran River to the Kura River, and the Kura River reaches the Araz River in many places. On the west side are the high Karabakh mountains called Kushbek, Salvarty and Erikli". This information provides the borders of Karabakh. However in this article mainly will be examined the cultural branch of historical geography.
Thus, one of the topics which studied in this new science is cultural development that included education. Schools are primarily institutions for learning and knowledge dissemination. They provide students with a structured environment in which they can acquire academic, practical, and social skills. Education helps individuals prepare for future careers, understand the world around them, and develop critical thinking abilities. In this article will be studied the history of education development in the Karabakh region of the Azerbaijan in certain period. It shold be noted that first of all short information will be given about the cities of Karabakh, about the history of their formation and their borders, then about educational reforms which were spent on these territories.
Located in the west of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 62 km north of Khankendi, Aghdere district was established in 1930. The first name of Agdara was" Isfahanciq", and in the XIX century it was called" Hunashin "or" Khonashen". In XIX century Khonashen area covering 36 - thousand desyatin part of Karabakh Plain was a place of winter for cattle people. Aghdara was the name of the passage connecting the Karabakh plain with the mountainous part. Then families from the village of Qasabad settled in this area. So, in 1923-1930, Agdara's name was replaced by Ceraberd, and in 1930-1992-Mardakert. Finally, the former name of Agdara was restored in 1992. Aghdara was the largest district of the former Karabakh. 1981: 1705 sq. ft. km, the population was 44400 people. The district had one city, two urban settlements, 57 villages, 22 villages. The center of the district was the city of Aghdere. The surface of Aghdere region is mostly mountainous and the eastern part consists of Plains. There are 75,059 hectares of forest areas in Agdara, which accounted for 44% of the area. Great achievements were made in the field of cultural
construction in Aghdere district during the years of Soviets. In 1982, there were 27 preschool institutions in the district, in which 1225 children were brought up [8, p. 47].
According to the researches, 8 preschool institutions operated in Jabrayil, 1 in Gubadli, 10 in Agjabadi, 9 in Zangilan, 17 in Barda and 13 in Tartar during the mentioned period. From the studies conducted, it is known that in 1987, preschool institutions in Aghdere district stood in the first place at the nationwide level. So, in our republic, the provision of preschool institutions is 20%, in Nakhchivan-12%. in the case, it had reached 35% in Agdara. Unfortunately, out of 15 villages inhabited by Azerbaijanis in Agdara, only two pre-school institutions operated, which were in a deplorable state. During this period, in 50 schools of Agdara, 9800 students were studying. During the mentioned period, there were 15 schools in Zangilan and 42 in Tartar. While in Agdam there were 196 students per school, in Zangilan this figure reached 419, in Agdam-354. There were also 420 pupils in one Technical Vocational School of Agdara and 135 in seven-year music school. In 1983, 63 club enterprises operated in Aghdere district, this indicator reached 49 in Jabrayil, 23 in Gubadli, 27 in Agdam, 23 in Agjabadi, 43 in Barda, 23 in Tartar. During the mentioned period, there were 225 libraries with 51 thousand books in Aghdere District, 47 libraries operated in Gubadli, 30 in Tartar, 35 in Zangilan and 34 in Agjabadi. According to the research conducted, at the end of the 80s in Aghdere District there were 10 library books per resident, while in our republic this indicator was 5.8. While the provision of Aghdere district with public libraries was 100%, this figure in all of Azerbaijan reached 94% [8, p. 60].
Khankendi is an ancient settlement of Azerbaijan, one of 11 developed cities of Republican subordination. Khankendi city is located at the end point of Yevlakh-Khankendi branch of Baku-Tbilisi Railway, on Yevlakh-Lachin-Nakhchivan Road, on the Bank of Gargar River, at the eastern foot of Karabakh Ridge, 329 km from Baku. The climate is moderately warm. Average temperature-0,20, 22,40, annual rainfall is 535 mm. Administratively, Khankendi city scope includes Khankendi city and Karkijahan settlement. The area of Khankendi city is 8 square kilometers. Khankendi is located at an altitude of 830 meters above sea level. In 1960-1988, the network of cultural and educational institutions in Khankendi expanded. Thus, compared to 1960, in 1988 the number of public libraries in Khankendi city increased 1.5 times, book Fund 2 times, number of club institutions 1.6 times, number of cinema facilities 3 times, circulation of newspapers 2.5 times, and these indicators significantly exceed the national level.
Askeran was one of the developed regions of Azerbaijan. The history of the formation of the district dates back to 1930. In 1930-1978, Askeran region was called Khankendi region. According to the law of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR on May 15, 1978, the name of Khankendi district was changed to Askeran district. According to the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on November 26, 1991, Askeran district was abolished and its territory was transferred to Khojaly region [8, p. 52]. The center of Askeran district was Askeran settlement. The settlement is located 17 km north-east of Khankendi, on yevlakh-Lachin highway, on the Left Bank of Gargar River, at the north-eastern foot of Karabakh Ridge. By the way, it should be noted that in the settlement of Askeran there are a secondary school, a library, a cinema, a kindergarten, a dispensary, a medical and veterinary station, and a communication department. As of 1980, 783 people lived in Askeran settlement. In the 60-70s of the last century, as a result of the deep care of the Azerbaijani state, great achievements were achieved in the field of cultural construction in Askeran district. Already at the beginning of the 80s, there were 15 preschool institutions in the District; 1 primary, 17 eight-year and 14 secondary schools, in which 4,108 students studied. In contrast to other regions of Azerbaijan, all schools of Askeran had a system of variable education. As it turned out from the research, the provision of the district with preschool institutions was about 36%, which is almost 2 times more than in Azerbaijan as a whole. At the same time, in 1970-1985, the growth rate of children's involvement in preschool institutions in the region exceeded nationwide indicators by more than 2 times. In the 60-80s of the XX century, the
number of cultural and educational institutions in Askeran district also increased quite a lot. There were 12 Culture houses, 23 clubs, 42 libraries and 34 film centers in the district. In the mentioned years, the number of public libraries in the region increased 1.5 times, book Fund 2 times, Club enterprises 1.7 times, film magazines 3 times, one-time circulation of newspapers 2.3 times.
Khojavand is an administrative region in Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. It is known from the research that Khojavand was first called Kuznut and its population was Azerbaijanis. The toponym kuznut consists of the suffix "Kuz" - "autumn pasture" and "nut" in the ancient Turkic languages. Later, this toponym was replaced by the name "darkness". All areas of public education and cultural service were gradually improved in Khojavand region. In 1961-1987, new preschool institutions and secondary schools were built and put into operation in the district. There were 365 preschool institutions in the district, where 12 children were brought up, 7450 eight-year and secondary schools with 40 pupils, a technical vocational school with 350 students, and a music school with 100 pupils. In all the schools of the district, shift education was practiced. However, the shift coefficient in schools in the Republic as a whole is 1.3. The provision of preschool institutions in the district was 35%, which is 1.8 times more than in Azerbaijan as a whole. In 1970-1987, the growth rate of involvement of children in preschool institutions in the region exceeded nationwide indicators by 2 times. In 1961-1987, the network of cultural and educational institutions was expanded in Khojavand region. In 1987, there were 11 houses of culture, 22 clubs, 41 libraries, 33 film centers in the district. According to the calculations, the number of public libraries in the region increased 1.4 times, the book fund increased 2 times, the number of club enterprises increased 1.6 times, and the number of film studios increased 2.9 times. Based on comparisons and analysis, we can say that the development of cultural and educational institutions in Khojavand region has surpassed the national level [8, p. 55].
The most beautiful land of Azerbaijan is Karabakh, and the most beautiful corner of Karabakh is Shusha. Shusha attracts the attention of people with its nature, high mountains, green slopes, springs that are a cure for a thousand troubles, flowing rivers, flowering Plains, fertile fields, gardens, thick forests. Shusha has always been a cradle in the historical geography and socio-political life of Azerbaijan, its importance was declared by famous people. "Shusha is not only for the residents of Shusha, but also for all Azerbaijanis, every citizen who loves his Homeland and his people, Shusha is an expensive city, expensive land, expensive castle, expensive monument." These words of Azerbaijan's national leader Heydar Aliyev help us understand the meaning of Shusha. According to 1988 report, the area of Shusha was 289 square kilometers. There are 30 villages, one city and other settlements here. The territory of Shusha, located in the Karabakh mountain range, is mountainous. The north, north-east and north-west of Shusha are surrounded by Rocky Mountains. The south-eastern side of the city is bounded by a steep rocky deep gorge 500 meters deep and 250 meters wide. Mount Kirs is located on the southern side of Shusha, from which the city resembles a "copper cauldron". Surrounded by huge steep cliffs, Shusha was an impregnable fortress. According to 1987 data, in Shusha 22 general education schools (1 of them was Primary, 4 was eight-year, 17 was secondary) 4075,7 preschool institutions had 565 children, 1 Secondary Technical Vocational School 324, 2 451 pupils in music school, 643 students in cultural education school, 530 students in Agricultural Technical School. In addition, there were 6 Culture houses, 12 clubs, 20 libraries and 20 film centers in Shusha. With all this, since the climate is a resort, on the territory there were 135 hospital institutions with 2 beds, 11 paramedic-obstetric points, a sanitary epidemiological station, a sanatorium, rest houses, pioneer camps.
In conclusion, it is clear basing on sources entered to circulation it is proved that the main factor for socio-economic and cultural development in Karabakh was Azerbaijan government's direct attention to the region. It is seen from the reforms which were spent there. In the investigated article main attention was paid to the history, education, development of cities' all spheres especially education. Education
helps individuals prepare for future careers, understand the world around them, and develop critical thinking abilities that happened in these lands.
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