Kirovabad

City (pop., 2006 est.: 305,600), western Azerbaijan. It lies along the Gäncä River. A town was founded nearby in the 5th–6th century AD, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1139, and was rebuilt on the present site. It was taken by the Mongols in 1231 and was captured in 1606 by the Persian Ssubdotafavid dynasty, who made it the centre of the Gäncä khanate. The Russians annexed it in 1804 and renamed it Yelizavetpolhamzah. In 1935 it was renamed Kirovabad and developed industrially to become one of the largest cities of Azerbaijan. It manufactures alumina, machinery, and instruments and is an agricultural processing centre. Notable buildings include Dzhuma-Mechet Mosque (1620) and the mausoleum of the 12th-century Persian poet Nezsubdotāmī, a lifelong resident of the city.

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