Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic

The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is a unique landlocked exclave of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

An exclave is a piece of territory that is separated from its main country by other lands. This region is bordered by Armenia to the north and east. To the southwest, it meets Iran, and to the northwest, it borders Turkey.

It is the only autonomous republic within Azerbaijan. This means it is governed by its own elected legislature. Currently, the region has a population of approximately 459,600 people.

The history of the region is incredibly deep and complex. Archaeological evidence shows that humans lived here during the Stone Age. Specifically, Azerbaijani archaeologists have found Paleolithic materials throughout the area.

Pollen analysis from Gazma Cave in the Sharur District reveals that Middle Palaeolithic humans lived in both mountain forests and dry woodlands. Researchers have also found sites from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. These include ancient towns like Nakhchivan Tepe and Ovchular Tepesi. Interestingly, some of the oldest salt mines in the world were discovered here.

Religious and cultural traditions add another layer of meaning to the land. In Armenian tradition, the name is linked to the Biblical story of Noah's Ark. Some interpret the name as the "place of the first descent." This refers to the belief that Noah settled here after the Ark landed on nearby Mount Ararat.

The historian Flavius Josephus mentioned a "place of descent" in the first century. This might be the same location. In Nakhchivan City, a modern mausoleum marks a site traditionally believed to be the grave of the prophet Noah.

Because Nakhchivan was a major trade center, many empires competed for control. The region was part of the states of Urartu and later Media. It also became part of the Satrapy of Armenia under Achaemenid Persia around 521 BC. After Alexander the Great died in 323 BC, Macedonian generals tried to take the region. It was later ruled by the Armenian Orontid dynasty. Eventually, the region became part of the Kingdom of Armenia under Artaxias I in 189 BC.

The area was part of several provinces, including Ayrarat, Vaspurakan, and Syunik.

Throughout the middle ages, many different powers held the territory. The Sassanid Persians annexed the region in 428 AD. In 623 AD, control passed to the Byzantine Empire. Later, Arab forces invaded and stayed for several centuries. During this time, the region saw many revolts, including those by the Persian Khorramites.

The 5th-century scholar Mesrop Mashtots is said to have finished the Armenian alphabet in the modern Ordubad district. In the 16th century, the area became part of Safavid Iran. Later, the semi-autonomous Nakhchivan Khanate was established in the mid-18th century.

The 19th and 20th centuries brought rapid political shifts. Following the last Russo-Persian War, the Treaty of Turkmenchay moved the Khanate from Iranian to Russian control in 1828. After the 1917 February Revolution, the region was managed by the Special Transcaucasian Committee. When the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic dissolved in 1918, the land was heavily contested. The Ottoman Empire occupied the area in June 1918. Eventually, the British placed it under Armenian administration in 1919, though an Azerbaijani revolt occurred. The Bolsheviks occupied the region in July 1920.

Modern political structures formed following the Soviet era. On March 16, 1921, the Bolshevik government declared the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. By 1924, it was an autonomous part of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

In January 1990, Nakhchivan declared independence from the USSR to protest the suppression of national movements in Azerbaijan. One year later, it became the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic within the newly independent Republic of Azerbaijan. Today, it remains a vital part of the nation with a distinct political identity.