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39°24′00″N 47°01′34″E / 39.40000°N 47.02611°E / 39.40000; 47.02611

Jabrayil Cəbrayıl
City and municipality
Ruins of the city after its occupation
Jabrayil
Coordinates: Template:Xb_type:city 39°24′00″N 47°01′34″E / 39.40000°N 47.02611°E / 39.40000; 47.02611
Country	Azerbaijan
District	Jabrayil
Established	1980
Elevation	569 m (1,867 ft)
Population
• Total	Currently uninhabited Pre-war population was 6,070
Time zone	UTC+4 (AZT)

Jabrayil (Template:Lang-az (listen)) is a ghost city in Azerbaijan, abandoned since the city's occupation and destruction by Armenian forces during the First Nagorno-Karabakh war. It's nominally the administrative capital of the Jabrayil District, though the role is currently de facto served by Jojug Marjanly until the city is rebuilt by Azerbaijan following its recapture on 9 October 2020.

Etymology

The name Jabrayil comes from the name of father Jabrayil, who owned the territories between Ziyaret Mountain and the river Aras, including the village of Jabrayil.

History

Russian Empire

Jabrayil was made part of Dzhebrail Uyezd of the Russian Empire in 1868. According to the census held in 1897, the population of the Uyezd was 66,360, of which 49,189 (74%) were Turko-Tatars (i.e. Azerbaijanis), 15,746 (24%) were Armenians, 893 (1.3%) were Russians, 398 (0.6%) were Kurds and other minorities. Jabrayil itself, was a village with a population of 520, of which 228 were Armenians, 186 were Turko-Tatars (Azerbaijanis), and 76 were Russians.

Soviet Union

According to a Soviet census, the population of Jabrayil in 1926 was 10,653 of which 10,356 (97,2%) were Turks (i.e. Azerbaijanis), 105 (1%) were Russians, 57 (0,5%) were Armenians and 24 (0,2%) were Persians. Soviet census of 1979 registered 4825 inhabitants, almost all (99,5 %) ethnic Azerbaijanis. As the administrative center of the eponymous district, Jabrayil developed considerably during the Soviet era and by the beginning of the 1950s, there were two seven-year schools, a secondary school, a cultural centre, summer and winter cinemas, two libraries and a club. The main economic products were butter, cheeses and carpets.

Armenian occupation (1993-2020)

The city was occupied on 23 August 1993 by the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh. It was subsequently looted and destroyed by Armenians and has since remained a ghost town. It was renamed Jrakan (Ջրական), and also called Mekhakavan (Մեխակավան) and was part of Hadrut Province during the Armenian occupation.

Recapture by Azerbaijan

After 27 years, on 9 October 2020, Azerbaijan regained control of the city during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

In the context of the war, on 4 October 2020, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces had taken control of the city following a day-long battle, however, Shushan Stepanyan, the Press Secretary of the Minister of Defence of Armenia denied this. On 5 October, the President of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan claimed that he had visited the city. However on 9 October 2020, footage released by Azerbaijan Ministry of Defence showed Azerbaijani soldiers raising the flag of Azerbaijan in the centre of the ruined city. Reporters from Euronews visited the city on 17 October, confirming Azerbaijani control.

The press accompanying President Ilham Aliyev on a visit to recently recaptured Jabrayil on November 2020 reported that except for a newly built military unit, no building was left intact since the occupation of the city in 1993. Several ambassadors who visited the ruined city in February 2021 expressed their shock at the state of the city and added that a number of graves had been defaced or dug up. A BBC report noted that the homes and graves of Azerbaijanis had been completely destroyed during the Armenian occupation.

In March 2021, a journalist for BBC visited the site of a church, called the Zoravor Holy Mother of God, which had been erected in Jabrayil in 2017 for the Armenian soldiers, and the construction of which drew condemnation from Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Upon arrival, the journalist noted that no trace of the church remained.

Notable people

• Jamil Ahmadov – Hero of the Soviet Union.
• Teymur Guliyev – Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (1937–1953) and the Council of Ministers of Azerbaijan SSR (1953–1954).

Gallery

• Memorial cross installed by Armenians
• Aerial view of the ruined city, showing destroyed homes
• 

References

1. "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность городского населения союзных республик, их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полу". Demoscope.ru (in Russian). 1989. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
2. "Jabrayil". virtualkarabakh.az. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
3. "Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. Распределение населения по родному языку и уездам Российской Империи кроме губерний Европейской России" [First All Russian Imperial Census of 1897. Population split according to languages spoken; uyezds of Russian empire except for governorates in European part of empire]. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
4. Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи, 1897 г. т.63 Елисаветопольская губерния. Н.А.Тройницкий, С.-Петербург, 1904. стр. 138
5. "ДЖЕБРАИЛЬСКИЙ УЕЗД (1926 г.)" [Jabrayil Uyezd (1926)]. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
6. Джебраильский район (1979).
7. «Джебраил». Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1950.
8. Soviet Encyclopaedia
9. ^ Fisher, Jonah (28 March 2021). "Who Won the Karabakh War". BBC Our World. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
10. "'This Is A Different War': Nagorno-Karabakh Refugee Shudders At Video Showing Neighbors' Execution". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
11. "Armenian company: Employee dies, others wounded after blast near storage room in Karabakh's Martuni". news.am. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
12. "Cəbrayıl şəhərində Azərbaycan Bayrağı dalğalanır - VİDEO" (in Azerbaijani). Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
13. "President Ilham Aliyev: "Azerbaijani Army liberates Jabrayil city and several villages of the region"". APA.az. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020. "Today, the Azerbaijani army liberated the city of Jabrayil and several villages in the region. Love to the Azerbaijani army! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!", President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev wrote this on his Twitter page today, APA reports.
14. "Քիչ անց կներկայացնենք փախուստ Մատաղիսից վավերագրությունը․ Շուշան Ստեփանյան". hy.armradio.com (in Armenian). Armenian Public Radio. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
15. "Fighting spirit of the boys and the confidence in victory are just contagious. Artsakh President". 1lurer.am. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
16. "Флаг Азербайджана развевается на освобожденных территориях Джебраила" (in Russian). 9 October 2020.
17. "Съемочная группа Euronews побывала в городе Джебраиле". youtube.com (in Russian). Euronews по-русски. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
18. Mushvig Mehdiyev (19 November 2020). "Azerbaijani President Visits Liberated Districts, Vows to Rebuild Damaged Villages and Cities". caspiannews.com. Caspian News. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
19. "It's really painful to see such scenes in Jabrayil - Croatian ambassador". azernews.az. AzerNews. 6 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
20. "Afghanistan's ambassador: The sight we saw in Jabrayil was terrible". apa.az. APA. 6 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
21. "Մեխակավան (Ջեբրայիլ) բնակավայրում օծվել է Զորավոր Սուրբ Աստվածածին եկեղեցին (լուսանկարներ)" [Holy Mother of God Church has been consecrated in the settlement of Mekhakavan (Jabrayil)]. 168.am. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
22. "Azerbaijan says Armenia's actions contradict basic principles of Christianity". 5 October 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
23. "Ахмедов Джамил Мамед оглы". Heroes of the country.
24. "Кулиев Теймур Имам Кули оглы". Справочник по истории Коммунистической партии и Советского Союза 1898 - 1991.

External links

• Jabrayil at GEOnet Names Server
• World Gazetteer: Azerbaijan – World-Gazetteer.com

v t e Jabrayil District
Capital: Jabrayil
Ağtəpə Alıkeyxalı Aşağı Maralyan Aşağı Mərcanlı Aşağı Sirik Aşıq Məlikli Balyand Böyük Mərcanlı Cocuq Mərcanlı Cəfərabad Çapand Çaxırlı Çələbilər Çərəkən Çullu Dağ Maşanlı Dağ Tumas Daş Veysəlli Daşkəsən Dəcəl Dərzili Doşulu Əfəndilər Əmirvarlı Əsgərxanlı Fuğanlı Göyərçin Veysəlli Hacı İsaqlı Hacılı Hasanlı Həsənqaydı Horovlu Hovuslu Hüseynalılar İmambağı İsaqlı Karxulu Kavdar Keçəl Məmmədli Kürdlər Mahmudlu Maşanlı Mehdili Məstalıbəyli Məzrə Minbaşılı Mirək Molla Həsənli Niftalılar Niyazqulular Nüsüs Nüzgar Papı Qalacıq Qaraağac Qaracallı Qazanzəmi Qərər Qışlaq Qoşabulaq Qovşudlu Qumlaq Qurbantəpə Quşçular Quycaq Safarşa Sarıcallı Sədi Sirik Sofulu Soltanlı Söyüdlü Süleymanlı Şahvələdli Şahvəlili Şəybəy Şıxalıağalı Şıxlar Şükürbəyli Tatar Tinli Tulus Xanağabulaq Xələfli (town) Xələfli (village) Xubyarlı Xudafərin Xudaverdili Xudayarlı Yanarxac Yarəhmədli Yuxarı Maralyan Yuxarı Mərcanlı Yuxarı Məzrə Yuxarı Nüsüs

v t e Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan
Districts	Absheron Agdam Aghdara Agdash Aghjabadi Agstafa Agsu Astara Babek Balakan Barda Beylagan Bilasuvar Dashkasan Fuzuli Gadabay Goranboy Goychay Goygol Hajigabul Imishli Ismayilli Jabrayil Jalilabad Julfa Kalbajar Kangarli Khachmaz Khizi Khojaly Khojavend Kurdamir Lachin Lankaran Lerik Masally Neftchala Oghuz Ordubad Qabala Qakh Qazakh Gobustan Quba Qubadli Qusar Saatly Sabirabad Sadarak Salyan Samukh Shabran Shahbuz Shaki Shamakhi Shamkir Sharur Shusha Siyazan Tartar Tovuz Ujar Yardimli Yevlakh Zangilan Zagatala Zardab
Cities	Baku Ganja Khankendi Lankaran Mingachevir Naftalan Nakhchivan Shaki Shirvan Sumgait Yevlakh
Towns	Aghdam Aghdara Agdash Aghjabadi Agstafa Agsu Astara Babek Balakən Barda Beylagan Bilasuvar Dashkasan Fuzuli Gadabay Goranboy Goychay Goygol Hajiqabul Imishli Ismayilli Jabrayil Jalilabad Julfa Kalbajar Khachmaz Khizi Khojavend Khojaly Khirdalan Kurdamir Lachin Lerik Masally Neftchala Oğuz Ordubad Gabala Qakh Gazakh Gobustan Quba Qubadli Qusar Saatly Sabirabad Salyan Shabran Shahbuz Shamakhi Shamkir Sharur Shusha Siyazan Tartar Tovuz Ujar Yardimli Zangilan Zagatala Zardab
Names in italics indicate parts of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic

v t e Hadrut Province
Capital: Hadrut
Urban comunities	Hadrut
Rural comunities	Aknaghbyur Arajamugh Arakel Arevshat Arpagetik Aygestan Azykh Banadzor Drakhtik Dzoragyugh Hakaku Hartashen Haykavan Hin Tagher Hogher Ijevanatun Jraberd Jrakan Jrakus Karaglukh Karmrakuch Khalynbulakh Khandzadzor Khtsaberd Kovshat Kyuratagh Mariamadzor Melikashen Mets Tagher Mokhrenes Norashen Petrosashen Pletants Saralanj Sarinshen Spitakashen Taghaser Taghut Togh Tumi Tsaghkavank Tsakuri Tsamdzor Tsor Tyak Ukhtadzor Vank Varanda Vardashat

• Geography

• Populated places in Jabrayil District
• Ghost towns in Azerbaijan
• Ruins in Azerbaijan