Nardaran
Encyclopedia
Nardaran is a settlement and municipality on the Abşeron Peninsula in Baku
, Azerbaijan
. It has a population of 8,300.
Located 25 kilometers northeast of central Baku, it is politically part of the Baku city-subdivision and treated as a suburb. Unlike the rest of the country which is staunchly secular and which is considered religiously progressive, Nardaran is a lone center of conservative Shi'a Islam
in Azerbaijan.
Nardaran's name come from Persian
: Nar (Pomegranate
)نار +Daran (trees) داران"Place with Pomegranate trees".
The town is the site of an early-14th century castle, featuring a round tower approximately 12.5 meters high. During Soviet rule, the city was known as a center growing flowers. Since Azerbaijan's independence, the economy has dwindled and the town is reputed for its caviar
poachers.
Nardaran is the only place in the whole of Azerbaijan where its inhabitants are devoutly religious and conservative, where its streets display religious banners and where most women wear chador
s in public. The town is home to a madrassah as well as the Rehime Khanim Mosque, a large Shia mosque built in the late 1990s over the tomb of Rahima Khanim, the sister of Imam Reza
. The now banned Islamic Party of Azerbaijan
was founded in this town and its base was centered there. Nardaran has been the site of strong protests and unrest, notable riots in June 2002 over what protesters deemed inadequate living standards and another in January 2006 which resulted in the deaths of three people. Ironically Nardaran is possibly one the poorest places in Azerbaijan, while it is so close to the richest place in Azerbaijan, Baku.
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. It has a population of 8,300.
Located 25 kilometers northeast of central Baku, it is politically part of the Baku city-subdivision and treated as a suburb. Unlike the rest of the country which is staunchly secular and which is considered religiously progressive, Nardaran is a lone center of conservative Shi'a Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in Azerbaijan.
Nardaran's name come from Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
: Nar (Pomegranate
Pomegranate
The pomegranate , Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters tall.Native to the area of modern day Iran, the pomegranate has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. From there it spread to Asian areas such as the Caucasus as...
)نار +Daran (trees) داران"Place with Pomegranate trees".
The town is the site of an early-14th century castle, featuring a round tower approximately 12.5 meters high. During Soviet rule, the city was known as a center growing flowers. Since Azerbaijan's independence, the economy has dwindled and the town is reputed for its caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
poachers.
Nardaran is the only place in the whole of Azerbaijan where its inhabitants are devoutly religious and conservative, where its streets display religious banners and where most women wear chador
Chador
A chādor or chādar is an outer garment or open cloak worn by many Iranian women and female teenagers in public spaces. Wearing this garment is one possible way in which a Muslim woman can follow the Islamic dress code known as ḥijāb. A chador is a full-body-length semicircle of fabric that is...
s in public. The town is home to a madrassah as well as the Rehime Khanim Mosque, a large Shia mosque built in the late 1990s over the tomb of Rahima Khanim, the sister of Imam Reza
Ali al-Rida
‘Alī ibn Mūsā al-Rizā was the seventh descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the eighth of the Twelve Imams, according to Shia sect of Islam...
. The now banned Islamic Party of Azerbaijan
Islamic Party of Azerbaijan
The Islamic Party of Azerbaijan was an Islamic party in Azerbaijan.The Islamic Party of Azerbaijan was founded in 1991 in the town of Nardaran, which lies northeast of the capital Baku on the Absheron Peninsula, and is a lone stronghold of conservative Shi'a Islam in staunchly secular and...
was founded in this town and its base was centered there. Nardaran has been the site of strong protests and unrest, notable riots in June 2002 over what protesters deemed inadequate living standards and another in January 2006 which resulted in the deaths of three people. Ironically Nardaran is possibly one the poorest places in Azerbaijan, while it is so close to the richest place in Azerbaijan, Baku.