The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2022 - Issue 32

Samantha Morgan discovers Nakhchivan’s displacement throughout history and admires its strength and historical monuments. bitetravel N akhchivan is an exclave of Azerbaijan, bordering Tur- key, Armenia and Iran, that has been tossed around throughout history. It was one of the can- tons of the historical Vaspurakan province in the ancient Kingdom of Armenia, with Persia, Mongolia and the Turk Empire competing for the region. In the late 16th century, it became part of Iran’s Safavid dy- nasty. Incidentally, it was awarded to Im- perial Russia in 1828 after the Russo-Per- sian War. They revolted in 1917 and were placed under provisional government rule. The following year, Nakhchivan, Na- gorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus, Syunik in the southern province of Arme- nia and Qazakh, a city in and the capital of the Gazakh District of Azerbaijan, were contested by the newly formed Democrat- ic Republic states of Azerbaijan and Ar- menia. The Ottoman Empire occupied the territory instead but then retracted to pave the way for a British occupation in adher- ence to the Armistice of Monroe. The city was also briefly part of the Aras Turkish Republic in 1918 but was seized by the Bolsheviks in 1920. In the late ‘80s, during its conflict with Azerbaijan, Arme- nia isolated Nakhchivan from the rest of Azerbaijan and the USSR. Thanks to the two small bridges built over the Aras River into Iran and Turkey, they were saved from starvation and total collapse. In 1990, Na- khchivan declared independence from the USSR, protesting against the suppression of the national movement in Azerbaijan. Despite its troubled and defensive past, Nakhchivan is characterised by semi-arid Martian landscapes, short winters and long hot summers. It’s believed Noah’s ark land- ed atop Mount IIandag (Snake Mountain) after carving a defined cleft on the peak. Thus Noah’s Mausoleum, an architectural monument dubbed the ‘Machu Picchu of Eurasia’ by Lonely Planet , is his final rest- ing place. The natives claim the city name derives from ‘Nakh’, meaning Noah and ‘chivan’, meaning place, in the ancient Per- sian languages. LAND OF NOAH Xan Sarayi Museum Ateshgah Fire Temple Courtyard, Suraxani Jehan Kudi Khatun Mausoleum, Qarabaghlar