Kazakh uezd

The Kazakh uezd[lower-alpha 1] was a county (uezd) of the Elizavetpol Governorate of the Russian Empire and later of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic with its center in Kazakh (present-day Qazax) from 1868 until its formal abolition in 1929 by the Soviet authorities of the Azerbaijan SSR.[3] The area of the Kazakh uezd forms a large part of the modern-day Tavush Province and a small northeastern part of the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia, also forming most of the area of the Agstafa, Tovuz and Qazax districts of Azerbaijan.

Kazakh uezd
Казахскій уѣздъ
Uezd
Coat of arms of Kazakh uezd
Coat of arms
Location in the Elizavetpol Governorate
Location in the Elizavetpol Governorate
CountryRussian Empire
ViceroyaltyCaucasus
GovernorateElizavetpol
Established1868
Abolished1929
CapitalKazakh
(present day Qazax)
Area
 • Total5,800.16 km2 (2,239.45 sq mi)
Population
 (1916)
 • Total137,049
 • Density24/km2 (61/sq mi)
 • Rural
100.00%

Geography

The Kazakh uezd was located in the northwestern part of Elizavetpol Governorate, bordering the Tiflis Governorate in the north, the Erivan Governorates in the southwest, and the Elizavetpol uezd in the east. The area of the county was 6024.2 square versts. The southwestern part of the county was mountainous, whereas the northeastern part mainly consisted of lowlands. Two-thirds of county was covered by the Sevan or Shahdagh mountain range of Lesser Caucasus which formed the natural boundary between the Erivan and Elizavetpol Governorates, extending from the southwest towards the northeast, then meeting the Kura River in the lowlands. Among its peaks are Soyuq-bulag (Azerbaijani: Soyuğ bulağ, 8,806 ft), Shah-dagh (Azerbaijani: Şah dağ, 9556 ft), Murguz (Azerbaijani: Murğuz, 9852 ft).[4]

History

The Kazakh sultanate existed in the area of the county from the 15th century until its incorporation into Russian Empire along with Georgian territories. Kazakh at the time being a part of the Georgian Governorate until the establishment of Elizavetpol Governorate in 1868. The county was one of the first locations of revolt against the decaying Russian authority, erupting in the beginning of 1918.[5]

After the dissolution of the Russian Empire and the formation of the independent Transcaucasian republics, including the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918, the western mountainous districts of the Elizavetpol Governorate including the Shusha, Zangezur, Jebrail, Jevanshir, Kazakh and Elizavetpol uezds became subject to intense territorial disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan throughout 1918-1920, both of whom included these areas in their territorial pretensions that they presented in memorandums to the Paris Peace Conference.

Since the collapse of Russian authority in the Transcaucasus, the southwestern mountainous portion of the county including the town of Dilijan which possessed an overwhelmingly Armenian population was incorporated into the Republic of Armenia in the December of 1918, following the withdrawal of the occupying Ottoman forces. The region later became the site of occasional clashes during the Armenian-Azerbaijani war, with the Azerbaijani Army mainly concentrated in the northeastern lowlands including the district center Kazakh, and the Armenian Army in the adjacent highlands.[6]

Following the Sovietization of the Transcausus, the Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party was tasked with resolving the issue of boundaries between the new Armenian and Azerbaijani Soviet Republics, leading to the demarcation line of 1918-1920 being largely preserved with most of the highlands of the Kazakh uezd remaining within Soviet Armenia, and the rest of the county remaining to Soviet Azerbaijan. This arrangement persisted until the Kazakh uezd was formally abolished in 1929 by Soviet authorities, leading to the formation of the Qazakh Rayon on August 8, 1930 in its place.

Kazakh, also known as New Akstafa was an important railway station linking the Elizavetpol Governorate (Soyug Bulag station) with Erivan, Tiflis and Kars (Dzegam station) via the Transcaucasus Railway.[4]

Administrative divisions

The subcounties (uchastoks) of the Kazakh uezd in 1912 were as follows:[7]

Name 1912 population Area
1-y uchastok (1-й участокъ) 25,449 909.79 square versts (1,035.40 km2; 399.77 sq mi)
2-y uchastok (2-й участокъ) 20,880 857.34 square versts (975.71 km2; 376.72 sq mi)
3-y uchastok (3-й участокъ) 38,056 1,160.28 square versts (1,320.47 km2; 509.84 sq mi)
4-y uchastok (4-й участокъ) 41,089 2,169.11 square versts (2,468.58 km2; 953.12 sq mi)

Economy

The county ranked first in Elizavetpol Governorate for the number of its male population.[8] The population was engaged primarily in agricultural farming, gardening, and tobacco growing. Wool production played an important role in the economy of uezd. Kazakh uezd had the lowest number of plants and factories in the governorate. According to statistical data from 1891, there were 10,590 horses, 2,700 donkeys and mules, 77,826 great cattle, 8,107 buffalos, 251,000 sheep, 14,100 goats, 10,468 pigs.[4]

Demographics

Russian Empire Census

According to the Russian Empire Census, the Kazakh uezd had a population of 112,074 on 28 January [O.S. 15 January] 1897, including 63,370 men and 48,704 women. The majority of the population indicated Tatar[lower-alpha 2] to be their mother tongue, with significant Armenian and Russian speaking minorities.[11]

Linguistic composition of the Kazakh uezd in 1897[11]
Language Native speakers %
Tatar[lower-alpha 2] 64,101 57.20
Armenian 43,555 38.86
Russian 3,373 3.01
Georgian 425 0.38
Greek 178 0.16
Kurdish 137 0.12
Polish 70 0.06
Ukrainian 65 0.06
German 43 0.04
Persian 34 0.03
Jewish 11 0.01
Avar-Andean 9 0.01
Romanian 7 0.01
Belarusian 6 0.01
Lithuanian 4 0.00
Kazi-Kumukh 2 0.00
Kyurin 2 0.00
Tat 1 0.00
Other 51 0.05
TOTAL 112,074 100.00

Kavkazskiy kalendar

According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Kazakh uezd had a population of 137,049 on 14 January [O.S. 1 January] 1916, including 78,601 men and 58,448 women, 131,032 of whom were the permanent population, and 6,017 were temporary residents:[12]

Nationality Number %
Armenians 61,597 44.95
Shia Muslims[lower-alpha 3] 46,239 33.74
Sunni Muslims[lower-alpha 4] 21,711 15.84
Russians 6,178 4.51
Other Europeans 779 0.57
Georgians 279 0.20
North Caucasians 231 0.17
Kurds 35 0.03
TOTAL 137,049 100.00

Soviet census (1926)

According to the Soviet census of 1926, the population rose to 121,255 people of which 110,550 were Turks (i.e. Azerbaijanis), 3,632 - Armenians, 3,816 - Russians, 1,543 - Germans.[14] The decline in Armenians can be attributed to the separation of the predominantly-Armenian Dilijan uezd from the territory of Kazakh uezd in 1921.

Notes
  2. Before 1918, Azerbaijanis were generally known as "Tatars". This term, employed by the Russians, referred to Turkic-speaking Muslims of the South Caucasus. After 1918, with the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and "especially during the Soviet era", the Tatar group identified itself as "Azerbaijani".[9][10]
  3. Primarily Tatars.[13]
  4. Primarily Turco-Tatars.[13]

References
  1. "Выпуск 1-й. Учебные заведения." [Part 1. Educational institutions.]. Перепись просветительных учреждений Азербайджана 31 января 1922 года: списки просветительных учреждений [Census of educational institutions of Azerbaijan on 31 January 1922: lists of educational institutions. Part 1. Educational institutions.] (in Russian and Azerbaijani). Baku: Azerbaijani Central Statistical Bureau. 1922. p. 13 – via State Public Historical Library of Russia.
  2. "Выпуск 4-й. Казахский уезд." [Part 4. Kazakh uezd.]. Азербайджанская сельскохозяйственная перепись 1921 года [1921 Azerbaijani agricultural census] (in Russian and Azerbaijani). Baku: Azerbaijani Central Statistical Bureau. 1922. p. 52 – via State Public Historical Library of Russia.
  3. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Elisavetpol (town)" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 09 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 280; see lines four and five. ... until the Russians took it in 1804....
  4. "Большой энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона. Казах" [Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedia Dictionary. Kazakh]. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
  5. Mints, Isaac Israilevich (1971). Победа советской власти в Закавказье [The Soviet victory in Transcaucasus]. Moscow: Metsniereba. p. 423. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
  6. Hovannisian, Richard G. (1971–1996). The Republic of Armenia. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 163. ISBN 0-520-01805-2. OCLC 238471.
  7. Кавказский календарь на 1913 год, pp. 152–159.
  8. Agnamaliyeva, Sevil; Kozlov, V.I. (1989). Долгожительство в Азербайджане: сборник научных трудов [Longovety in Azerbaijan: collection of scientific research]. Moscow: Institute of Ethnography named after Miklukha Maklay. Nauka. p. 84.
  9. Bournoutian 2018, p. 35 (note 25).
  10. Tsutsiev 2014, p. 50.
  11. "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  12. Кавказский календарь на 1917 год, pp. 190–197.
  13. Hovannisian 1971, p. 67.
  14. "КАЗАХСКИЙ УЕЗД (1926 г.)" [Kazakh Uyezd (1926)]. Retrieved 2011-08-04.

Bibliography

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