Some authors interpret the Lezgin ethnonym as “mountain people”. Lezgins comprise 95 percent of the district population. Having an important position among national minorities in Azerbaijan, the Lezgins live mainly in the northern and northwestern part of the country. Known as one of the main peoples of Caucasian Albania, the Legs are regarded as ancestors of the Lezgins. Strabo recorded that among the 26 Albanian dialects, it was exactly the dialect of the Gargar and Legs, who lived in the north, which played a great role in the formation of the Albanian language. They belong to the Shahdagh language group. Comprising 2.2 per cent of Azerbaijan’s populations, the Lezgins are Muslims.
The district has no interesting places that would draw visitors’ attention. In order to obtain information about tourist routes, it is recommended that you visit the tourist base in the Friendship Park. All historical monuments and must-see sights are located in villages. But in the center, an old home draws attention. It is a house in which the great Russian writer and poet, Lermontov, once lived. It now functions as a museum.
Author: Aynur Talibova