Page 6 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

4
Geographical territory of Guba region. The Guba region shared its
history with the Shirvan territory. A.A. Bakikhanov wrote about
the Shirvan territory in “Gulustani-Irem” (1841): “Shirvan county
consists of Salyan, Shaki, Baku, Guba, Derbent, Tabasaran, Kura,
the Samur area, and the lower section of Ilisu. These are the wid-
est regions of the country.” 2 The Guba region was situated north-
east of Shirvan and covered the regions of present-day Qusar (1.54
thousand sq. km), Khachmaz (1.05 thousand sq. km), Guba (2.5
thousand sq. km), Shabran (1.09 thousand sq. km), and Siazan
(0.70 thousand sq. km), totalling 6.96 thousand square kilometers.
At present, these districts are also known as the Guba-Khachmaz
region. In certain historical periods, especially during the reign of
Fatali khan, the Guba khanate combined with larger areas. The re-
gion contains mountains, foothills, and lowlands and supports rich
flora and fauna.
Etymology of “Guba” toponym. In the encyclopedia of Azerbaijani
toponyms, the word Guba is listed as relating to the name of the
old Turkish-speaking Kuva tribe from Gipchag. The Kuva tribe also
exists among the Kyrgyz and Uzbek peoples. The Kuva toponym
exists in the north Caucasus, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, and Upper
Altai. This toponym was also known under the name Gudyal from
the Gudyal River or from Gudyalgala, following the construction
of castle walls around the city in the middle of the eighteenth cen-
tury. 3 S. Ashurbayli relates this name with the moving of people
from Guba city near Madina to this area in the seventh century.4
There are other hypotheses about the etymology of the word Guba
(relating to the name of Gubad (488-531) the Sassanid tsar or from
the word “gubba”). After analyzing leading views on the etymol-
ogy of “Guba,” Sh. Farzalibayli comes to the conclusion that the
“Guba toponym is a complex expression reflecting some meaning.
But it remains to be specified which subject is behind the meaning
of the name of Guba city.” 5
Guba from ancient times until the seventeenth century. Archeological
excavations provide evidence about the ancient history of the Guba
Chiraggala. 5th-6th centuries. Shabran.
View from Budug village. Guba.