Page 8 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

6
and thereby maintaining small troops. 12 In this way,
governors used their status to become strong. Guba
maintained a special place in the “ulka” system of
Azerbaijan. Although Guba was created at the end
of the sixteenth century as an “ulka,” the two main
events in its life are observed in the second half of
the seventeenth century: 1) the transfer of the eco-
nomic center of the region to Guba following the
destruction of Shabran and 2) the strengthening of
local political power.
Shabran was destroyed as a result of Stepan Ra-
zin’s attack in 1668 and it completely collapsed
during the events of the 1720s.13 As the power of
Shabran decreased, the role of Guba increased and
the role of the region became stronger after king
Suleyman (1666-1694) appointed Huseyn khan and
Salyan the heads of Guba.
The exact date of establishment of the city of Guba
is not clear, but according to some views, it was
founded in the 1730s-1740s.14 However, these dates
do not reflect the historical reality since it is clear
from the abovementioned facts that Guba was one
of the older settlements. Instead of speaking of the
formal establishment of Guba, it is more appropri-
ate to discuss its formation, which began at the end
of the seventeenth century. Since history shows that
Guba was the center of the settlements in this region
and served as a collection center as well, it is easy
to see why the region itself is named after Guba.
According to A.A. Bakikhanov, “Huseyn khan re-
paired the castle of Khudat and decided to make it
the center of government.” 15 In fact, one can find
multiple references to “Khudat castle in Guba.”
After the death of Huseyn khan in 1689, his son
Ahmad khan replaced him. After his death at the
beginning of the eighteenth century, his son Sultan
Ahmad came to power, although Sultan Ahmad
khan was not older than fourteen at this time. The
description of Guba in this period can be found in
the travel journals (1716-1718) of members of the
Russian Embassy A.I. Lopukhin and A.P. Volinski,
in which small sections give information on the city
of Guba. Lopukhin noted in this journal that there
were 600 families in Guba, that the people were in-
dependent, and that a military unit here consisted
of 500 people.16
Events of the 1720s. At the beginning of the eigh-
teenth century, the decline of the Safavid state in-
tensified. Revolts spread throughout the territory.
One of the centers of the revolts was Shirvan. Given
this situation, Russian Tsar Peter I began his eastern
policy and an embassy was established in Isfahan
under the guidance of A.P. Volinski.
Hajji Davud presided over the revolt in Shir-
van. The rebels occupied the city of Shabran and
destroyed it. A rebellion against Sultan Ahmad
khan occurred in Guba as well. According to A.A.
Bakikhanov, “after the blockade, for short time
Khudat Castle was occupied. Sultan Ahmad khan
Azerbaijan khanates (Second half of 18th century)
Source: Azərbaycan tarixi atlası. Bakı, 2007, s. 32
Map 1
Fortress walls. Middle Ages.
Shabran region, Shahnazarli village.