- published: 09 Nov 2015
- views: 1113
Sumgayit (Azerbaijani: Sumqayıt; Russian: Сумгаит; also, Sumgait and Sumqayyt) is one of the largest cities in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, about 31 kilometres away from the capital, Baku. The city has a population of 308,700 (2009 census), making it the third-largest city in Azerbaijan after the capital Baku and Ganja. The city has a territory of 83 km². It was founded on November 22, 1949. Two settlements are within the city administration: Jorat and Haji Zeynalabdin, a settlement named after oil businessman and philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. It is home to Sumqayit State University.
According to historians, Medean tribes lived in the area. During the construction boom, when the foundation of the executive power building was being excavated, remains of an ancient caravanserai along with personal items and kitchenware was found at the site. A popular legend about the city states that a caravan was passing by the area. A male by the name Sum and a female named Jeyran, who were in love with each other, were among the travellers. Due to a lack of water supply, Jeyran became thirsty and Sum went on to look for water. Sensing trouble of losing Sum, Jeyran screamed Sum qayıt, Sum qayıt (Sum, come back). The city name is believed to have originated from this legend. The first reports of settlements at the present site of Sumgayit were in 1580, when English traveller H. Barrow mentioned Sumgayit in his writings and in 1858, when Alexander Dumas wrote about the area in his memoirs Trip to Caucasus, although nothing substantial was created on the site until the Soviet Union gained control over the area in the 1920s.
RADIO STATION | GENRE | LOCATION |
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Lider FM | Varied | Azerbaijan |
MediaFM 105.5 | Top 40 | Azerbaijan |
RFE/RL Azeri | News Talk,News | Azerbaijan |
VOA Azerbaijan | News Talk,News | Azerbaijan |
Radio Antenn 101 FM | Varied | Azerbaijan |
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