Jabrayil Region

History and Geography

As one of the administrative regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jabrayil was established in 1930 and has an area of 653 square miles (1,050 square kilometers). The region is located at the southeastern foot of the Lesser Caucasus Mountain Range. The capital of the region is the city of Jabrayil.

Jabrayil is often described as the region of emerald-green forests and cold water springs. Father Jabrayil (Gabriel) laid the foundation of the village of Jabrayil in the 8th and 9th centuries. The Jabrayil region has productive soils, and before the war the population mostly was involved in agriculture.

Cultural Highlights

The home district of the founder of Azerbaijan’s Ashig bards of the Caucasus poetry, Dirili Dada Gurbani, the well-known Ashig Pari, and dozens of other folk artists, Jabrayil is often described as the region of emerald-green forests and cold water springs. Local legend claims that Father Jabrayil (Gabriel), who laid the foundation of the village of Jabrayil in the 8th and 9th centuries. Among the architectural monuments of the Umayyad Caliphate in the Jabrayil region, the Khudafarin Bridges are well known due to their engineering beauty and historical significance as seen below.

Khudafarin Bridges 
Though many bridges cross the Aras River, which divides Azerbaijan into two parts, only two of them in the Jabrayil region have survived. Located in the Khudafarin Gorge and built a half-mile (800 meters) apart, the Khudafarin Bridge (pictured, above) and Sinig Korpu (“the Broken Bridge”) date from the 7-8th centuries. Part of the Silk Road, the bridges were useful for domestic and international trade, and travel connecting Azerbaijan to the outside world.

Aras River: Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan to the right and Iran to the left