Ganja

ancient place youthful spirit

Famous as the birthplace of the legendary Azerbaijani poet Nizami, Ganja is an ancient city with a vibrant youth culture and several culinary delicacies to sample.

ancient placeyouthful spirit

In Ganja city centre, ancient mosques and hammams built during the Safavid era sit side by side with structures left over from the Ganja Khanate and Russian Empire, in addition to eye-catching examples of Socialist Classicism. The city truly brims with history, from the Imamzadeh mosque and mausoleum complex – a key spiritual centre dating back to the 8th century, to the Nizami mausoleum honouring Azerbaijan’s legendary 12th-century poet, to all the charming old red-brick architecture, to the building that briefly hosted the government of Azerbaijan’s first republic (the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, 1918-1920).

But at the same time, Ganja exudes a distinctly youthful energy, as reflected in the city’s selection as the 2016 European Youth Capital, as well as the several universities located here, and the trendy cafes and art spaces in the central area, not to mention the Ganja State Puppet Theatre, housed in a 19th-century Lutheran church.

Ganja can be visited at any time of the year using various modes of transport. For a more comfortable journey, travellers may choose passenger trains operating on the following routes:

Ganja–Gabala–Ganja
Ganja–Mingachevir–Agstafa
Baku–Gazakh–Baku

Ticket prices and train schedules are available on the official website of Azerbaijan Railways. Now all you need is to enjoy your vacation!

PUBLICATION

Ganjatourist map

INTERESTING FACT #1

From 1804 until 1918 under the Russian Empire the city was renamed from Ganja to Elisabethpol in honour of the wife of Alexander I of Russia, Elisabeth.

INTERESTING FACT #2

Ganja was the European Youth Capital in 2016, the first EYC outside of the European Union. The city also became the cultural capital of the Commonwealth of Independent States for 2017.