Gäncä, city in northwestern Azerbaijan, about 345 km (about 210 mi) west of the capital city of Baku. Gäncä is the country's second largest city and the industrial center of western Azerbaijan. It is located south of the Kura River in a rich agricultural area. Ore minerals extracted from nearby mines supply Gäncä's metallurgical industries, which produce copper and alumina. Other industries process food and cotton from the surrounding farmlands. Gäncä is served by the country's major east-west road and rail routes. It has agricultural teachers colleges and an agricultural experiment station. Attractions include a 17th-century mosque and the mausoleum of the 12th-century Persian poet Nezami, who was born here.
Gäncä was built in the 12th century after an earthquake destroyed the original town that was founded in the 5th century. It was again destroyed by a Mongol invasion in 1231. It was part of the Persian Empire from the 17th century until the Russian Empire annexed it in 1804. Russian troops defeated Persian forces here in 1826. The city was named Yelizavetpol' from 1804 to 1918 and then reverted to the name of Gäncä until 1935, when it was renamed Kirovabad. It again became known as Gäncä in 1989. Population (1990 estimate) 281,000.
