Abstract: In the formation of the national history of the Azerbaijani people, the city of Ganja
has a unique and inimitable style. The city, which gave Azerbaijan and the world great scientists,
poets, writers, thinkers and heroes, in different periods of history was given such names and
statuses as “fortress of honor”, “center of resistance” and “second capital”, made a huge and
incomparable contribution to the triumph of national sovereignty and the elevation of the spirit of
freedom and independence of the Azerbaijani people.
After the division of Azerbaijan into two parts between the Russian Empire and Iran in 1828,
Ganja lost the status of “khanate” and “state”, faced severe trials, and despite this remained on its
feet, thanks to the unshakable strength and spiritual energy that it inherited from glorious history
and from tradition-rich narratives.
Persistently and reliably protected and preserved national uniqueness, religious, spiritual and
cultural characteristics. The city of Ganja, with its creative and transformative potential,
established itself as one of the centers in the South Caucasus and Azerbaijan, where science,
education and secular views flourished at a rapid pace, where, for the first time in the Muslim East,
the advanced ideas of positivism, democracy, and liberalism were steadily turning into reality. The
high creative atmosphere that historically existed in Ganja gave a significant impetus to the
formation of the national intellectual elite of Azerbaijan, and produced great personalities who
elevated spiritual and cultural values and traditions borrowed from past generations to the highest
levels of honor. At the present time, Ganja, which has the status of the “second city” of Azerbaijan,
plays a vital role in the socio-economic, socio-political and spiritual-cultural life of the state and
people. At the present time, Ganja, which has the status of the “second city” of Azerbaijan, plays a
vital role in the socio-economic, socio-political and spiritual-cultural life of the state and people.
The presented article talks about the exceptional role of the city of Ganja in the history of
statehood of the Azerbaijani people. Its glorious chronicle, embodied in golden letters in the
national history of Azerbaijan, is subjected to scientific analysis and receives an adequate
assessment.
Keywords: Azerbaijan, Ganja, history, national independence, hero city, national statehood