Sabirabad

Sabirabad lies in the Mughan plain, near the confluence of the Kura and Araz rivers.

• Official Name — Sabirabad • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — Azerbaijan • Subdivision Type1 — District • Subdivision Name1 — Sabirabad • Leader Title — City executive representative • Leader Name — Ahadagha Aliyev • Established Title — Established date • Established Date — 1888 • Area Total Km2 — 1,469.6 • Population As Of — 2024 • Population Total — 30,866 • Population Density Km2 — 2460 • Population Blank1 Title — Population Rank in Azerbaijan • Population Blank1 — 21st • Timezone — AZT • Utc Offset — +4 • Elevation M — -12 • Area Code — +994 21 • Registration Plate — 54 AZ • Website — sabirabad-ih.gov.az

Following the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813, the Mughan area came under the control of the Russian Empire. During the subsequent administrative reforms, Javad Uyezd was established within the Baku Governorate in 1868. In the late 19th century, Ukrainian peasant families were resettled in Javad, and the settlement became known as Petropavlovka from 1888. In 1901, the settlement had 87 households, and by 1907 there were 13 Russian villages in the surrounding area. A cotton-ginning plant and two mills were operating there by 1913. • Illustration — Gravestone of Pyotr Stepanovich Solonin, who died in 1915 in Petropavlovka, present day Sabirabad, then part of Javad Uyezd in the Baku Governorate After Soviet rule was established in Azerbaijan in 1920, Petropavlovka became a local administrative center. From 1 May 1921 to 8 April 1929, it formed the Petropavlovka district of Salyan Uyezd. On 8 April 1929, it became the Petropavlovka district of the Mughan region, and on 8 August 1930 it was reorganized as an independent district. On 7 October 1931, Petropavlovka was renamed Sabirabad in honor of Azerbaijani poet Mirza Ali-Akbar Sabir.

The wider area around present-day Sabirabad included the historic settlement of Cavad, situated near the confluence of the Kura and Araz rivers. • Illustration — Orthodox Church in Petropavlovka, present day Sabirabad During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Petropavlovka developed as a settlement in the area of present-day Sabirabad. By 1901 it had 87 households, and by 1913 a cotton-ginning plant and two mills were operating there. Historical photographs from this period document the settlement and the surrounding Kura River landscape. • Illustration — General view of Petropavlovka, with the Kura River to the northwest • Illustration — Sabirabad (Petropavlovka) • Illustration — Singer sewing-machine shop on the upper floor, with a furniture store to the left. • Illustration — Samedov Cotton Plant • Illustration — Sabirabad (Petropavlovka), with a mosque in the background • Illustration — Sabirabad (Petropavlovka), during construction of the Bogau Cotton Mill • Illustration — Navigable Stretch of the Kura River at Petropavlovka with a dock on the Mughan Steppe • Illustration — Watermelons being transported along the Kura River in Petropavlovka, on the Mughan Steppe

Sabirabad is situated in the Kura–Araz lowland. The surrounding Sabirabad District lies where the Mughan, Mil and Shirvan plains meet, near the confluence of the Kura and Araz rivers. Much of the district lies below sea level. The area has a dry, semi-desert environment, with average annual precipitation of approximately 300 mm. Gray-meadow soils are widespread, while the natural vegetation is predominantly desert and semi-desert. Tugay woodland occurs along the banks of the Kura River. Agriculture is important in the surrounding district, particularly cotton and grain cultivation. Sabirabad was affected by severe flooding in 2010 when the Kura and Araz rivers overflowed; the city was among the settlements reported to have suffered significant damage.

As of 1 January 2024, Sabirabad had a population of 30,866, comprising 15,014 men and 15,852 women.

The Sabirabad regional ASAN Service centre opened in December 2014 and began operating on 5 January 2015. The centre serves residents of Sabirabad and several surrounding districts. It is located at 128 Heydar Aliyev Avenue. Sabirabad's water-supply and sewerage systems were included in Azerbaijan's National Water Supply and Sanitation Project, financed by the Government of Azerbaijan and the World Bank. In December 2014, drinking water began to be supplied to the city through a 62-kilometre main pipeline from the Kura water-treatment plants. The project was designed to improve water supply for more than 50,000 people in Sabirabad and six surrounding villages. By 2016, the World Bank reported that Sabirabad's water-supply system was fully completed and operational.

A road bridge across the Kura River was opened near Sabirabad in August 2013. The bridge links Sabirabad city with 16 villages on the Shirvan Plain and three villages in neighbouring Kurdamir District. The eight-span bridge is 153 metres long and carries two traffic lanes, with pedestrian walkways on both sides.

The Old Hamam on Fizuli Street dates to the early 20th century and is protected as a historical monument. The Shamakhi Mosque was built in 1903 by residents of Shamakhi who moved to Sabirabad after an earthquake in Shamakhi. Sabirabad is also home to the Sabirabad History and Local Lore Museum and the Sabirabad District Culture Center. The Culture Centre occupies a purpose-built cultural building that opened in 1976. The building was renovated in 2013-2014, and the present Culture Center was established there in 2015. Its facilities include a 370-seat auditorium, exhibition spaces and rooms used for cultural activities. • Illustration — Old Hamam, built in 1901 • Illustration — Interior of the Old Hamam • Illustration — Interior of the Old Hamam • Illustration — Shamakhi Mosque, built in 1903

Sabirabad has several schools, including eight numbered city secondary schools.

Sabirabad State Social and Economic College developed from the Sabirabad Agricultural Technical School, which was established in 1984. The institution was transferred to the Ministry of Education in 2000 and renamed Sabirabad State Social and Economic College in 2002.

Sabirabad Vocational Lyceum began operating in 1974 as a secondary technical vocational school and received lyceum status in 1996. It occupies a 6.6-hectare site with one teaching building and two dormitories.

Sabirabad has hosted wrestling events and training activities. In December 2024, the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation held a national seminar for wrestling coaches in Sabirabad.

• Illustration — Heydar Mosque • Illustration — City park in Sabirabad • Illustration — School named after poet Mirza Ali-Akbar Sabir • Illustration — Sabir Garden in Sabirabad • Illustration — Road to the traditional market in Sabirabad • Illustration — Sabir Garden • Illustration — Post office and communications center • Illustration — Sabirabad at night • Illustration — Night view of Sabirabad • Illustration — Youth Center and Club in Sabirabad • Illustration — Aerial view of Sabirabad

• Lutfiyar Imanov (1929-2008), Azerbaijani opera singer and People's Artist of the USSR. • Elvin Aliyev (born 1984), Azerbaijani football player.