page_title: Ganja, Azerbaijan
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Ganja, Azerbaijan / Culture / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: Azərbaycanca: Ganja State Philharmonic Hall
context_page_description: Ganja is Azerbaijan's second largest city, with a population of around 332,600. It was named Elisabethpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name, Ganja, in 1920 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again in 1935 to Kirovabad and retained that name through most of the rest of the Soviet period. In 1989, during perestroika, the city regained its original name.
context_section_description: Ganja is primarily known for its Azerbaijani and Islamic architecture, but its buildings reflect the various peoples and empires that have previously ruled the city. During Ganja Khanate period, the Khans proceeded to make an indelible impression on the skyline of Ganja, building towering mosques and houses from red bricks.
  Among the oldest surviving examples of Islamic architecture in Ganja are the Nizami Mausoleum and Shah Abbas Caravanserai, which assisted the Shahs during their siege of the city. The area around and inside the mosques, contains many fine examples of traditional architecture like Chokak Bath.
  Another interesting building is the Bottle house of Ganja.
caption: New building of Ganja State Philharmonic Hall
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