Battle of Ganja ( 1804 ) The siege of Ganja and storming its citadel ( November 22 , 1803 - January 15 , 1804 ) , was a part of Russo - Persian War ( 1804 – 1813 ) . Prologue . After decision of Tsar Paul to annex Georgia ( December 1800 ) and , after Paul ’ s assassination ( 11 March 1801 ) , the activist policy followed by his successor , Alexander I , aimed at establishing Russian control over the khanates of the eastern Caucasus . In 1803 , the newly appointed commander of Russian forces in the Caucasus , Paul Tsitsianov , attacked Ganja . After Mohammad Khan Qajar invasion of Tbilisi , which Javad Khan fought alongside Agha Muḥammad Khān , Tsitsianov wrote a letter to Javad Khan , demanding a voluntary surrender : Javad Khan answered : After this response the Russian troops moved forward , and opened gunfire . Javad Khan defended heroically and the siege lasted a month , Tsitsianov renewed demands to surrender for five times , but to no avail . " I ' ll take the fortress and I will deliver thee to death , " - he wrote and the stubborn Khan answered : " You ' ll find me dead on the fortress wall ! " , and both vowed to fulfill his promises . Finally , the 14th in January 1804 , the Russian council of war decided to do : " Be the assault the next day " . Battle . Tsitsianov divided the Russian troops into two columns , one was entrusted to Major - General Portnyagin ( Karabagh gate ) and the other to Colonel Karyagina ( gate of Tbilisi ) . Early morning ( 5 . 00 am ) , January 15 , the column of Portnyagin , approached the Karabagh gate , and pierced a hole in the ground before the wall , but because the defenders have focused their main forces on the site of the gap then Portnyagin leaved it aside and stormed the ramparts with ladders . The resistance he met was so great that the Russian troops resumed the attack twice , and twice were repulsed with considerable loss . Then Portniagin rushed himself at the head of the column and first went to the wall , followed by a Lieutenant of the regiment of the Narva that fell , struck by several bullets . Then Major Bartenev of Caucasus Grenadier Regiment fell and finally , it was Lieutenant Colonel Simanovich Grenadiers that managed to climb the stairs to the wall and help out Portnyagina . Meanwhile , the second column , led by Colonel Karyagina , ascended the wall from the gate of Tbilisi , and took possession of the main tower . The other two towers were taken one by one by major Lisanevich . Javad Khan , who did not want to seek safety in flight , took the gun and sword in hand and defended himself until he has been killed by captain Kalovski , who himself was immediately killed by the defenders . Khan ' s death brought confusion into the ranks of the defenders , but they still showed resistance and piled heavy stones . The city at this time was in a terrible confusion . Crowds of the people , on horse and foot , rushed in disorder on the streets , vainly searching for already deceased Khan . Bewildered residents hid in their homes and barns , women filled the air with frantic cries . Meanwhile , Russian soldiers with bayonets cleared the street , entirely covered with dead bodies , and seized the booty , finding on a horseback some precious gold jewelry . By noon the battle began to subside , and broke again only for a moment when the soldiers came upon five hundred men , who have entrenched themselves in the mosque . At first they offered to surrender , but when they learned that among them are some Lezgins , it was the signal for the death of all defenders , because the hatred of Lezghins was so strong among the Russian troops . Tsitsianov deeply appreciated the effort of the soldiers in the capture of the fortress and wrote : " . . . this is proof of moral superiority of Russian Empire over Persians and that spirit of confidence in the victory , will feed and warm up the soldiers that I consider as the my first purpose " . The elder son of Javad Khan , Hossein Quli khan , was also killed during the battle , the rest of the khan ' s family was taken prisoner and years later ( 1812 ) were given permission to go to Iran via Baku . His younger son , Ughurlu , survived , went to Iran and later fought the Russian Empire when the Iranians attacked Ganja in the second Russo - Persian war . Massacre . Various Persia n and western historians have written on the dimensions of the massacre that took place after the fall of the city . Etemad ol saltane ( an Iranian historian ) states that the massacre that ensued after the battle continued for three days , Hedayat has a more accurate time of three hours , Abbasgulu Bakikhanov mentions the massacre but does not give more information . Older estimates give the number of 7000 but new sources claim 3000 peoples " massacred by the bloody Russians " . Shah ' s response . At the beginning of the battle , Javad khan send a messenger to Fath Ali Shah and asked reinforcement . Shah gathered a 30 , 000 strong force and send them to Ganja , but the force did not reach the Ganja in time because of the coldness of January and also because Huseyn Qulu Khan Qajar , the governor khan of Erevan Khanate go into rebellion against the Shah and only one letter carrier , Saied Bayk , reach the town in time . Aftermath . Taking Ganja was an event of extraordinary importance is because it was considered a fortress of the key to the northern provinces of Persia . Therefore , wishing to show that the Russian would never leave the conquered territory , the very name of Ganji should be cut off from people ' s memory , so Tsitsianov change the name of city to Elisabethpol , after the wife of Alexander I of Russia , Elisabeth . Immigration . Two years after Russian occupation of Ganja , Oghorulou khan , the son of Javad khan with assistance of crown prince Abbas Mirza , displaced many inhabitants of Ganja to inside the Iranian border , so protection of 6000 family of Ganja people was entrusted to Pir - Gholi khan Qajar , who displaced them to Tabriz . Then again in 1809 , the Bozchalou and Ayromlou tribes of Ganja get to Nakhchivan , and they were renamed to Qarapapaq ( Black hat in Azeri language ) , and finally after Nakhjavan was ceded to Russia , they went to Solduz ( Naqadeh ) , that is a place in Iranian West Azerbaijan Province . Other main places of Qarapapaq residence are the provinces of Ardahan ( around Lake Çıldır ) , Kars and Iğdır in Turkey .