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OghuzOğuz · Caucasus foothills
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Roots

History

Oghuz — a multi-ethnic town in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus.

Roots

A town in the Caucasus foothills

Oghuz is an ancient settlement in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus. The district as an administrative unit was formed in 1930, and the town itself had long been the centre of these mountain lands.

The chief feature of Oghuz is its multi-ethnicity. For centuries Azerbaijanis, Mountain Jews, Udis and Armenians lived here side by side. The town was known as one of the centres of the Mountain Jewish community and as one of the main places of the Udis — a small Christian people, descendants of Caucasian Albania.

Milestones

Through time

Antiquity
Caucasian Albania
These lands were part of Caucasian Albania; the Udis — one of the native peoples of Oghuz — descend from it.
Centuries
A multi-ethnic town
For centuries Azerbaijanis, Mountain Jews, Udis and Armenians live together in Oghuz; a mosque, a synagogue and a church stand side by side.
1930
The district is formed
On 8 August 1930 the Oghuz district is officially formed.
20th c.
A centre of communities
Oghuz is one of the main centres of the Mountain Jews of Azerbaijan, alongside Quba and Baku, and a major Udi settlement.
Late 20th c.
The great departure
In the second half of the 20th century, and especially after the fall of the USSR, the Mountain Jews and Udis leave en masse — for Israel, the village of Nij and elsewhere.
1991
Oghuz
In February 1991 the town takes its modern name, Oghuz. It keeps the memory of its peoples.
Memory

The town's memory

Today Oghuz is a mostly Azerbaijani town, but the memory of its multi-ethnic past lives on. Old quarters, cemeteries and buildings recall the times when many languages were heard here.

Mountain Jews and Udis who grew up in Oghuz keep the memory of their native mountain town all over the world. For them it remains the place they come from.