Mountainous Shirvan economic region, Economic region in northeastern Azerbaijan.
Mountainous Shirvan is an economic region in northeastern Azerbaijan made up of four districts: Agsu, Ismayilli, Gobustan, and Shamakhi. The terrain shifts between valleys and hillsides, and the elevation changes enough to produce noticeably different growing conditions from one district to the next.
The region was created in 2021 when it was separated from the larger Aran Economic Region and recognized as its own administrative unit. This division was part of a broader reorganization of how Azerbaijan structures its economic regions.
Around Shamakhi, small workshops still produce hand-knotted carpets using patterns passed down within local families. Each district has its own design traditions, so the motifs vary noticeably from one town to the next.
The Baku-Tbilisi railway and the Baku-Gazakh highway pass through the area, making the region reachable from the capital without much difficulty. Travelers moving between districts should expect winding roads through hilly terrain, which can make journeys take longer than the distance suggests.
Beekeeping holds an unusually strong place in the rural economy across all four districts, well beyond the role it plays in most other parts of the country. Honey from the region is a common sight at local markets and carries a reputation tied to the varied mountain flora that bees feed on here.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.