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The Legend of Sumgayit
City Takes Its Name from a Legend
of Love
A city doesn't have to be ancient to be associated with a legend. In Azerbaijan, even
comparatively new towns and settlements are named after old stories and legends. Sumgayit,
located about 30 miles away from Baku on the northern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, is
the third largest city in Azerbaijan (after Baku and Ganja). It was built 50 years ago and
has an estimated population of 300,000. The city's name refers to the legend of two lovers
who lived by a nearby river.
The story's setting takes place on the banks of the river near which a tribal group had
settled. Central to so many stories throughout the world is a love story and so it is with
this legend. A young man named Sum and a young woman named Jeyran fell deeply in love with
each other. Their tribe was doing quite well, getting most of their food by fishing in the
river. However, one morning the people were horrified to see that the river had completely
dried up. Since the river had its source high up in the mountains, the tribesmen decided
to send the strongest and most courageous man to go up and see what had happened. And so
it was that Sum was chosen for this dangerous mission.
Sum climbed and climbed until he reached the top of the highest mountain. Then he
discovered what the problem was. A terrible monster had dammed up the river with a huge
boulder. A fierce battle ensued and eventually Sum managed to overcome the beast and
strangle it to death. Then he went over to the boulder and pushed it out of the way, but
the force of the water swallowed him up and his body was swept downstream. As the water
carried him away, only his hand could be seen sticking up above the surface of the water.
That's why this mountain where Sum carried out his heroic deed is called
"Beshbarmag" Mountain, which means "Five Fingers." Its five tall peaks
look like the hero's fingers.
But the river began flowing again and everything returned to normal. The tribe was
saved. Everyone was happy again except, of course, for Jeyran. She missed Sum terribly.
Every day she would go down to the river and call for her beloved to return. In
Azeri, her
cry sounded like, "Sum Gayid!" (Sum, Come back). And that's how the river that
Sum saved came to be called, "Sumgayit Chay" ("chay," meaning river).
And the city that was built there shortly after WWII was named Sumgayit. It became
Azerbaijan's largest chemical and industrial center.
Jeyran-Batan
But that's not the end of the story. When Jeyran realized that Sum would never come
back, she started to cry and eventually she, too, died, drowning in her own tears. The
place where this is supposed to have happened is called Jeyran-Batan, which in Azeri
means, "The place where Jeyran drowned." Today, there is a reservoir there which
supplies the city of Baku with water. This reservoir was created about the same time that
the city of Sumgayit was built. So the names of both places can be traced to olden times
and are bound up with the same legend.
( Fuad Akhundov, Azerbaijan International)
General Information
SumqayitSumqayitSumqayitSumqayitSumqayitSumqayit, formerly
Sumgait, city in eastern Azerbaijan, about 39 km (about 24 mi.) north of
Baku, the capital. Population (1989) 300,000. Sumqayit is
located at the mouth of the Sumqayit River, where it empties into the
Caspian Sea. Sumqayit was founded in 1944
as an industrial center to support Soviet engagement in World War II. It rapidly
developed into a major chemical and metallurgical center, using petroleum from the
Absheron Peninsula around Baku and natural gas from the Karadag gas fields southwest of
Baku. The natural gas deposits around Karadag recently have been depleted. Sumqayit
also is a major steel producer, and supplies about 40 percent of the steel for
Caucasia. Sumqayit's steel, made from
scrap, is used to construct oil pipelines. An aluminum plant built in 1955 in Sumqayit
uses bauxite ores shipped in from the Ural Mountains of Russia. Because of the large deposits of salts nearby and the
availability of cheap hydroelectricity, Sumqayit is a major producer of sodium hydroxide
(also known as caustic soda or lye), used in the manufacture of chemicals and soaps and in
petroleum refining. Industries in Sumqayit also produce synthetic rubber, fertilizers,
detergents, and petrochemicals.
Fighting broke out between Azeri and Armenian residents of the city in
1988 as part of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in western Azerbaijan.
Currently one
-fourth of Azerbaijan territory occupied by Armenians.
Business
SK Synthetic Rubber Company
Organic Syntheses Corporation
Sumgait Compressor Company
Azerkimya -- Chemistry Association of Sumgait
Banks
- Amanet Bank
- Joint stock bank
9th Quarter, 11 Dostlug Street
- Sumgait, Azerbaijan 373204
- Tel: 2-00-38, 5-66-14
Azerdemiryolbank
Joint stock bank
5 Samad Vurghun Street
- Sumgait, Azerbaijan 373200
- Mobile: (8-50) 213-33-08
Industrial Investment Bank
Joint stock commercial bank
40th Quarter, Jafar Jabbarly Street
- Sumgait, Azerbaijan 373204
- Tel: 2-23-75
Tel/Fax: 2-04-74
International Bank of Azerbaijan
14th Quarter, 112 Samad Vurghun Street
- Sumgait, Azerbaijan 373204
- Tel/Fax: 2-20-55
Parabank
Joint stock bank
5th Microdistrict
- Sumgait, Azerbaijan 373200
- Tel/Fax: 2-12-76
Sumgait Social Investment Bank
Merchant / investment bank
- 4 Jafar Jabbarly Street
- Sumgait, Azerbaijan 373204
- Tel: 2-00-42, 2-18-39
The Caucasus Development Bank
Joint stock commercial bank
120 Samad Vurghun Street
- Sumgait, Azerbaijan 373204
- Tel: 5-13-73
Fax: 5-90-03
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