Qala, Azerbaijan

Qala (also, Gala and Kala-Machtagi) is a settlement and municipality in Khazar raion, Baku, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 2,857.

Gala State Historical Ethnographic Reserve is located in Qala.

The name of the village of Qala is directly related to the "fortress". At first glance, such a simple explanation of the toponym is based on historical and archaeological facts on the one hand, and folk etymology on the other. Some locals interpret the name of the village as "protected place", in other words, an invincible place, a village. The other part is connected with the literal meaning of the word, ie "fortress".

History
Historical evidence further confirms the second hypothesis. Thus, the fortifications and observation towers built here in the first half of the XIV and XVII centuries prefer to accept this possibility as true. This fortress, which dates back to the XIV century, was built on a rock at the highest point of the village. Parallel scientific comparisons show that this fortress was built by Mardakan, Shagan, Ramana and others due to its constructive architecture, as well as construction features. belongs to the type of rectangular castles in the villages. According to the elderly residents, there was a basement-like place at the bottom of the castle; Allegedly, about 1000-1500 people were protected here in case of danger. Although this is not clear, the castle was magnificent. Later, when the castle collapsed, a mosque was built in the 17th century on the site of one of the towers. Underground roads and communication systems were found in the yard. The villagers found copper coins of the XIV-XV centuries. The location of the observation tower built in the village during Nadir Shah's war with the Russians is now unknown. Most likely, it was round. By the way, until the second half of the XVII century, the village was called Nadiri-Gala in the sources.