Nukha

Nukha, a town of Russian Caucasia, in the government of Elizavetpol, and previous to 1819 the capital of the khanate of Sheki, lying 57 m. N.E. of the town of Elizavetopol, at the S. foot of the main chain of the Caucasus. Pop. (1861) 22,618; (1897) 24,811; mainly Tatars, with some Armenians. The cupola of the church in the fortress is 2455 ft. above the sea-level, in 41° 12' 18" N. and 47° 12' 7" E. The fortress, a square enclosure, erected in 1765, contains the palace, built in 1790 in the original Persian style. The leading industry is the breeding of silkworms and the spinning of silk. Nukha was a mere village down to the middle of the 18th century, when it was chosen by Hajji Chelyabi, the founder of the khanate of Sheki, as his residence. The Russian occupation dates from 1807, though the annexation was not completed till 1819.