You won't find weed if you travel to Ganja

omotolani

June 13, 2018 12:07 PM

Nobody knows why Ganja is called Ganja and it most definitely wasn’t named after weed.

The name Ganja first evokes a place where smokers chill, dine and do what they know how to do best.

However, Ganja is a place located in Western Azerbaijan.

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Where is Ganja?

Ganja is the second largest city in Western Azerbaijan. Travellers often pass through Ganja before heading to or coming from Georgia. The city presents an intriguing story for those who take the time to look.

An Arab established the settlement more than 1300 years ago. According to legend, he found a treasure and became the governor but the Persians and Arabs destroyed it in the 7th century. After passing through a series of rulers and suffering from a devastating earthquake in the 12th century, the Turkish Seljuks took the region through a cultural revival and Golden Age.

How did the name Ganja come to be?

Some historians believe the name derives from the Persian Ganj meaning ‘treasure’ after the first Arab governor discovered a treasure there. Others suggest the etymology derives from the Arabic Dzhanza or even the Georgian Gandza. It might also have originated from the Ganjak Tribes that once migrated and inhabited the region.

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