Lesser Caucasus Mountains

The Lesser Caucasus rises south of Ganja above the plains of Arran. Among its peaks is Mount Kapaz, whose wooded slopes and rocky heights overlook a group of mountain lakes. During the great earthquake of 1139, rocks broke away from the mountain and blocked a river, forming Lake Göygöl. The same disaster devastated Ganja below, a reminder that the fertile foothills and imposing mountains were part of a restless landscape.