Shamkir

Shamkir belongs to the fertile country west of the Kura valley, where routes connect the southern Caucasus with the approaches to Georgia and the Iranian plateau. Cultivated land, pasture and river crossings supported settlement and trade. Medieval towns in this region drew on the movement of merchants and on agricultural production, while fortifications reflected the insecurity of a landscape crossed by competing powers.

Medieval Shamkir stood on the Shamkirchay and possessed a fortress and citadel. It prospered on a long-distance trade route until Mongol forces destroyed it in the thirteenth century; its remains lie east of the present city. In the early nineteenth century German settlers established Annenfeld in the wider district. The medieval ruins and modern settlement should be distinguished when interpreting the name.