Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic
An autonomous exclave of Azerbaijan, separated from the rest of the country by Armenia and bordering Iran and Turkey. Its capital is Nakhchivan city.
Treaty of Moscow (1921): An agreement between Soviet Russia and the Turkish National Movement that set territorial arrangements in the South Caucasus. It helped establish Nakhchivan’s status as an autonomous territory under Azerbaijan’s protection.
Azerbaijan: A country in the South Caucasus bordering the Caspian Sea, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, and Turkey. Nakhchivan is constitutionally part of Azerbaijan despite being separated from its main territory.
Nakhchivan city: The capital and largest city of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in Azerbaijan. It is the republic’s administrative center and principal urban hub.
Armenia: A landlocked country in the South Caucasus bordering Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. Armenian territory separates Nakhchivan from Azerbaijan’s main territory.
Treaty of Kars: A 1921 treaty among Turkey and the Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia that confirmed borders in the South Caucasus. It formalized Nakhchivan’s autonomous status and barred Azerbaijan from transferring it to another state.
Exclave: A portion of a state's territory separated from its main part by the territory of another state. Nakhchivan’s separation by Armenia makes transport and political ties central to its status.
Mausoleum of Momine Khatun: A twelfth-century mausoleum in Nakhchivan city, built for Momine Khatun and associated with architect Ajami Nakhchivani. Its distinctive architecture is a prominent monument of the region’s medieval history.
Turkey: A country spanning southeastern Europe and western Asia, with borders including Armenia, Iran, and Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave. Turkey shares a short border with Nakhchivan and provides its only direct land connection to a Turkic state.
Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic: An autonomous republic within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic from 1924 until the Soviet Union dissolved. Its Soviet-era institutions shaped the boundaries and autonomy inherited by the present republic.
Autonomous region: A subnational territory with legally recognized self-government within a sovereign state. Nakhchivan exercises regional self-government while remaining part of Azerbaijan.