Naftalan
Naftalan is a sahar (ceety) in Azerbaijan, surroondit bi the rayon o Goranboy. It is on an agricultural plain near the Lesser Caucasus Muntains. The wird naftalan means a petroleum product an aw, ane that can be obtained thare.
Naftalan | |
|---|---|
  Naftalan | |
| Coordinates: 40°30′24″N 46°49′30″E / 40.50667°N 46.82500°E | |
| Country |  Azerbaijan |
| Rayon | Naftalan |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 7,800 |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (AZT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+5 (AZT) |
The wird Naftalan, can be tracit tae the Greek wird "naphtha" ("νάφθα"), meanin pertainin tae ile, an the Azerbaijani suffix "-alan", which is o the verb "tae tak" (an literally meanin "ile buyer").[2] It is the centre o a unique petroleum industry, wi a grade o ile referred tae as "Naftalan"[3]. While Naftalan crude ile is too hivy for normal export uises (unlik Azerbaijan's plentiful Caspian Sea ile), it contains aboot 50 percent naphthalene, a hydrocarbon that is the active ingredient in coal tar soaps, which are uised tae treat psoriasis.[4] As sic, it is anerlie uised for medicinal purposes.[2] Fowk uisin the ile generally sit in a bath an are covered in ile up tae thair necks (see petroleum spas belaw).[4]
History
eeditAirchaeological fyndins in the region date tae the 12t century AD. The qualities o Naftalan ile haes been kent syne early times; Marco Polo notit them.[3] The ile in the aurie wis kent tae fowk as far as Cheenae an Indie, an wis tradit bi caravans ootower kintras o the Near East. Modren uise o the ile haes datit tae the 1870s unner Czarist Roushie. Bi 1912, a German jyint-stock company wis foondit tae export an tred the ile, whilk wis usied as a treatment in the Russo-Japanese War. Research on the properties o the ile continues tae be duin at Azerbaijan Medical University an the Scienteefic Arthritis Center o Azerbaijan.
Petroleum spas
eeditThe aurie is hame tae petroleum spas (or "ile spas"), ance popular vacation spots o the Soviet Union that is makkin a return in popularity.[4] Ile frae thir spas is claimit tae be an effective treatment again psoriasis, arthritis an rheumatism.[2] At the hicht o thair Soviet-era popularity, the spas in Naftalan haed 75,000 visitors a year. The combination o violent ethnic conflict in nearbi Nagorno-Karabakh an the end o Soviet-sponsored free trips brocht the industry tae its knees in the late-1980s.[4] Aw but ane o the aulder spas wur convertit intae refugee hoosin. The naphthalene in the ile gies it therapeutic properties, housomever it isna clear whether it mey be a carcinogen an aw. The remainin spa, the Naftalan Therapeutic Center, haed 1,000-beds.[2] New spas are planned tae attract tourists.[4]
Twin touns
eeditReferences
eedit- ↑ The state statistical committee of the Azerbaijan Republic
- ↑ a b c d Eldar Abbasov, Naftalan - The Miracle Oil: Azerbaijan's Therapeutic Oil, Azerbaijan International, (10.2) Summer 2002, Accessed on December 4, 2006
- ↑ a b Dr. D. Y. Huseinov and Dr. A. I. Rustamov, Naftalan: The Oil that Heals, Azerbaijan International, (3.4) Winter 1995, Accessed on December 4, 2006
- ↑ a b c d e Andrew E. Kramer, Bathing in Black Gold for Health and Profit in Azerbaijan, The New York Times, December 4, 2006.
- ↑ [1]
Freemit airtins
eedit- Naftalan at GEOnet Names Server
- World Gazetteer: Azerbaijan[deid airtin] – Warld-Gazetteer.com