Naftalan
| Naftalan | |
|---|---|
  Naftalan
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| Coordinates: 40°30′24″N 46°49′30″E / 40.50667°N 46.825°E | |
| Country |  Azerbaijan |
| Rayon | Naftalan |
| Indwallers (2010)[1] | |
| - Tot | 7,800 |
| Time zone | AZT (UTC+4) |
| - Simmer (DST) | AZT (UTC+5) |
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 an aw means a petroleum product which can be obtained there.
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 center 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 (unlike 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 such, it is anerlie uised for medicinal purposes.[2] Fowk uisin the ile generally sit in a bath and are covered in ile up tae their necks (see petroleum spas belaw).[4]
Table o contents |
History [edit]
Airchaeological 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 throughoot kintras o the Near East. Modren uise o the ile haes datit tae the 1870s unner Czarist Roushie. By 1912, a German joint-stock company wis foondit tae export an trade the ile, which wis usied as a treatment in the Russo-Japanese War. Research on the properties o the ile continues tae be done at Azerbaijan Medical University an the Scientific Arthritis Center o Azerbaijan.
Petroleum spas [edit]
The aurie is hame tae petroleum spas (or "ile spas"), ance popular vacation spots o the Soviet Union that are makkin a return in popularity.[4] Ile frae these spas is claimit tae be an effective treatment against psoriasis, arthritis an rheumatism.[2] At the hicht o their 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 brought the industry tae its knees in the late-1980s.[4] Aw but ane o the older spas wur convertit intae refugee hoosin. The naphthalene in the ile gives it therapeutic properties, however it is no clear whether it mey an aw be a carcinogen. The remainin spa, the Naftalan Therapeutic Center, haed 1,000-beds.[2] New spas are planned tae attract tourists.[4]
Twin touns [edit]
References [edit]
- ↑ The state statistical committee of the Azerbaijan Republic
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Eldar Abbasov, Naftalan - The Miracle Oil: Azerbaijan's Therapeutic Oil, Azerbaijan International, (10.2) Summer 2002, Accessed on December 4, 2006
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Andrew E. Kramer, Bathing in Black Gold for Health and Profit in Azerbaijan, The New York Times, December 4, 2006.
- ↑ [1]
Freemit airtins [edit]
- Naftalan at GEOnet Names Server
- World Gazetteer: Azerbaijan – World-Gazetteer.com
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