Kurdistan Uyezd (Курдистанский уезд,, Kurdistanskij Uezd), also known colloquially as Red Kurdistan (Kurdish: Кöрдьстана СорKôrdistana Sor; Azerbaijani: Qьzьl Kyrdistan; Russian: Красный Курдистан Krasnyj Kurdistan) was a Soviet administrative unit that existed for six years from 1923 to 1929. Its capital was Lachin (Laçîn in Kurdish).
The presence of Kurds in today's Azerbaijan dated back to the 9th century. The area between Karabakh and Zangezur became inhabited by nomadic Kurdish tribes in the 18th century. Eventually, this population became the majority in most parts of the region, particularly around Lachin, Kalbajar (Kelbajar in Kurdish), and Qubadli (Qûbadlî in Kurdish).
Although commonly referred to as an okrug or an Autonomous Oblast, Red Kurdistan was neither. It was an uyezd, a typical administrative unit much like any other in Azerbaijan, with no greater level of autonomy than any other uyezd. According to other sources, status of Kurdistan Uyezd was different than status of other administrative units of Azerbaijan and it enjojed a certain level of autonomy. ... Read More