Нафталан қаласы: Шипалы мұнай орталығы

City in Azerbaijan

Naftalan is a city in Azerbaijan, known as a medical touristic center. It is located on an agricultural plain near the Lesser Caucasus Mountains. The word naftalan also means a petroleum product that can be obtained there. It is the centre of a petroleum industry, with a grade of oil referred to as "Naftalan". The city is located approximately 330 kilometers west of Baku, 50 kilometers from Ganja city, and 40 kilometers from Mingachevir city. It is 225 meters above sea level and experiences a warm spring and mild winter climate, with an average annual temperature of approximately +14.8 degrees Celsius. The city covers an area of 35.73 square kilometers.

The word Naftalan, can be traced to the Greek word "naphtha" ("νάφθα"), meaning pertaining to oil, and the Azerbaijani suffix " alan", which is of the verb "to take" (and literally meaning "oil buyer").

Archaeological findings in the region date to the 12th century AD. Naftalan city was functioning as a settlement within the Goranboy and Yevlakh districts until 1967. On April 28, 1967, Naftalan was granted the status of the subordinate city. The city of Naftalan consists of a city and two villages. The base of Naftalan city is Sanatorium Resort infrastructure. Naftalan Resort has been operating since 1933. In 1938, the Naftalan Experimental Laboratory was established in the Azerbaijan Scientific Research Institute of Medical Rehabilitation. The biological and therapeutic effects of the Naftalan oil began to be studied there. Also, in 1965, Scientific Research Laboratory was established in Naftalan. In the 2010s, the number of hotels increased in the city after the Azerbaijani government's tourism policy.

Naftalan city is located 330 km west of Baku, 50 km from Ganja in the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains. It's located at an altitude of 225 m above sea level. The spring is warm, the winter is soft here. The average annual temperature is +14.8 degrees. The wind in Naftalan is mainly monsoon. The city's territory is 35.73 km2.

The area is home to petroleum spas (or "oil spas"), that were popular vacation spots of the Soviet Union. At the height of their Soviet era popularity, the spas in Naftalan had 75,000 visitors a year. The combination of the First Nagorno Karabakh War and the end of Soviet sponsored free trips brought the industry to its knees in the late 1980s. as of 2017 the city has again become a major destination for health tourism.

There are two Houses of Culture that promote national traditions. Also, there is the Naftalan Museum and Music School. There are four parks in the city of Naftalan.