Khinalug

Khinalug or Khinalyg (Azerbaijani: Xınalıq; Khinalug: Kətş) is a municipality and an ancient Caucasian village with origins dating back to the Caucasian Albanian period. It is located high up in the mountains of Quba District, Azerbaijan. The municipality of Khinalug is part of the Quba District and consists of the villages of Khinalug and Galaykhudat. The village was included in the Cultural Landscape of Khinalug People and "Köç Yolu" Transhumance Route UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023. Khinalug is located southwest of Quba on the Greater Caucasus mountain ridge, which separates the Northern Caucasus in Russia from the South Caucasus. It is the highest, most remote and isolated village in Azerbaijan, as well as one of the highest in the entire Caucasus region. The village experiences significant weather fluctuations between summer and winter, with temperatures ranging from −20 °C to 18 °C. Khinalug has a population of about 2,000 people. The residents speak Khinalug, a language that is an isolate within the Northeast Caucasian language family, although most also speak Azerbaijani. On 7 October 2006, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, announced plans to modernize Khinalug's educational institutions, infrastructure, government buildings, and other local facilities.