Elevation 3,065 m Parent range Lesser Caucasus | ||
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Similar Mount Bazardüzü, Mount Shahdagh, Porak, Babadağ, Tufan Dağı | ||
The Mount Kapaz or Kepez (Azerbaijani: Kəpəz dağı) is a mountain in Lesser Caucasus near Ganja city in central Azerbaijan. Kapaz rises 3,065 meters above the sea level. It is located next to Lake Göygöl and its huge rocks broken off the mount and blocking a nearby river in 1139 earthquake were a cause for creation of the lake. In the Middle Ages, the mount was also called "Alparak", the name it borrowed from the Alparak lake (now Göygöl) translated from ancient Turkic languages as "the place covered by dam" (Al - below, lower part, space in front of something; parak - dam) referring to the big rocks which blocked the Agsu river and creating a lake. A famous Persian writer Nizami Ganjavi wrote about the earthquake of 1139 referring to the lake and mount as Alparak.
Map of Mount Kapaz, Azerbaijan
The ice melting off the mount feeds the waters of Göygöl with pure water. A famous "Göygöl Winery" utilizes some of that pure water for production of certains brands of vodka such as "Khan-VIP", "Khan Export" and "Khan Premium" which gained it gold and bronze medals at "United Vodka-2008" competition in Brussels.
Archeological findings of ancient communal items in recent years near Kapaz and Qoshqar mounts and near the Kura River in the vicinity of Ganja confirm the area was a place of early inhabitants.