Country Azerbaijan Area 96 ha Rayon Quba District | Time zone AZT (UTC+4) Local time Wednesday 1:42 AM | |
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Weather 3°C, Wind SW at 6 km/h, 81% Humidity | ||
Qırmızı Qəsəbə (Russian: Красная Слобода, Krasnaya Sloboda, English: Red Town) is a village and municipality in Quba District of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 3,598 and is believed to be the world's only all-Jewish town outside Israel.
Contents
Map of Qirmizi Qasaba AZ4024, Azerbaijan
The village is located across the Qudiyalçay River (or Kudyal River) from the larger town of Quba. It is the primary settlement of Azerbaijan's population of Mountain Jews, who make up the population of approximately 4,000. The most widely spoken language in Qırmızı Qəsəbə is Juhuri.
History
While the Highland Jews had been in the area around Quba since at least the 13th century, the formal creation of Krasnaya Sloboda is traced back to the 18th century, when in 1742 the khan of Quba, Fatali Khan, gave the Jews permission to set up a community free of persecution across the river from the city of Quba. Originally referred to as Yevreiskaya Sloboda (Jewish Settlement), the name was changed to Krasnaya Sloboda (Red Settlement) under Soviet rule.
The town has had an influx of financial support from relatives living in Israel and features the new Bet Knesset Synagogue. However, after Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, many residents emigrated to Israel, the United States, and Europe, and the population dropped from the roughly 18,000 that lived there during the era of Communism.