The territory of the Khazar district, located in the northeast of the Absheron Peninsula, is considered one of the region's ancient areas. The settlements in the current Khazar district were initially part of the “Qala-Mashtag administrative district,” which existed from 1921 to 1936 and encompassed a larger area, including several other villages. Later, following a reorganization of administrative zoning, the settlements of what is now Khazar district were included in the S. Artyom (FS Sergeyev) district, established in 1936 and operating until 1966. In 1966, the “M. Azizbeyov district” administrative unit was formed. On May 24, 2011, the district's name was changed again to “Khazar.” At that time, the total area of the district was 403.6 square kilometers, and it included 12 settlements: Mardakan, Buzovna, Shuvalan, Bina, Gala, Shagan, Zira, Turkan,
Pirallahi,
Gurgan,
Chilov, and
Neft Dashlari, with a population of 212,800 people. With the passage of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 519-IVQ on December 21, 2012, titled "On the establishment of
Pirallahi Rayon within the administrative territorial unit of Baku city," Pirallahi became a separate district starting on January 17, 2013. This new district, which was formed from the settlements of Pirallahi, Gurgan, Chilov, and Neft Dashlari, became the 12th district of Baku. Today, Khazar district covers an area of 336.86 square kilometers and has a population of over 200,000 residents, consisting mainly of
Azerbaijanis. The district is home to various institutions, including the Khazar District Executive Power, the
National Aviation Academy, the Police Academy, the
Dendrology Institute (Mardakan Arboretum) and its park, 29
secondary schools, 1 secondary vocational school, 3
gymnasiums, 6
boarding schools, 23 kindergartens, 3 private kindergartens, 10 cultural centers, 7 libraries, 19 parks, 8 settlement representative offices, 8 settlement municipalities, 39 active industrial enterprises, as well as the Khazar District Telephone Exchange, Water and Canal Department, Central Post Office, District Veterinary Department, and 22 medical institutions. Additionally, the district supports 18,851 internally displaced persons, 149 families of martyrs, 182 disabled veterans from the
Karabakh War, 5 families of martyrs from January 20, 1990, 14 disabled veterans from January 20, 1990, 27 disabled individuals from the
Chernobyl disaster, and 8 disabled veterans of the
Great Patriotic War. The district also includes 642 Karabakh War veterans and 1 National Hero. ==See also==