Sumgait

The name of city comes from the name of the Mongolian tribe Sugaut (Sagait).Mustafayev, Shahin (2018) [https://jhss-khazar.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Outlines-of-the-Mongolian-supremacy-in-Azerbaijan-and-the-South-Caucasus.pdf Outlines of the Mongolian supremacy in Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230917213824/https://jhss-khazar.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Outlines-of-the-Mongolian-supremacy-in-Azerbaijan-and-the-South-Caucasus.pdf |date=2023-09-17 }} Khazar Press

According to local folklore the city is named after the Sumgait River. One folk legend tells the tale of a hero by the name of "Sum", who is chosen by the community to fight a monster that was blocking the Sumgait River.{{cite web |title=Əfsanələr |url=http://www.sumhistorymuseum.az/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=75 |website=www.sumhistorymuseum.az |access-date=18 November 2014 |language=az |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113114811/http://www.sumhistorymuseum.az/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=75 |archive-date=13 November 2014 }} Sum eventually manages to kill the monster, but when the river is released he is swept away by the waters and never seen again. After that, his beloved, Jeyran, inconsolable due to Sum's disappearance, would go to the river and cry "Sum qayıt!" (which means "Sum, come back!" in Azerbaijani).{{cite web |title=Tarixi Əfsanə |url=http://www.sumqayit-ih.gov.az/page/11.html |website=www.sumqayit-ih.gov.az |access-date=18 November 2014 |language=az |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112223558/http://www.sumqayit-ih.gov.az/page/11.html |archive-date=12 November 2014 |url-status=live }} So the river became known as Sumgait, after which the city was named.

According to historians, Medean tribes lived in the area in ancient times. During the construction boom, when the foundation of the executive power building was being excavated, remains of an ancient caravanserai along with personal items and kitchenware was found at the site.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

The first reports of settlements at the present site of Sumgait were in 1580, when English traveller H. Barrow mentioned Sumgait in his writings and in 1858, when Alexander Dumas wrote about the area in his memoirs Trip to Caucasus, although nothing substantial was created on the site until the Soviet Union gained control over the area in the 1920s.{{cite web |url=http://sumqayit-ih.gov.az/content.php?page=passport |title=Sumqayıt şəhər icra hakimiyyəti. Yaranma tarixi |trans-title=Sumgayit Executive Power. History |access-date=29 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220062500/http://sumqayit-ih.gov.az//content.php?page=passport |archive-date=20 December 2010 }}

Following the politics of glasnost, initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev, civil unrest and ethnic strife grew in various regions of the Soviet Union, including Nagorno-Karabakh,{{Cite book |first=Croissant |last=Michael P. |title=The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: causes and implications |place=United States of America |publisher=Praeger Publishers |year=1998 |pages=36, 37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZeP7OZZswtcC&q=17000&pg=PP1 |isbn=0-275-96241-5 }} an autonomous region of the Azerbaijani SSR.

The Sumgait pogrom against the local Armenian population on 27–29 February 1988 was one of the first violent events of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.Modern hatreds: the symbolic politics of ethnic war - Page 63 by Stuart J. Kaufman It killed more than 30 people, wounded some 200, and produced thousands of refugees; most of the victims were Armenians who constituted a large minority of the population.{{Cite web |title=Sumqayıt {{!}} Azerbaijan {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sumqayit |access-date=28 November 2021 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=28 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128022514/https://www.britannica.com/place/Sumqayit |url-status=live }}

After the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the city became home to a number of Azerbaijani refugees internally displaced persons, mainly from Qubadli and Zengilan regions.{{cite web |last1=Abbasov |first1=Shahin |title=Azerbaijan: Sumgayit Becomes Font of Syria-Bound Jihadists |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/68341 |website=www.eurasianet.org |access-date=11 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111045044/http://www.eurasianet.org/node/68341 |archive-date=11 November 2014 |url-status=live }} In 1994, Heydar Aliyev initiated a large-scale Free Economic Area project on the territory of the city.

File:Azerbaijan map sumqayit.png

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|source 1 = Climate-Data.org{{cite web |url=https://en.climate-data.org/asia/azerbaijan/sumqay%C4%B1t-inzibati-%C9%99razisi/sumgayit-5781/ |title=Climate: Sumqayit |access-date=14 April 2020 |archive-date=28 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128102539/https://en.climate-data.org/asia/azerbaijan/sumqay%c4%b1t-inzibati-%c9%99razisi/sumgayit-5781/ |url-status=live }}

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As a result of the Soviet planning of the industrial boom era, the city became heavily polluted.{{cn|date=August 2024}} Soon after Azerbaijan's independence, the industrial sectors went into decline. The Absheron Peninsula (which consists of Sumgait, Baku and the Absheron District) was considered by scientists to be the most ecologically devastated part of Azerbaijan. The city was known for its children's cemetery, known as the "Baby Cemetery" which contains many graves of infants born with deformities and mental retardation that were further complicated by the lack of adequate medical care for the poor.[http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/23_folder/23_articles/23_sumgayit.html Sumgayit: Soviet's Pride, Azerbaijan's Hell] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508014733/http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/23_folder/23_articles/23_sumgayit.html |date=8 May 2006 }} by Arif Islamzade at Azer.com, Autumn 1994 Sumgait was named as most polluted place on Earth by the U.S.-based environmental group the Blacksmith Institute in 2006 and placed on their list of The World's Most Polluted Places by Time magazine in 2007.[http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1661031_1661028_1661024,00.html Sumgayit, Azerbaijan – The World's Most Polluted Places] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031012618/http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1661031_1661028_1661024,00.html |date=31 October 2007 }} TIME, 12 September 2007 The report noted the former Soviet industrial base was polluting the local environment with industrial chemicals like chlorine and heavy metals. The report also mentioned cancer rates in Sumgait were as much as 51% higher than the national average and that genetic mutations and birth defects were commonplace.[http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/site10a.php World's Worst Polluted Places] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027162719/http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/site10a.php |date=27 October 2007 }} — by the Blacksmith Institute (accessed 3 December 2007)

The city administration prepared an environmental protection plan for 2003–2010 which has been steadily decreasing the levels of pollution to minimal. The program oversees 118 activities aimed at minimizing pollution at all possible levels of economic production. The program was prepared with the participation of all industrial enterprises in the city and its enforcement is being regulated by the executive power of the city. For instance, the amount of wastewater from industrial production went down from {{cvt|600000|m3|cuft|abbr=on}} during the 1990s to {{cvt|76300|m3|cuft|abbr=on}} in 2005. Solid waste went down from 300,000 to 3,868 tons a year. The World Bank has issued a loan to the Azerbaijani government for construction of a burial range for mercury waste.{{cite web |url=http://sumqayit-ih.gov.az/content.php?page=tebii_servetler |title=Sumqayıt şəhər icra hakimiyyəti. Şəhərin ekoloji vəziyyəti |trans-title=Sumgayit Executive Power. Environmental conditions in the city |access-date=29 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220062334/http://sumqayit-ih.gov.az//content.php?page=tebii_servetler |archive-date=20 December 2010 }}

File:Sumqayıt şəhər İcra Hakimiyyəti.jpg]]

The municipality of Sumgait consists of the city of Sumgait and the municipalities of Jorat and Haji Zeynalabdin.{{cite web |title=Sumqayıt İnzibati-İqtisadi Məhkəməsinin yeni binası |url=http://courts.gov.az/sumgayiteconomic/ |website=courts.gov.az |access-date=12 November 2014 |language=az |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112202540/http://courts.gov.az/sumgayiteconomic/ |archive-date=12 November 2014 |url-status=live }} Executive power in the city is held by the mayor, presently Zakir Ferejov.{{cite web |title=İcra hakimiyyətinin başçısı |url=http://www.sumqayit-ih.gov.az/page/20.html |website=www.sumqayit-ih.gov.az |access-date=12 November 2014 |language=az |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112192812/http://www.sumqayit-ih.gov.az/page/20.html |archive-date=12 November 2014 |url-status=live }}

According to the State Statistics Committee, as of 2018, the population of city was 341,200 people, having increased by 84,500 (about 33 percent) from 256,700 people in 2000.{{Cite web |url=https://www.stat.gov.az/source/demoqraphy/?lang=en |title=Political division, population size and structure: Population by towns and regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan |website=The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827142620/https://www.stat.gov.az/source/demoqraphy/?lang=en |archive-date=27 August 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=18 December 2018 }} The population consists of 168,300 men and 172,900 women.{{Cite web |url=https://www.stat.gov.az/source/demoqraphy/?lang=en |title=Political division, population size and structure: Population by sex, towns and regions, urban settlements of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 2018 |website=The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827142620/https://www.stat.gov.az/source/demoqraphy/?lang=en |archive-date=27 August 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=18 December 2018 }} More than 23 percent of the population consists of young people and teenagers aged 14–29.{{Cite web |url=https://www.stat.gov.az/source/demoqraphy/?lang=en |title=Political division, population size and structure: Population at age 14-29 by towns and regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 2018 |website=The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827142620/https://www.stat.gov.az/source/demoqraphy/?lang=en |archive-date=27 August 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=18 December 2018 }}

Azerbaijanis comprise 85% of the population, Talysh 5%, Lezgins 5%, Russians 2%, Turkish 1%, and others 2%. Prior to February 1988, Sumgait was home to 20,000 Armenians, who were displaced as a result of the Sumgait pogrom.

Sumgait did not have a mosque until after the collapse of the Soviet Union.{{cite web |last1=Abbasov |first1=Shahin |title=Azerbaijan: Sumgayit Becomes Font of Syria-Bound Jihadists |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/68341 |website=www.eurasianet.org |access-date=17 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111045044/http://www.eurasianet.org/node/68341 |archive-date=11 November 2014 |url-status=live }} In the 2010s, the city emerged as a center for Salafism in Azerbaijan, a form of Sunni Islam that advocates a return to Islam's earliest practices.{{cite web |last1=Howard |first1=Glen E. |last2=Aslanova |first2=Leyla |title=Azerbaijani City of Sumgait Emerges as Recruitment Center for Syrian Fighters |url=http://www.jamestown.org/regions/thecaucasus/single/?tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=41923&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=642&cHash=3522e8a951772ad04a8343fc89c78bf1#.VGoxhvl_uR8 |website=www.jamestown.org |access-date=17 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129015413/http://www.jamestown.org/regions/thecaucasus/single/?tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=41923&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=642&cHash=3522e8a951772ad04a8343fc89c78bf1#.VGoxhvl_uR8 |archive-date=29 November 2014 |url-status=live }} The Syrian Civil War and emergence of ISIL forced authorities to take action on crackdown of perceived religious radicals in Sumgait.{{cite web |title=Azerbaijani government's measures to counter terrorism and civil unrest risks expected to ensure stability in three-year outlook |url=http://www.ihs.com/products/global-insight/industry-economic-report.aspx?id=1065996171 |website=www.ihs.com |access-date=17 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129112245/http://www.ihs.com/products/global-insight/industry-economic-report.aspx?id=1065996171 |archive-date=29 November 2014 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Lomsadze |first1=Giorgi |title=Azerbaijan Arrests Alleged ISIS and Other Islamic Fighters |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/70141 |website=www.eurasianet.org |access-date=17 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141118124905/http://www.eurasianet.org/node/70141 |archive-date=18 November 2014 |url-status=live }}

{{sidebar

| title = Sumgait's Economy Soviet Period Timeline{{in lang|ru}} [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/news/newsid_3681000/3681079.stm Karabakh: Timeline of the Conflict] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810051716/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/news/newsid_3681000/3681079.stm |date=10 August 2011 }}. BBC Russian

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| content1 =

• 1938 – Barracks for workers were created in place of Thermal Power Station. Architects begin the construction for settlers of the Sumgait Thermal Power Station.
• 1939 – Foundations were built for synthetic rubber and chemical plants.
• 1940 – All construction activities suspended with the start of the Great Patriotic War.
• 1941 – Thermal Power Station is launched and Baku's oil industries received its first electricity.
• 1944 – The construction of chemical and metallurgical plants.
• 1945 – Sumgait chemical plant produced its first production and the great construction wave has been started.
• 1949 – Settlement awarded city status by Presidium of Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan SSR
• 1955 – Sumgait Aluminum plant established
• 1957 – Construction of scientific-research institutes and cultural centres, the city infrastructure is being developed.
• 1960 – Europe's largest petrol-chemical plant construction has started
• 1970 – The development of light and machine-building industries in the city.

}}

In 1935, the Soviet government decided to develop heavy industry in the Absheron Peninsula, and the future location of Sumgait was chosen based on its proximity to Baku and its key position on the existing railroad lines.

Between 1938 and 1941, a thermal power station was constructed to power Baku's growing petroleum industry. This was soon followed by more heavy industries. Due to World War II the construction of the area stopped and resumed in 1944 when metallurgical and chemical plants were constructed and put into operation. The first production of Sumgait Chemical Plant led to a rapid growth and construction boom, creating a new job market, and a need for a resident population. In 1949, Sumgait gained official city status according to the resolution of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan SSR. In 1952, a tube-rolling plant delivered its first produce thus developing black metallurgy production in Azerbaijan. The same year, another new Synthetic Rubber Production Plant started its operations producing ethylene obtained from oil. Operations at Sumgait Steel Processing Plant and Sumgait Aluminium Plant were commenced in 1953 and 1955, respectively. In 1957–1955, a number of scientific research facilities and cultural centres were built, leading to further development of the city infrastructure. In 1960, authorities started building the Petroleum Chemical Factory, the largest in Europe at the time. From 1961 through 1968, a brick-producing factory, a polymer construction materials industrial complex, a phosphor production plant were built. In the 1970–80s, light industry and mechanical engineering facilities were added to the industrial base of the city. By the end of the 1980s, Sumgait was already the centre of the chemical industry of the USSR.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Sumgait has remained Azerbaijan's second-biggest industrial centre after Baku.{{cite web |title=Renewed Dreams |url=http://www.thebusinessyear.com/publication/article/43/3639/azerbaijan-2014/renewed-dreams |website=www.thebusinessyear.com |access-date=11 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111031410/http://www.thebusinessyear.com/publication/article/43/3639/azerbaijan-2014/renewed-dreams |archive-date=11 November 2014 |url-status=live }} Some of the most significant companies operating in the city are Azerpipe, Azeraluminium, Sumgait Aluminium, Sumgait Superphosphate, glass producer Khazar OJSC, Sumgait Knitted Goods Factory, and Sumgait Compressors, many of which have been privatized.

In 2011, the development of Sumgait Technologies Park (STP) and Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park (SCIP) started to receive investor attention.{{cite web |last1=Barron |first1=Lisa |title=Azerbaijan's Sumgayit industrial park may spur new job growth |url=http://cistranfinance.com/news/azerbaijans-sumgayit-industrial-park-may-spur-new-job-growth/3830/ |website=cistranfinance.com |access-date=11 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111032607/http://cistranfinance.com/news/azerbaijans-sumgayit-industrial-park-may-spur-new-job-growth/3830/ |archive-date=11 November 2014 |url-status=live }} The {{convert|167|ha|acre|adj=on}} complex will host pharmaceutical, construction, and agricultural businesses, in addition to chemical, automotive, and electronics producers. It is meant as a self-sufficient complex, which will include residential facilities, an exhibition center, laboratories, sports center, schools, and hospitals. SCIP aims to attract domestic and foreign investors, and its management has already received proposals for 20 investment projects in the complex.

Sumgait is known as the "City of Youth" due to its status as the youngest city in Azerbaijan. Sumgait was officially designated as the "Youth Capital" for 2025.{{Cite news |title=Quba was chosen as the "Sports Capital" for 2024, Gabala as the "Youth Capital" for 2025, and Sumqayit as the "Youth Capital"! |url=https://www.mys.gov.az/az/xeberler/quba-2024-qebele-ise-2025-ci-il-ucun-idman-paytaxti-sumqayit-ise-gencler-paytaxti-secildiler |work=Ministry of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan |language=Azerbaijani |archive-date=2025-01-17 |access-date=2025-02-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250117020537/https://www.mys.gov.az/az/xeberler/quba-2024-qebele-ise-2025-ci-il-ucun-idman-paytaxti-sumqayit-ise-gencler-paytaxti-secildiler |url-status=live }}

The first studies in architecture and urban planning of the city of Sumgait were carried out by Azerbaijani and Soviet scientist, academician of the International Academy of Architecture of the Eastern Countries, honored architect of Azerbaijan SSR Kamal Mammadbeyov. The result of years of research were numerous scientific publications and a book about architectural and planning development of the city of Sumgait.{{cite book |last=Mamedbekov |first=Kamal |year=1988 |location=Baku |title=Sumgait: Architectural and planning development |pages=119 |publisher=Elm, Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan SSR |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pqO0AAAAIAAJ |access-date=3 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927001417/http://books.google.com/books/about/%D0%A1%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%B8%D1%82.html?id=pqO0AAAAIAAJ |archive-date=27 September 2014 |url-status=live }} Mammadbeyov donated a large number of graphics and illustrations made by him to the archives of The City Museum. The Flag Museum in Sumgait was opened on 15 December 2017, with the participation of Ilham Aliyev.{{Cite web |url=https://en.president.az/articles/26374/print |title=Official web-site of President of Azerbaijan Republic - Events Ilham Aliyev inaugurated Flag Museum in Sumgayit |website=en.president.az |access-date=18 December 2018 }}{{Cite web |url=https://azertag.az/en/xeber/President_Ilham_Aliyev_inaugurated_Flag_Museum_in_Sumgayit_VIDEO-1121296 |title=President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated Flag Museum in Sumgayit VIDEO |website=azertag.az |language=en |access-date=18 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219022003/https://azertag.az/en/xeber/President_Ilham_Aliyev_inaugurated_Flag_Museum_in_Sumgayit_VIDEO-1121296 |archive-date=19 December 2018 |url-status=live }}

File:New buildings in Sumgayit.JPG|New buildings in Sumgayit

File:Haydar Aliyev avenue in Sumgayit city.jpg|Haydar Aliyev Avenue in Sumgayit

File:Sumgait1.jpg|Residential buildings

Sumgait was credited as the main regional driving force behind rock bands of the 1990s including Yuxu, Miraj, Mozalan, and Sirr.{{cite web |title=Yenə də Sumqayıt… |url=http://sumqayitxeber.com/aktual/yen%C9%99-d%C9%99-sumqayit.html |website=sumqayitxeber.com |access-date=30 June 2014 |language=az |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141109110259/http://sumqayitxeber.com/aktual/yen%C9%99-d%C9%99-sumqayit.html |archive-date=9 November 2014 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Sumqayıt rok ənənələrini bərpa edir |url=http://www.inradio.tv/index.php?lang=az&menu=1&cid=c7b11909de826c5b7decab63b427c780&newsID=3d8d5725f7981fe23779964ecc42eecc |website=www.inradiotv. |access-date=30 June 2014 |language=az |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109105727/http://www.inradio.tv/index.php?lang=az&menu=1&cid=c7b11909de826c5b7decab63b427c780&newsID=3d8d5725f7981fe23779964ecc42eecc |archive-date=9 November 2014 |url-status=live }}

The regional channel Dünya TV and newspaper 365 Gün are headquartered in the city.{{cite web |title=Radio-TV yayımı |url=http://www.mincom.gov.az/fealiyyet/radio-tv-yayimi/ |access-date=13 November 2014 |language=az |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027130212/http://www.mincom.gov.az/fealiyyet/radio-tv-yayimi/ |archive-date=27 October 2014 |url-status=live }}

In 2020, the Azerbaijan Jewish Media Center was established in Sumgayit.{{cite news |url=https://xeberle.com/cemiyyet/71367-azerbaycan-yehudi-media-merkezi-yaradildi-sumqayitda.html |date=31 May 2020 |title="Azərbaycan Yəhudi Media Mərkəzi" yaradıldı - Sumqayıtda |publisher=xeberle.com |archive-date=19 April 2021 |access-date=17 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419003951/https://xeberle.com/cemiyyet/71367-azerbaycan-yehudi-media-merkezi-yaradildi-sumqayitda.html |url-status=live }}

File:Sumqayıt bulvarı, 04.09.2016 - 18.jpg]]

File:Sumqayıtçay 11.jpg]]

During the Soviet rule of Azerbaijan, Sumgait was believed{{By whom|date=October 2020}} to have the longest boulevard in the republic. The Culture and Leisure Park was laid on {{convert|23|ha|acre|abbr=off}} of Sumgait coastline in 1967. On 17 August 1978, the park was given the name of a distinguished Azerbaijani poet Imadaddin Nasimi. The same year, the city administration raised the Peace Dove sculpture and monument in the middle of the park assigning the city a symbol of peace.{{cite news |url=http://az.trend.az/news/politics/1761904.html |title=Sumqayıt nümayəndə heyəti Mogilyovda səfərdədir |trans-title=Sumgayit delegation is visiting Mogilev |publisher=Trend News Agency |author=K. Zarbaliyeva |date=6 October 2010 |access-date=29 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225051321/http://az.trend.az/news/politics/1761904.html |archive-date=25 December 2010 |url-status=live }}

The flora of the park includes 39 types of trees. Events of the 1990s, such as the Black January tragedy and First Nagorno-Karabakh War, led to the establishment of Stars (Ulduzlar) and 20 January Monument monuments in the park. In the eastern section of the park, Shehidler Khiyabani, similar to Martyrs' Lane in Baku, was established as a burial ground for thousands of soldiers from Sumgait who died during the war. According to Decree No. 132 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan dated 2 August 2001, the park was given the status of national historical importance. Its current size is {{Convert|80|ha|acre}}.

In addition to Nasimi Culture and Leisure Park, the city administration built Ludwigshafen Park in 1997 in celebration of the 20th anniversary of twin-city relations between Ludwigshafen and Sumgait. In 1999, Heydar Aliyev Park and Luna Park were built in the rapidly growing city.{{cite web |url=http://sumqayit-ih.gov.az/content.php?page=parklar |title=Sumqayıt şəhər icra hakimiyyəti. Parklar və istirahət bağları |trans-title=Sumgayit Executive Power. Parks and Leisure facilities |access-date=29 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220063015/http://sumqayit-ih.gov.az/content.php?page=parklar |archive-date=20 December 2010 }}

File:Ilham Aliyev viewed conditions created in Mehdi Huseynzade Sumgayit City Stadium 09.jpg

The city has one professional football team competing in the top-flight of Azerbaijani football – Sumgayit, currently playing in the Azerbaijan Premier League.

File:Sumgayit railway station.jpg

The city had a tram system that functioned from 1959 to 2003.{{cite web |title=16. Сумгаит (трамвай) |trans-title=16. Sumqayit (tram) |url=http://transit.parovoz.com/masstransit/index.php?ID=16 |work=Горэлектротранс (Electrotrans) website |publisher=Дмитрий Зиновьев (Dmitry Zinoviev) |access-date=23 September 2012 |language=ru |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131041432/http://transit.parovoz.com/masstransit/index.php?ID=16 |archive-date=31 January 2013 |url-status=live }} Sumgait's trolleybus system at its height consisted of eight lines and existed until 2006.{{cite web |title=17. Сумгаит (троллейбус) |trans-title=17. Sumqayit (trolleybus) |url=http://transit.parovoz.com/masstransit/index.php?ID=17 |work=Горэлектротранс (Electrotrans) website |publisher=Дмитрий Зиновьев (Dmitry Zinoviev) |access-date=23 September 2012 |language=ru |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104205422/http://transit.parovoz.com/masstransit/index.php?ID=17 |archive-date=4 January 2013 |url-status=live }} On 3 June 2015, in Baku, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev opened the reconstructed Baku-Sumgait Railway with trains of Baku suburban railway taking 40 minutes from Baku to Sumgait.:az:Bakı-Sumqayıt qatarı{{Cite web |url=http://president.az/articles/15449 |title=İlham Əliyev Bakıya gətirilən yeni elektrik qatarı ilə tanış olub » Azərbaycan Prezidentinin Rəsmi internet səhifəsi |access-date=13 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313161414/http://president.az/articles/15449 |archive-date=13 March 2018 |url-status=live }}

{{As of|2011}}, Sumgait boasted 49 schools, 13 vocational and music schools, Sumgait Private Turkish High School and a teachers' institute.

The only university in the city is Sumqayit State University.[https://www.sdu.edu.az/az/about_us Haqqımızda] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107223220/https://www.sdu.edu.az/az/about_us |date=2022-01-07 }}. sdu.edu.az The university has seven departments and approximately 4000 students.

{{Further|:Category:People from Sumgait}}

The city's notable residents include the following people.

{{cmn|

• Chess players
• Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
• Turkan Mamedyarova
• Zeinab Mamedyarova
• Balaban player
• Alihan Samedov
• Footballers
• Kamal Guliyev
• Ruslan Safarov
• Mahir Shukurov
• Nazim Suleymanov
• Judo
• Ilham Zakiyev
• Karateka
• Rafael Aghayev
• Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters
• Tural Rahimov
• Politics
• Emin Huseynov
• Religion
• Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan{{Cite web |title=The Armenian Church - Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin |url=https://www.armenianchurch.org/index.jsp?sid=1&id=4064&pid=85&lng=en |access-date=28 October 2020 |website=www.armenianchurch.org |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225235335/https://www.armenianchurch.org/index.jsp?sid=1&id=4064&pid=85&lng=en |url-status=dead }}

}}

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Asia#Azerbaijan|l1=List of twin towns and sister cities in Azerbaijan}}

Sumgait is twinned with the following cities:{{cite web |url=http://www.azerbaijans.com/content_1719_en.html |title=Twin-cities of Azerbaijan |access-date=9 August 2013 |work=Azerbaijans.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809115218/http://www.azerbaijans.com/content_1719_en.html |archive-date=9 August 2013 |url-status=live }}

{{colbegin}}

• {{flagicon|GEO}} Rustavi, Georgia, (since 1952){{cite web |title=Sumqayit's history |url=http://www.sumhistorymuseum.az/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=90 |website=www.sumhistorymuseum.az |access-date=13 November 2014 |language=az |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113091826/http://www.sumhistorymuseum.az/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=90 |archive-date=13 November 2014 }}
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Cherkasy, Ukraine, (since 1972)
• {{flagicon|ROU}} Pitești, Romania, (since 1971)
• {{flagicon|GER}} Ludwigshafen, Germany, (since 1977)
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Bari, Italy, (since 2004){{cite web |title=EXECUTIVE ORDER OF PRESIDENT OF THE AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC |url=http://azertag.az/en/xeber/EXECUTIVE_ORDER_OF_PRESIDENT_OF_THE_AZERBAIJAN_REPUBLIC-555113 |website=azertag.az |access-date=13 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113094453/http://azertag.az/en/xeber/EXECUTIVE_ORDER_OF_PRESIDENT_OF_THE_AZERBAIJAN_REPUBLIC-555113 |archive-date=13 November 2014 |url-status=live }}
• {{flagicon|KAZ}} Aktau, Kazakhstan, (since 2009){{cite web |title="Sumqayıt şəhəri (Azərbaycan Respublikası) və Aktau şəhəri (Qazaxıstan Respublikası) arasında qardaşlaşmış şəhər münasibətlərinin yaradılması haqqında Birgə Bəyannamə"ni imzalamaq səlahiyyətinin verilməsi barədə |url=http://e-qanun.az/files/framework/data/19/f_19141.htm |website=e-qanun.az |access-date=13 November 2014 |language=az |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113091841/http://e-qanun.az/files/framework/data/19/f_19141.htm |archive-date=13 November 2014 }}
• {{flagicon|BLR}} Mogilev, Belarus, (since 2009){{cite web |script-title=ru:Могилев и азербайджанский Сумгаит подписали договор о побратимстве |url=http://gorki.gov.by/news/region-news/2798-1.html |website=gorki.gov.by |access-date=13 November 2014 |language=ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113092133/http://gorki.gov.by/news/region-news/2798-1.html |archive-date=13 November 2014 |url-status=live }}
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Nevinnomyssk, Russia, (since 2011){{cite web |script-title=ru:У Сумгайыта появился город-побратим |url=http://news.day.az/society/291631.html |website=news.day.az |date=4 October 2011 |access-date=13 November 2014 |language=ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209214223/http://news.day.az/society/291631.html |archive-date=9 December 2014 |url-status=live }}
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Genoa, Italy, (since 2013){{cite web |title=Siglato il memorandum d'intenti tra Genova e Sumqayit, città azera |url=http://www.comune.genova.it/content/siglato-oggi-il-memorandum-dintenti-tra-genova-e-sumqayit-citt%C3%A0-azera |website=www.comune.genova.it |access-date=13 November 2014 |language=it |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113094418/http://www.comune.genova.it/content/siglato-oggi-il-memorandum-dintenti-tra-genova-e-sumqayit-citt%C3%A0-azera |archive-date=13 November 2014 |url-status=live }}
• {{flagicon|PRC}} Zhuzhou, China
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Ceyhan, Turkey

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{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Commons category-inline|Sumqayıt}}

{{Sumqayit}}

{{Sumgait landmarks|state=collapsed}}

{{Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1949 establishments in Azerbaijan

Category:Cities and towns built in the Soviet Union

Category:Districts of Azerbaijan

Category:Populated places established in 1949

Category:Populated places in Azerbaijan

Category:Populated places on the Caspian Sea

Category:Port cities in Azerbaijan

Category:Populated coastal places in Azerbaijan