Bagavan[a] (also known as Baguan or Atshi Bagavan) was a district in Caspiane, the land of the Caspians. It was located on the right bank of the Araxes (Aras), roughly corresponding to the northeastern part of Iran's historic Azerbaijan region.[1]
Within Bagavan, there was the historic town of Bagaran, which was also known as Atshi Bagavan.[1] Attested as "Bagarvan" or "Bajarvan" in Arabic and Persian, this town is identified with the city of Göytəpə, Jalilabad, within the contemporary Azerbaijan Republic.[b] In ancient times, the Bagarvan river flowed nearby Bagaran; nowadays the river is known as Bazarchai.[1] However Armenians and the local Iranian Talysh still refer to it as the Bagaru river.[1]
Until the 17th century, the district of Bagavan was still referred to as "Bejirvan".[1] The name "Atshi" probably derives from Middle Persian atash ("fire"), which, according to Robert H. Hewsen (citing Suren Yeremian), implies that the town "may once have been a center of Zoroastrian worship".[1]
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