Khyzy

Overview

Khyzy (Azerbaijani: Xızı; also Khizi) is a town and the capital of Khizi District in eastern Azerbaijan, in the Absheron–Khizi Economic Region (CityPopulation). It is best known for three things: the red-and-white striped Candy Cane Mountains, the forested Altyaghach National Park about ten kilometres west of the town, and the 240 MW Khizi–Absheron wind farm (AzerNews; AzerNews). The district had 17,903 residents at the 2019 census, with a 2025 estimate of 18,500 (CityPopulation).

Khizi’s landscapes are counted among the most beautiful in Azerbaijan, with a mild climate, dry air, and a large part of the district covered with forests and mountains (AzerNews). The national park was created on the basis of the Altiaghaj State Nature Reserve established in 1990 (Journal of Geology, Geography and Geoecology). The town is also literary: Khizi hosts the House Museum of the playwright Jafar Jabbarli, born in 1899, who lived in the house for up to two years, and his monument was erected in the centre of Khizi city in 1999 (AzerNews).

Stone, forest and striped mountains

The Candy Cane Mountains earned their nickname from their striking resemblance to the classic Christmas treat, and their astonishing colours are produced by groundwater that has altered the oxidation state of iron compounds within the rock (AzerNews). These shale mountains in the Khizi and Siyazan districts are part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range (AzerNews). Around ten kilometres west of Khizi town stand green, heavily forested hills declared Altyaghach National Park, mostly covered by temperate deciduous broadleaved forests of Persian Ironwood, Caucasian Oak, Caucasian Ash, European Hornbeam, Oriental Hornbeam, Oriental Beech, Silver Birch and White Birch (AzerNews). The park was established by Order No. 365 of the President of Azerbaijan on 31 August 2004, covers 11,035 hectares in Khizi and Siyazan districts, and holds four landscape complexes and 33 landscape types (Journal of Geology, Geography and Geoecology). Since 2004 the park has been home to the rare East Caucasian tur, a mountain-dwelling goat antelope found only in the eastern half of the Caucasus Mountains, alongside lynx, brown bear, wild boar, wolf, golden jackal, jungle cat, red fox, roe deer, badger and otter (AzerNews).

Poets, playwrights and monuments

Khizi’s literary associations run through two figures: Jafar Jabbarli and Mikayil Mushfig. Jabbarli, born in 1899, was one of Azerbaijan’s most talented and prolific artists, whose plays are still staged and whose films are still screened, and he became the first Azerbaijani screenwriter (AzerNews). His works included Baku War, Devoted Sariyya or Laughter through Tears, Shah Nasreddin, Bride of Fire, Sevil and Almaz, and he chose the freedom of women in society as the main theme of his works (AzerNews). His House Museum in Khizi holds 520 exhibits, including everyday items used by his family, the writer’s books, photos from performances, archival documents and publications (AzerNews). Mushfig, born on 5 June 1908 in Baku, came from a family rooted in the Khizi region, began his poetic career in 1926, and was arrested in 1937 and sentenced to death on 8 January 1938 (AzerNews). Older monuments include a Tikhti graveyard likely holding the tomb of Sheikh Heydar, father of Ismail I, founder of the Safavid Empire, plus the Beshbarmag tower and remains of the stone fence of the tower of Khizi (AzerNews).

The district today

Khizi District’s population grew from 8,700 in 1979 to 9,600 in 1989, then nearly doubled to 17,903 at the 2019 census, with a 2025 estimate of 18,500; in 2019 the district counted 8,863 males and 9,040 females, with 8,735 urban residents and 9,168 rural residents (CityPopulation; CityPopulation). The district’s newest landmark is energy: the 240 MW Khizi–Absheron Wind Power Plant, implemented by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, officially opened on 8 January as the first renewable facility built by ACWA Power in Azerbaijan (AzerNews). The project, whose groundbreaking was held in January 2022, was planned with 40 turbines of six megawatts each — 17 in Pirekushkul in Absheron district and 23 in Sitalchay in Khizi district — aiming to generate about one billion kilowatt-hours a year and power nearly 300,000 households (Caucasus Watch). Conservation remains a live challenge: a landscape study found that park border-setting violated instructions, that part of a highway fell inside the park, and that illegal felling is among the most urgent issues (Journal of Geology, Geography and Geoecology).

Census or estimate	District population	Change
1979 census	8,700	—
1989 census	9,600	+900
2019 census	17,903	+8,303
2025 estimate	18,500	+597

Source: CityPopulation, sourcing the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Khyzy? Khyzy is a town in eastern Azerbaijan, the capital of Khizi District in the Absheron–Khizi Economic Region. Altyaghach National Park lies about ten kilometres west of the town, and the Candy Cane Mountains stand in the Khizi and Siyazan districts of the Greater Caucasus range.

What are the Candy Cane Mountains? The Candy Cane Mountains are striped shale hills in the Khizi and Siyazan districts, named for their resemblance to the classic Christmas treat. Their red and white colours come from groundwater altering the oxidation state of iron compounds in the rock, with iron-rich layers turning red and iron-poor layers staying pale.

Who was Jafar Jabbarli? Jafar Jabbarli, born in 1899, was an Azerbaijani playwright, poet and the first Azerbaijani screenwriter, known for plays including Sevil and Almaz and for making women’s freedom his main theme. Khizi hosts his House Museum with 520 exhibits, and a monument to him was erected in the centre of Khizi city in 1999.

What is the Khizi–Absheron wind farm? The Khizi–Absheron Wind Power Plant is a 240 MW wind farm implemented by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, which officially opened on 8 January. It was planned with 40 turbines, including 23 in Sitalchay village in Khizi district, aiming to generate about one billion kilowatt-hours a year.

What this profile does not claim

• It does not assert a district establishment date or a district area figure; both are disputed or unverified in the sources read.
• It does not assert that Jafar Jabbarli was born in Khizi; the sources confirm his Khizi house-museum, his residence there and his monument, but not a Khizi birthplace.
• It does not present the Tikhti tomb as certainly Sheikh Heydar’s; the source calls it “likely to be” his tomb.
• It does not assert an etymology for the name Khizi.
• It does not claim the wind farm’s opening year beyond the dating inferred from the AzerNews analysis, as flagged in openItems.