Shamkir, historically known as Annenfeld, is a city located in the west of Azerbaijan. The city is located in the northern foothills of the Lesser Caucasus, on the Tbilisi-Yevlakh highway, 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) from the Dallar railway station. It is the eighth-largest city in Azerbaijan by population. The distance between Baku and Baku is 399 km.
The name of the city of Shamkir is connected with the name of the ancient fortress of the same name. The ruins of that castle remain 20 km east of the city, near the village of Mukhtariyat. According to one theory, the name Shamkir means a place covered in green. It is believed that the city of Shamkir was founded in the 5th - 6th centuries. In the Middle Ages, this city, known as Shamkur, was located on the bank of the Great Shamkir river, which flows from the territory of the Lesser Caucasus. At that time, the area of the city was 20 hectares. There is a feudal castle with eight towers. The riches of this city always attracted foreign merchants and foreign invaders. After the city was destroyed again, the few residents left Shamkir and settled 9-10 km away from the previous settlement. There are wine and cognac factories in the city, as well as a local industrial plant.
The current city of Shamkir was founded in 1818 by Germans who moved here. In the summer of that year, 194 German families who moved from Tbilisi to the Yelizavetpol district of Azerbaijan (now Ganja) built two colonies called Yelenendorf (now Khanlar (Goygol) district) and Annenfeld near Shamkhor (now Shamkir). In 1939, Shamkir received the status of a city-type settlement.