Goygol ( , known as Helenendorf before 1931, Yelenino in 1931–1938, Khanlar in 1938–2008) is a city, municipality and the capital of the Goygol District in northwestern Azerbaijan. It is around south of Azerbaijan's second-largest city, Ganja. The city of Goygol has a population of 37,200 (est. 2010). The municipality includes the city of Goygol and the village of Qızılqaya. Geography Location Goygol is situated in northwestern Azerbaijan south of Ganja city in the foothills of the Murovdag of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains. It is in the Kura River Basin, and the Gyandzha River () runs through the city. A spur to Ganja connects it to the Baku-Kazakh railway, and there is a highway into Ganja. Climate Goygol has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa). July is the hottest month with an average temperature of and January is the coldest with an average temperature of . The wettest month is May with an average of . History There has been a settlement at Goygol since at least the tenth century. An extensive cemetery was excavated in the 1990s, with many bronze weapons (swords, daggers, axes), some jewelry (rings, bracelets, necklaces), and clay black dishes with the geometric designs, some of which are on display at the local museum. Under the Ganja Khanate a Tatar town on the site was known as Hanahlar. Subsequently, in 1795 it was conquered by the Qajar dynasty. It was abandoned during the Russian occupation of the area which began in 1804 and was formalised by the Treaty of Gulistan (Gyulistan Peace Treaty) in 1813. Helenendorf was founded on the site in 1819 by Germans from Württemberg, as ordered by Czar Alexander to help settle the region. The region was known as Narimanov under the czar. In 1930 the rayon (district) was established with Helenendorf as its administrative centre. Expropriation of the colonists property and collectivization in Helenendorf began in 1926 with the show trial of three community leaders, Gottlob Hummel, Heinrich Vohrer and Fritz Reitenbach, on charges of counter-revolutionary and nationalist activities. They were convicted, their property confiscated and they were sent to a labor camp in Kazakhstan. By 1935, over 600 German families in the area had been convicted of "espionage" and sent to labor camps. In 1931 the town was renamed Yelenino, and in 1938 the town was renamed Khanlar, in honor of the Azerbaijani labor organizer Khanlar Safaraliyev, and the