Samukh District () is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north-west of the country and belongs to the Ganja-Dashkasan Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Goranboy, Goygol, Shamkir, Tovuz, Qakh, Yevlakh, city of Ganja and the Kakheti region of Georgia. Its capital and largest city is Samukh. As of 2020, the district had a population of 58,800. History The name "Samukh" comes from a Caucasian Albanian word for 'Forest Hunting Place'. A related term, Samonis, is used to mark this area on Ptolemy's 2nd-century BC map of the Caucasus. There are Bronze Age burial mounds around Samux Town. As an administrative unit, an entity known as Samukh Rayon was formed in 1930, centred on Garachayly settlement. However, in 1954, the construction of Mingechevir Hydro Power Plant rendered the region impractical as an administrative unit and Samukh Rayon was abolished, its territory thereafter falling within an expanded Safaraliyev Rayon. Safaraliyev Rayon had itself been detached from the Ganjabasar on January 24, 1940, by Decree No.11 of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR. In 1959, Safaraliyev Rayon was itself abolished. However, after Azerbaijan's independence, the entity was recreated albeit under the name Samukh Rayon according to Decree No.72 of National Soviet of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan on February 18, 1992. Its administrative center, Safaraliyev settlement, was renamed Nəbiağalı on December 31, 1992, then renamed again as Samux during 2008. Population By the beginning of 2017, the population of the region was 57.1 thousand, of which 21.4 thousand were urban population and 35.5 thousand were rural population. In 2018, total population increased by 0.6 thousand people and was 57,7. By the beginning of 2018, 28.9 thousand or 49.6% of the total population are men, 28.8 thousand or 50.4% are women. Also, 1860 refugees are displaced in the region. Census states that 97.88 percent of the population are Azerbaijanis, 0.07-Russians, 0.54-Turkish, 1.40-Kurds and the remaining belong to other ethnic groups. Geography There are such rare trees as Eldar pear and Gum-tree, which grow right on rocks, not saline lands. The tree grows only on an area of 392 hectares in Samukh. The Eldar pine-tree emits a lot of oxygen, therefore, it is good for those suffering from asthma. Historical monuments and heritage Many famous kurgans are found in Samukh. They belong to Bronze/Stone ages. Also, there is a famous natural monuments-old trees the age