On November 20, 2020, under the terms of the Trilateral Ceasefire Declaration signed on November 10, 2020 between the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the Aghdam district (including the city of Aghdam) was returned to the Republic of Azerbaijan.  Aghdam is the first city that was liberated from the Armenian occupation not during the hostilities. Qarabag.com has prepared the material on the history of the administrative and territorial division of the city of Aghdam from the time of the Karabakh Khanate to the present.

The administrative center of the Aghdam district – the city of Aghdam is located in the southwestern part of the Karabakh plain, on the left bank of the Qarqar river.

Aghdam was founded in 1741 (1747).
[The USSR: administrative and territorial division of the Union Republics as of January 1, 1980. 1980, p. 443]
[The Azerbaijani SSR: administrative and territorial division as at January 1, 1961, p. 12]
[Map of the Caucasus region with indication of the borders as at 1799.  Tiflis., 1899]

In 1813, according to the Treaty of Gulistan, the Karabakh Khanate (including Aghdam) became a part of the Russian Empire.
[E. Weidenbaum.  A guide to the Caucasus. Tiflis, 1888., p. 146]

In 1823, Aghdam was designated as the Tatar (Turkic) village of Aghdam.
[The description of the Karabakh province compiled in 1823 by Active State Councillor Mogilev and by Colonel Ermolov II on the order of Commander-in-chief of Georgia Ermolov. Tiflis, 1866, p. 286]

According to the administrative and territorial divisions of the Union Republics as of 1964 and 1980, Aghdam was officially designated as a city in 1828.  However, in V. Sidorov’s book “The Caucasus. Travel notes and impressions” of 1897, Aghdam is indicated as a large village.
[The Azerbaijani SSR. Administrative and territorial division.1964  p. 12]
[The USSR: administrative and territorial division of the Union Republics as at 1 January 1980. 1980, p. 443]
[V.Sidorov. Across Russia. 2.  Caucasus. Travel notes and impressions. Practical information for a tourist. St. Petersburg, 1897, p. 238]

In 1835, the Karabakh province (including Aghdam) became a part of the Muslim Provinces of Transcaucasia of the Russian Empire.
[O. Evetsky. Statistical description of the Transcaucasian region. St. Petersburg, 1835. p. 24]

In 1840, The Karabakh province (including Aghdam) was included in the newly formed Caspian region, all magals were renamed into districts, and provinces were renamed into uyezds.  Consequently, the Karabakh province was renamed to Karabakh Uyezd.
[The Caucasian calendar as of 1871. Tiflis, 1870.  Section 2. Historical overview of the Baku governorate, pp. 44-45]

In 1846, the Karabakh Uyezd, which included Aghdam, was renamed to Shusha Uyezd.
[The Caucasian calendar as of 1868. Tiflis, 1868.  Section 3. The Historical overview of civil institutions of the Caucasus and the Transcaucasian region., p. 398]

In 1855, Aghdam was indicated as part of the Keberly magal of the Shusha Uyezd.
[The Caucasian calendar for 1856., p. 390]

In 1868, Shusha Uyezd (including Aghdam) became a part of Elizavetpol province.
[The Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire.  The second collection.  Volume XLII.  Section 2. St. Petersburg, 1871., p. 383]
[The Caucasian calendar as of 1869. Tiflis, 1868.  Section 2, p. 115]
[The Caucasian calendar as of 1892. Tiflis, 1891.  Section ll. Chronological index., p. 33]
[E.Kondratenko. The Caucasian calendar as of 1917. Tiflis, 1916. Statistical Section., p. 64]

During the years of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920), Aghdam was a part of the Shusha Uyezd of the Ganja province.
[Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920). Legislative acts (Collection of Documents) 1998, p. 157;176]

In 1919-1920, Aghdam was incorporated into the Karabakh Governorate-General.
[Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920). Legislative acts (Collection of Documents) 1998, p. 389]

In 1925-1929, Aghdam was designated as the administrative center of Aghdam Uyezd.
[Territorial and administrative division of the USSR as at January 1, 1925, 1925, p. 200]
[S.I.Sulkevich. The administrative and political structure of the USSR (Materials on territorial transformations from 1914 to July 1, 1925) 1926, p. 207]
[Transcaucasia. Administrative boundaries as at August 1, 1927]
[Administrative and territorial division of the USSR and the list of the most important settlements with a chronological list of resolutions on changing the borders of provinces, regions and republics from 1917 to 1929, 1929, p. 114;125]

On August 8, 1930, Aghdam Uyezd was transformed into Aghdam district with the center in the city of Aghdam.
[The Azerbaijani SSR: administrative and territorial division as at January 1, 1977.1979, p. 6]
[Administrative and territorial division of the USSR (The districts and the cities of the USSR) 1931, p. 226]

Following the independence of Azerbaijan, in 1991, the Aghdam district retained its administrative and territorial status with its centre in the city of Aghdam.

On July 23, 1993, Aghdam was occupied by Armenian armed formations.
[Thomas de Waal.  Black Garden. Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War. 2003, p. 385]