NUKHA  , a

town of Russian Caucasia, in the government of Elizavetpol, and previous to 1819 the capital of the khanate of Sheki, lying 57 in . N.E. of the town of Elizavetopol, at the S. foot of the main chain of the Caucasus . Pop . (1861) 22,618; (1897) 24,811; mainly Tatars, with some Armenians . The cupola of the church in the fortress is 2455 ft. above the sea-level, in 410 12' 18" N. and 470 12' 7" E . The fortress, a square enclosure, erected in 1765, contains the palace, built in 1790 in the original Persian style . The leading industry is the breeding of silkworms and the spinning of silk . Nukha was a mere village down to the middle of the 18th century, when it was chosen by Hajji Chelyabi, the founder of the khanate of Sheki, as his residence . The Russian occupation dates from 1807, though the annexation was not completed till 1819 .