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{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Sumqayıt
|native_name              = Sumqayıt
|settlement_type          = City & Municipality
|image_skyline            =
|imagesize                = 300px
|image_seal               = Official Sumgait Logo since 2011.png
|seal_size                = 150px
|pushpin_map              = Azerbaijan
|pushpin_mapsize          = 300
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = {{flag|Azerbaijan}}
|subdivision_type1        = [[Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan|City]]
|subdivision_name1        = Sumgait
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Zakir Fərəcov
|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = November 22, 1949
|area_total_km2           = 97,17
|area_footnotes           = 
|population_as_of         = 2015
|population_total         = 336,200
|population_density_km2   = 4,065
|timezone                 = [[Azerbaijan Time|AZT]]
|utc_offset               = +4
|coordinates              = {{coord|40|35|23|N|49|40|07|E|region:AZ|display=inline}}
|elevation_m              = 26
|area_code                = +994 18
|website                  = [http://www.sumqayit-ih.gov.az/ Official website]
}}
'''Sumqayit''' ({{lang-az|'''Sumqayıt'''}}, ''Сумгајыт'', سومقاییت; also transliterated as '''Sumgait''' or '''Sumgayit''') is the third-largest city in [[Azerbaijan]], located near the [[Caspian Sea]], about {{convert|31|km|0|abbr=off}} away from the capital, [[Baku]]. The city has a population of around 298,000, making it the third-largest [[city]] in [[Azerbaijan]] after the capital [[Baku]] and [[Ganja, Azerbaijan|Ganja]]. The city has a territory of {{convert|83|km2|0}}. It was founded on November 22, 1949.<ref name=exe>{{cite web |url=http://sumqayit-ih.gov.az/content.php?page=passport |title=Sumqayıt şəhər icra hakimiyyəti. Şəhərin pasportu |trans_title=Sumgayit Executive Power. Resume |accessdate=2010-12-29}}</ref> Two settlements are within the city administration: [[Corat|Jorat]] and [[Hacı Zeynalabdin|Haji Zeynalabdin]], a settlement named after oil businessman and philanthropist [[Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev]].  It is home to [[Sumqayit State University]].

==Etymology==
According to the local [[Azerbaijani folklore|folklore]] the city is named after the [[Sumqayit River]]. In retrospect the legend tells the tale of a hero by the name of "Sum", who is chosen by the community to fight a monster that was blocking the Sumqayit River.<ref>{{cite web|title=Əfsanələr|url=http://www.sumhistorymuseum.az/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=75|website=www.sumhistorymuseum.az|accessdate=18 November 2014|language=Azerbaijani}}</ref> Sum eventually manages to kill the monster, but when the river is released he is swept by the waters and never seen again. After that, his beloved, Jeyran, inconsolable by Sum's disappearance, would go to the river and cry "Sum qayıt!" (which means "Sum, come back!" in [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]).<ref>{{cite web|title=Tarixi Əfsanə|url=http://www.sumqayit-ih.gov.az/page/11.html|website=www.sumqayit-ih.gov.az|accessdate=18 November 2014|language=Azerbaijani}}</ref> So the river became known as Sumgayit, upon the city was named after.

==History==

===Medieval era===
According to historians, [[Medes|Medean tribes]] lived in the area. During the construction boom, when the foundation of the executive power building was being excavated, remains of an ancient [[caravanserai]] along with personal items and kitchenware was found at the site.

The first reports of settlements at the present site of Sumgayit were in 1580, when English traveller H. Barrow mentioned Sumgayit in his writings and in 1858, when [[Alexander Dumas]] wrote about the area in his memoirs ''Trip to Caucasus'', although nothing substantial was created on the site until the [[Soviet Union]] gained control over the area in the 1920s.<ref name=exe-2>{{cite web |url=http://sumqayit-ih.gov.az/content.php?page=passport |title=Sumqayıt şəhər icra hakimiyyəti. Yaranma tarixi |trans_title=Sumgayit Executive Power. History |accessdate=2010-12-29}}</ref>

===Soviet period===
Following the politics of ''[[glasnost]]'', initiated by [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], civil unrest and ethnic strife grew in various regions of the Soviet Union, including [[Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast|Nagorno-Karabakh]],<ref name=Croissant>{{Cite book | first = Croissant | last = Michael P. | author-link = | title = The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: causes and implications | place = United States of America | publisher = Praeger Publishers | year = 1998 | pages = 36, 37 | url= https://books.google.com/?id=ZeP7OZZswtcC&pg=PP1&dq=Michael+P.+Croissant&cd=3#v=onepage&q=17000 | isbn = 0-275-96241-5 }}</ref> an autonomous region of the Azerbaijan SSR.

On 22–23 February 1988 violence broke out in the town on [[Askeran (town)|Askeran]], resulting in the death of two Azerbaijanis.<ref>The New York Times, 11 March 1988, p. A6</ref> The news of the [[Askeran clash]] along with ongoing deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia sparked the [[Sumgait pogrom]] against [[Armenians|Armenian]] residents of Sumgait in Azerbaijan on 27 February.<ref>Ethnic Fears and Ethnic War In Karabagh - Stuart J. Kaufman - Page 23</ref> The violence was led, to some degree, by Azerbaijani refugees from [[Armenia]], perhaps as many as 2000<ref>Tamara Dragadze, “Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijanis,” in Graham Smith, ed., The
Nationalities Question in the Soviet Union (London: Longman, 1990), p. 175.</ref> of them made even more desperate by being forced to take shelter in the appalling conditions of Sumgait's shantytown.<ref>Moskovskie novosti, 17 April 1988, tr. in CDSP vol. 40, no. 17, pp. 12–13.</ref> The pogrom resulted in the deaths of 26 Armenians and six Azerbaijanis. As a result, the entire Armenian population fled from Sumqayit. The violence during the [[Askeran clash]] and the [[Sumgait Pogrom]] marked the starting points of [[Armenian people|Armenian]]-[[Azerbaijani people|Azerbaijani]] conflict, which triggered the [[Nagorno-Karabakh War]].<ref>Modern hatreds: the symbolic politics of ethnic war - Page 63 by Stuart J. Kaufman</ref>

===Republic era===


After Nagorno-Karabakh War, the city became home to a number of [[Refugees and internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan|Azerbaijani refugees internally displaced persons]], mainly from [[Qubadli]] and [[Zengilan]] regions.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Abbasov|first1=Shahin|title=Azerbaijan: Sumgayit Becomes Font of Syria-Bound Jihadists|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/68341|website=www.eurasianet.org|accessdate=11 November 2014}}</ref> In 1994, [[Heydar Aliyev]] initiated a large-scale Free Economic Area project on the territory of the city.<ref name=thebusinessyear/>

==Geography==
[[File:Azerbaijan map sumqayit.png|thumb|250px|Sumqayit is located about {{convert|31|km|0|abbr=on}} (approximately 20 miles) northwest of Azerbaijan's capital Baku, near the Caspian Sea.]]

===Environment===
As a result of the Soviet planning of the industrial boom era, the city became heavily polluted. Soon after Azerbaijan's independence, the industrial sectors went into decline.  The Absheron Peninsula (which consists of Sumqayit, [[Baku]] and the [[Absheron Rayon]]) was considered by scientists to be the most ecologically devastated part of Azerbaijan.  The city was known for its children's cemetery, known as the "Baby Cemetery" which contains many graves of infants born with deformities and mental retardation that were further complicated by the lack of adequate medical care for the poor.<ref>[http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/23_folder/23_articles/23_sumgayit.html Sumgayit: Soviet's Pride, Azerbaijan's Hell] by Arif Islamzade at ''Azer.com'', Autumn 1994</ref> Sumgayit was named as most polluted place on Earth by the U.S.-based environmental group the [[Blacksmith Institute]] in 2006 and placed on their list of ''The World's Most Polluted Places'' by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine in 2007.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1661031_1661028_1661024,00.html Sumgayit, Azerbaijan – The World's Most Polluted Places] ''TIME'', September 12, 2007</ref> The report noted the former Soviet industrial base was polluting the local environment with industrial chemicals like chlorine and [[heavy metal (chemistry)|heavy metals]]. The report also mentioned [[cancer]] rates in Sumgayit were as much as 51% higher than the national average and that [[mutation|genetic mutations]] and [[congenital disorder|birth defects]] were commonplace.<ref>[http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/site10a.php World's Worst Polluted Places] — by the Blacksmith Institute (accessed 2007-12-3)</ref>
The city administration prepared an environmental protection plan for 2003–2010 which has been steadily decreasing the levels of pollution to minimal. The program oversees 118 activities aimed at minimizing pollution at all possible levels of economic production. The program was prepared with participation of all industrial enterprises in the city and its enforcement is being regulated by the executive power of the city. For instance, the amount of waste water from industrial production went down from {{convert|600000|m3|cuft|abbr=on}} during the 1990s to {{convert|76300|m3|cuft|abbr=on}} in 2005. Solid waste went down from 300,000 to 3,868 tons a year. The [[World Bank]] has issued a loan to the Azerbaijani government for construction of a burial range for [[Mercury (element)|mercury]] waste.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sumqayit-ih.gov.az/content.php?page=tebii_servetler |title=Sumqayıt şəhər icra hakimiyyəti. Şəhərin ekoloji vəziyyəti |trans_title=Sumgayit Executive Power. Environmental conditions in the city |accessdate=2010-12-29}}</ref>

==Administrative divisions==
[[File:Sumqayıt şəhər İcra Hakimiyyəti.jpg|thumb|City Hall of Sumqayit.]]
The municipality of Sumqayit consists of the city of Sumqayit and the municipalities of [[Corat|Jorat]] and [[Hacı Zeynalabdin|Haji Zeynalabdin]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Sumqayıt İnzibati-İqtisadi Məhkəməsinin yeni binası|url=http://courts.gov.az/sumgayiteconomic/|website=courts.gov.az|accessdate=12 November 2014|language=Azerbaijani}}</ref> The mayor, presently [[Eldar Azizov]], embodies the executive power of the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=İcra hakimiyyətinin başçısı|url=http://www.sumqayit-ih.gov.az/page/20.html|website=www.sumqayit-ih.gov.az|accessdate=12 November 2014|language=Azerbaijani}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Expand section|date=November 2014}}
*Population: 240,000 inhabitants
*Density of population, per km²: 3621<ref name=exe/>
*Annual population upsurge (pers): 1944
*Average lifetime: 70 years

===Ethnic composition===
Azerbaijans 97.74%, Lezgin 1.13%, Russians 0.69%, Talysh 0.15%, Turkish 0.06%, others 0.23%

Until the events of the dissolution of the Soviet Union it was home to 20.000 Armenians, who as a result of tensions and war were displaced as refugees.

===Religion===
Sumqayit did not have a mosque until after the collapse of the Soviet Union.<ref name=abbasov>{{cite web|last1=Abbasov|first1=Shahin|title=Azerbaijan: Sumgayit Becomes Font of Syria-Bound Jihadists|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/68341|website=www.eurasianet.org|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> In the 2010s, the city has emerged as a center for [[Salafism]] in Azerbaijan, a form of Sunni Islam that advocates a return to Islam’s earliest practices.<ref name=abbasov/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Howard|first1=Glen E.|last2=Aslanova|first2=Leyla|title=Azerbaijani City of Sumgait Emerges as Recruitment Center for Syrian Fighters|url=http://www.jamestown.org/regions/thecaucasus/single/?tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=41923&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=642&cHash=3522e8a951772ad04a8343fc89c78bf1#.VGoxhvl_uR8|website=www.jamestown.org|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref> The [[Syrian Civil War]] and emergence of [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]] forced authorities to take action on crackdown of perceived religious radicals in Sumqayit.<ref name=abbasov/><ref>{{cite web|title=Azerbaijani government's measures to counter terrorism and civil unrest risks expected to ensure stability in three-year outlook|url=http://www.ihs.com/products/global-insight/industry-economic-report.aspx?id=1065996171|website=www.ihs.com|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Lomsadze|first1=Giorgi|title=Azerbaijan Arrests Alleged ISIS and Other Islamic Fighters|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/70141|website=www.eurasianet.org|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref>

==Economy==
{| style="float:right;"
| {{hidden
  | headercss  = width: 325px; background: #B5B5B5;
  | contentcss =
  | header     = Sumgayit's Economy Soviet Period Timeline<ref name="timeline">{{ru icon}} [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/news/newsid_3681000/3681079.stm Karabakh: Timeline of the Conflict]. ''BBC Russian''</ref>
  | content    =
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Year'''&nbsp;&nbsp; '''Event'''
*1938 Baracks for workers were created in place of Thermal Power Station. Architects begin the construction for settlers of the Sumqayit Thermal Power Station.
*1939 Foundations were built for synthetic rubber and chemical plants.
*1940 All construction activities suspended with the start of the [[Great Patriotic War]].
*1941 Thermal Power Station is launched and Baku's oil industries received its first electricity.
*1944 The construction of chemical and metallurgical plants.
*1945 Sumqayit chemical plant produced its first production and the great construction wave has been started.
*1949 Settlement awarded city status by Presidium of Supreme Soviet of [[Azerbaijan SSR]]
*1955 Sumgayit Aluminum plant established
*1957 Construction of scientific-research institutes and cultural centers, the city infrastructure is being developed.
*1960 Europe's largest petrol-chemical plant construction has started
*1970 The development of light and machine-building industries in the city.
}}
|}
In 1935, the Soviet government decided to develop heavy industry in the [[Absheron Peninsula]], and the future location of Sumgayit was chosen based on its proximity to [[Baku]] and its key position on existing railroad lines.

Between 1938–1941, a [[thermal power station]] was constructed to power Baku's growing [[Petroleum industry in Azerbaijan|petroleum industry]].  This was soon followed by more heavy industries. Due to [[World War II]] the construction of the area stopped and resumed in 1944, when [[metallurgical]] and [[chemical industry|chemical plants]] were constructed and put into operation. The first production of ''Sumgayit Chemical Plant'' led to a rapid growth and construction boom, creating a new job market, and a need for a resident population. In 1949, Sumgayit gained official city status according to resolution of the [[Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan SSR]]. In 1952, a tube-rolling plant delivered its first produce thus developing black metallurgy production in Azerbaijan. The same year, another new [[Synthetic rubber|Synthetic Rubber]] Production Plant started its operations producing [[ethylene]] obtained from [[petroleum|oil]]. Operations at ''Sumgayit Steel Processing Plant'' and ''Sumgayit Aluminium Plant'' were commenced in 1953 and 1955, respectively. In 1957–1955, a number of scientific research facilities and cultural centers were built, leading to further development of the city infrastructure. In 1960, authorities started building the Petroleum Chemical Factory, the largest in [[Europe]] at the time. From 1961 through 1968, a [[brick]]-producing factory, a [[polymer|polymer construction materials]] industrial complex, a [[Phosphor#Materials|phosphor]] production plant were built. In 1970–'80s, [[light industry]] and mechanical engineering facilities were added to the industrial base of the city. By the end of the 1980s, Sumgayit was already the center of the chemical industry of the USSR.<ref name=exe-2/>

After the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], Sumgayit has remained Azerbaijan's second-biggest industrial center after Baku.<ref name=thebusinessyear>{{cite web|title=Renewed Dreams|url=http://www.thebusinessyear.com/publication/article/43/3639/azerbaijan-2014/renewed-dreams|website=www.thebusinessyear.com|accessdate=11 November 2014}}</ref> Some of the most significant companies operating in the city are Azerpipe, Azeraluminium, Sumqayit Aluminium, Sumqayit Superphosphate, glass producer Khazar OJSC, Sumqayit Knitted Goods Factory, and Sumqayit Compressors, many of which have been privatized.<ref name=thebusinessyear/>

In 2011, the development of Sumgayit Technology Park (STP) and Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park (SCIP) started to receive investor attention.<ref name=thebusinessyear/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Barron|first1=Lisa|title=Azerbaijan’s Sumgayit industrial park may spur new job growth|url=http://cistranfinance.com/news/azerbaijans-sumgayit-industrial-park-may-spur-new-job-growth/3830/|website=cistranfinance.com|accessdate=11 November 2014}}</ref> The {{convert|167|ha|acre|adj=on}} complex will host pharmaceutical, construction, and agricultural businesses, in addition to chemical, automotive, and electronics producers.<ref name=thebusinessyear/> It is meant as a self-sufficient complex, which will include residential facilities, an exhibition center, laboratories, sports center, schools, and hospitals. SCIP aims to attract domestic and foreign investors, and its management has already received proposals for 20 investment projects in the complex.<ref name=thebusinessyear/>

==Culture==
===Architecture===
The first studies in architecture and urban planning of the city of Sumgait were carried out by Azerbaijani and Soviet scientist, academician of the International Academy of Architecture of the Eastern Countries, honored architect of Azerbaijan SSR [[Kamal Mammadbeyov]]. The result of years of research were numerous scientific publications and a book about architectural and planning development of the city of Sumgait.<ref name=SumgayitBook>{{cite book | last = Mamedbekov | first = Kamal | authorlink = | year = 1988 | location = Baku | title = Sumgait: Architectural and planning development | pages = 119 | edition = | publisher = Elm, Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan SSR | url = https://books.google.com/books/about/Сумгаит.html?id=pqO0AAAAIAAJ | accessdate = 2013-01-03}}</ref> Mammadbeyov donated a large number of graphics and illustrations made by him to the archives of The City Museum.

===Music and media===
[[Sumgayit]] was credited as the main regional driving force behind rock bands of the 1990s including [[Yuxu]], [[Miraj (band)|Miraj]], [[Mozalan]], and [[Sirr (band)|Sirr]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Yenə də Sumqayıt…|url=http://sumqayitxeber.com/aktual/yen%C9%99-d%C9%99-sumqayit.html|website=sumqayitxeber.com|accessdate=30 June 2014|language=Azerbaijani}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sumqayıt rok ənənələrini bərpa edir|url=http://www.inradio.tv/index.php?lang=az&menu=1&cid=c7b11909de826c5b7decab63b427c780&newsID=3d8d5725f7981fe23779964ecc42eecc|website=www.inradiotv.|accessdate=30 June 2014|language=Azerbaijani}}</ref>

The regional channel ''Dünya TV'' and newspaper ''365 Gün'' are headquartered in the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=Radio-TV yayımı|url=http://www.mincom.gov.az/fealiyyet/radio-tv-yayimi/|accessdate=13 November 2014|language=Azerbaijani}}</ref>

===Parks and gardens===
During the Soviet rule of Azerbaijan, Sumgayit was believed to have the longest and cleanest [[boulevard]] in the republic. The ''Culture and Leisure Park'' was laid on {{convert|23|ha|acre|abbr=off}} of Sumgayit coastline in 1967. On August 17, 1978 the park was given the name of a distinguished [[Azerbaijani people|Azerbaijani]] poet [[Imadaddin Nasimi]]. The same year, the city administration raised the [[Peace Dove (Sumgayit)|Peace Dove]] monument in the middle of the park assigning the city a symbol of peace.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://az.trend.az/news/politics/1761904.html |title=Sumqayıt nümayəndə heyəti Mogilyovda səfərdədir |trans_title= Sumgayit delegation is visiting Mogilev |publisher=[[Trend News Agency]] |author=K. Zarbaliyeva |date= 2010-10-06 |accessdate=2010-12-29}}</ref>

The flora of the park includes 39 types of trees. Events of the 1990s such as the [[Black January]] tragedy and [[Nagorno-Karabakh War]], led to establishment of ''Stars'' (Ulduzlar) and ''20 January Monument'' monuments in the park. In the eastern section of the park, ''Shehidler Khiyabani'' similar to [[Martyrs' Lane]] in Baku was established as burial ground for thousands of soldiers from Sumgayit who died during the war. According to the Decree No. 132 of the [[Cabinet of Azerbaijan|Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan]] dated August 2, 2001 the park was given the status of national historical importance. Its current size is 80 [[hectare|ha]].

In addition to Nasimi Culture and Leisure Park, the city administration built ''Ludwigshafen Park'' in 1997 in celebration of the 20th anniversary of [[Twin towns and sister cities|twin-city]] relations between [[Ludwigshafen]] and Sumgayit. In 1999, ''Heydar Aliyev Park'' and ''Luna Park'' were built in the rapidly growing city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sumqayit-ih.gov.az/content.php?page=parklar |title=Sumqayıt şəhər icra hakimiyyəti. Parklar və istirahət bağları |trans_title=Sumgayit Executive Power. Parks and Leisure facilities |accessdate=2010-12-29}}</ref>

===Sports===
The city has one professional [[football (soccer)|football]] team competing in the top-flight of [[Azerbaijan]]i football – [[Sumgayit FK|Sumgayit]], currently playing in the [[Azerbaijan Premier League]].

==Transport==

===Public transport===
[[File:Koroghlu avenue, Sumgait.JPG|thumb|right|The city's Koroghlu avenue.]]
Sumqayit has a large urban transport system, mostly managed by the [[Ministry of Transportation (Azerbaijan)|Ministry of Transportation]].

The city had a [[Trams in Sumqayit|tram system]] that functioned from 1959 to 2003.<ref name=electrtrans>{{cite web|title=16. Сумгаит (трамвай) |trans_title=16. Sumqayit (tram)|url=http://transit.parovoz.com/masstransit/index.php?ID=16|work=Горэлектротранс (Electrotrans) website|publisher=Дмитрий Зиновьев (Dmitry Zinoviev)|accessdate=23 September 2012|archivedate=31 January 2013|language=ru}}</ref> Ganja's [[Trolleybuses in Sumqayit|trolleybus system]] at its height, it consisted of eight lines and existed until 2006.<ref name=electrotrans>{{cite web|title=17. Сумгаит (троллейбус)  |trans_title=17. Sumqayit (trolleybus)|url=http://transit.parovoz.com/masstransit/index.php?ID=17|work=Горэлектротранс (Electrotrans) website|publisher=Дмитрий Зиновьев (Dmitry Zinoviev)|accessdate=23 September 2012|archivedate=4 January 2013|language=ru}}</ref>

In 2013, [[Ministry of Transportation (Azerbaijan)|Ministry of Transportation]] stated that city, along with [[Ganja, Azerbaijan|Ganja]] and [[Nakhchivan (city)|Nakhchivan]] will have new [[Rapid transit|subway]] line within the framework of the 20-year subway program.<ref>{{cite web|title=Subway to be constructed in Sumgayit, Nakhchivan and Ganja|url=http://en.apa.az/news_subway_to_be_constructed_in_sumgayit__na_192507.html|website=en.apa.az|accessdate=10 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Subways to open in major Azerbaijani cities|url=http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/53594.html|website=www.azernews.az|accessdate=10 November 2014}}</ref>

==Education==
{{As of|2011}}, Sumgayit boasted 49 schools, 13 vocational and music schools, [[Sumgait Private Turkish High School]] and a teachers' institute.<ref name=thebusinessyear/>

The only university in the city is [[Sumqayit State University]]. The university has seven departments and approximately 4000 students.

==Notable residents==
{{details|:Category:People from Sumgayit}}
Some of the city's many prestigious residents include: chess players [[Shakhriyar Mamedyarov]] and [[Zeinab Mamedyarova]], [[balaban (instrument)|balaban]] player [[Alihan Samedov]], footballers [[Nazim Suleymanov]], [[Kamal Guliyev]] and [[Mahir Shukurov]], [[Ilham Zakiyev]], two-time world and five-time blind judo champion and two-time gold medalist in the [[Paralympic Judo|paralympics]] and karateka [[Rafael Aghayev]].

Archbishop [[Pargev Martirosyan]] the current Primate of the [[Diocese of Artsakh]] of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] is also from Sumqayit.

<center>
<gallery perrow=5>
File:Maxir Sukurov.jpg|[[Mahir Shukurov]], is one of the most capped football players for [[Azerbaijan national football team]].
File:Nazim Suleymanov.jpg|[[Nazim Suleymanov]], [[FC Alania Vladikavkaz|Alania Vladikavkaz]]'s all-time goalscorer.
File:Rafayel Agayev.jpg|[[Rafael Aghayev]], four-time World and eight-time European champion.<ref>[http://azerisport.com/karate/20100508120155704.html Рафаэль Агаев – семикратный чемпион Европы!] {{ru icon}}</ref>
File:Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2013(2).jpg|[[Shakhriyar Mamedyarov]], one of the world's top chess [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmasters]].
File:Ilham Zakiyev.jpg|[[Ilham Zakiyev]], two-time world and five-time blind judo champion and two-time gold medalist in the [[Paralympic Judo|paralympics]].
</gallery>
</center>

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Asia#Azerbaijan|l1=List of twin towns and sister cities in Azerbaijan}}

===Twin towns and sister cities===
Sumqayit is [[Town twinning|twinned]] with the following cities:<ref name="Azerbaijan twinnings">{{cite web|url=http://www.azerbaijans.com/content_1719_en.html|title=Twin-cities of Azerbaijan|accessdate=2013-08-09|work=Azerbaijans.com}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|
*{{flagicon|GEO}} [[Rustavi]], Georgia, <small>(since 1952)</small><ref name=sumtwinz>{{cite web|title=Sumqayit's history|url=http://www.sumhistorymuseum.az/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=90|website=www.sumhistorymuseum.az|accessdate=13 November 2014|language=Azerbaijani}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Cherkasy]], Ukraine, <small>(since 1972)</small><ref name=sumtwinz/>
*{{flagicon|ROU}} [[Piteşti]], Romania, <small>(since 1971)</small><ref name=sumtwinz/>
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Ludwigshafen]], Germany, <small>(since 1977)</small><ref name=sumtwinz/>
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Bari]], Italy, <small>(since 2004)</small><ref>{{cite web|title=EXECUTIVE ORDER OF PRESIDENT OF THE AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC|url=http://azertag.az/en/xeber/EXECUTIVE_ORDER_OF_PRESIDENT_OF_THE_AZERBAIJAN_REPUBLIC-555113|website=azertag.az|accessdate=13 November 2014}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|KAZ}} [[Aktau]], Kazakhstan, <small>(since 2009)</small><ref>{{cite web|title="Sumqayıt şəhəri (Azərbaycan Respublikası) və Aktau şəhəri (Qazaxıstan Respublikası) arasında qardaşlaşmış şəhər münasibətlərinin yaradılması haqqında Birgə Bəyannamə"ni imzalamaq səlahiyyətinin verilməsi barədə|url=http://e-qanun.az/files/framework/data/19/f_19141.htm|website=e-qanun.az|accessdate=13 November 2014|language=Azerbaijani}}</ref>
||
*{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Linz]], Austria, <small>(since 2009)</small><ref>{{cite web|title=SUMGAIT TO BE TWINNED WITH AUSTRIA`S LINZ.|url=http://www.oananews.org/node/69304|website=www.oananews.org|accessdate=13 November 2014}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|BLR}} [[Mogilev]], Belarus, <small>(since 2009)</small><ref>{{cite web|script-title=ru:Могилев и азербайджанский Сумгаит подписали договор о побратимстве|url=http://gorki.gov.by/news/region-news/2798-1.html|website=gorki.gov.by|accessdate=13 November 2014|language=Russian}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Nevinnomyssk]], Russia, <small>(since 2011)</small><ref>{{cite web|script-title=ru:У Сумгайыта появился город-побратим|url=http://news.day.az/society/291631.html|website=news.day.az|accessdate=13 November 2014|language=Russian}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Genoa]], Italy, <small>(since 2013)</small><ref>{{cite web|title=Siglato il memorandum d'intenti tra Genova e Sumqayit, città azera|url=http://www.comune.genova.it/content/siglato-oggi-il-memorandum-dintenti-tra-genova-e-sumqayit-citt%C3%A0-azera|website=www.comune.genova.it|accessdate=13 November 2014|language=Italian}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|PRC}} [[Zhuzhou]], China<ref name="Azerbaijan twinnings"/>
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Ceyhan]], Turkey<ref name="Azerbaijan twinnings"/>
|}

==See also==
* [[Shaki, Azerbaijan|Shaki]]
* [[Lankaran]]
* [[Nakhchivan (city)|Nakchivan]]
* [[Mingachevir]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://sumqayit-ih.gov.az/ Sumqayıt Şəhər İcra Hakimiyyətinin rəsmi İnternet saytı]
*[http://sumqayit.edu.az/ Sumqayıt Təhsil Şöbəsi ]
*[http://sumqayitxeber.com/ Sumqayıt Xəbər ]
*[http://www.sumqayit.su/ Sumgait foto video galereya]
*[http://www.sumqayit.ru/ Sumqayit forum]
*[http://www.axtaraq.biz/directory Sumqayit Companies]
*[http://www.axtaraq.biz/directory/tourism/hotels Browse hotels in Sumqayit]

{{Sumqayit}}
{{Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan}}
{{coord|40|35|23|N|49|40|07|E|type:city|display=title}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places in Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:Districts of Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:Sumqayit| ]]
[[Category:Port cities in Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:Cities and towns built in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Caspian Sea]]
[[Category:1949 establishments in Azerbaijan]]