Coordinates 38°45'13?N 48°51'04?E / 38.75361°N 48.85111°E / 38.75361; 48.85111The Talysh have preserved their old traditions and customs. They number about 30,000 in an area of about 600 km², sometimes referred as Talyshtan. The name Lankaran is said to come from the Talish words for 'Cane house', that is 'Lan Karan'. The city was built on a swamp along the northern bank of the river bearing the city's name. There are remains of human settlements in the area dating back to the Neolithic period as well as ruins of fortified villages from the Bronze and Iron Ages.
The city is rather recent, dating from the 16th century. Lankaran was for a long time the capital of the Talysh Khanate, which enjoyed variable degrees of independence throughout history. It was first held by Russia from 1728 to 1735, but only fell definitively to Russia's General Kotlyarevsky in 1813, that status having been confirmed by the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828.
The Lankaran region is an important producer of spring and winter vegetables. Rice, grapes, tobacco, citrus trees and oak woods thrive in the warm climate. However the main and most famous crop is tea, which is processed at a local tea factories. Other industries are centered around food processing, furniture, silk, wood and fine carpets.
