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Quba District · Azerbaijan

The Red Town of the Mountain Jews

Across a single bridge from Quba lies Krasnaya Sloboda — for nearly three centuries the only all-Jewish town outside Israel, and the living heart of the Mountain Jews of the Caucasus.

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The Town

A Jewish world that never disappeared

On the left bank of the Qudyalchay river, opposite the town of Quba, stands a place unlike any other. Founded in the 18th century as a sanctuary, Krasnaya Sloboda — Qırmızı Qəsəbə in Azerbaijani — has been home to the Mountain Jews for generations. Synagogues still open their doors, the Juhuri language is still spoken in its lanes, and every summer the children of the town return from across the world.

1742founded as a Jewish haven
~3,000residents today
12+historic synagogues
1000+years of Jewish life

Unique in the world

The last shtetl

Krasnaya Sloboda is often called the only surviving all-Jewish town outside Israel — a place where an entire community has kept its faith, language and way of life intact for centuries, sheltered by the long tradition of tolerance in Azerbaijan.

Meet the community

A town reborn

Restored by its own children

Many who left for Israel, Moscow and New York never let go of home. Benefactors born in these lanes have restored the synagogues, paved the streets and, in 2020, opened the first Museum of Mountain Jews — so the story of the town would never be lost.

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A people that keeps its home keeps its soul.

Come and see it for yourself

A short drive from Baku, a single bridge from Quba — and a world apart. Plan your visit to Krasnaya Sloboda.