Ganja is one of the most ancient cities not only in Azerbaijan, but also in all of the East. The town was settled among greens and gardens on extensive fertile plain in foothills of Small Caucasus.

Ancient Ganja was a trade and crafts center and played a huge role in economic life of the Near and Mean East. Since long ago the city of Ganja was known in the Near East as one of the centers of Azerbaijanian culture. The history of this city ascends to IV-V century. The best period of Ganja’s heyday concerns to XII century when the city lived its gold epoch. It was an epoch when here lived and created great Azerbaijanian poets, such outstanding foremen of word as Abil-Ula, Mahsati hanum Ganjavi, Nizami Ganjavi (the author of Khamseh (Pentensemble) - a masterpiece, which is considered to be one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's poetry and belongs to the treasury of the world literature).

The population of city was engaged mainly by the sericulture. Goods produced from the Ganja silk were well known all over the world. In XII – XIII centuries Ganja was the center of the science and art. Azerbaijan Atabays, mainly Jahan Pahlivan and Gizil Arslan patronized local poets, musicians, actors, doctors and scientists.

This battle sabre of XVII century had witnessed the glorious period of greatness of Ganja

In 1139 the city was ruined by strong earthquake. Then, Ganja experienced numerous attacks of Georgian feudal lords. Mongols managed to level the town with the ground. But Ganja stayed alive, always being rebuilded.

In XV Ganja was included in structure of the state of Garagoyunlu, then Aghgoyunlu. In XVI Ganja has got under authority of Sefevids. In XVI-XVII during the Turkish-Iranian wars Ganja passed from one party to another and backwards. After these invasions the ancient center of science, poetry, crafts and trade could not restore its glory easily. Only in XVII century in 7 kilometers from ancient city, the new city of Ganja was built. It could not play the town's former role in economic and cultural life of Azerbaijan. But still from XVII century till the beginning of XIX century Ganja was the capital of the Ganja Khanate.

In 1804 Russian forces took over Ganja, and the city was renamed to Yelizavetpol by the name of the Queen Elizabeth – the wife of the king Alexander I. In the end of XIX century and in the beginning of XX the social-economic rise has touched Ganja. This period is significant by a heyday of creativity of Mirza Shafi Vazeh, Ali Nazmi and other known Azerbaijanian enlighterners. In this period handicraft played sufficient role in economic life of the city. Goods produced by the Ganja handicraftsmen were wide spread not only in the Southern Caucasus, but in the markets of Eastern countries as well.

It is known that numerous Armenian, Russian and German colonists were moved to Ganja. There were factories, plants and other enterprises operating in Ganja as a property of foreign owners. For example, the "Ferrer and sons" company was producing vine, cognac and other alcohol products. Yelizavetinskaya", "Pobeda", "S.Tahmazov and Co.", "Yelena" and other local companies were also engaged in production of alcohol products. Thus in the beginning of XX century the city of Ganja was one of the advanced industrial and cultural centers of Azerbaijan after Baku and Shaki. The local business played a significant role in development of trade. After the October revolution of 1917, when Baku was under strongest influence of Russian-Armenian armed groups, Ganja for a while performed a temporary capital of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.