It was named after a nearby eponymous lake; the name literally means bitter lake in Azerbaijani.[2] It was granted urban-type settlement status in 1934 and town status in 1938.[2] In 1939, the town was renamed Kazi-Magomed (alternatively spelled Qaziməmməd and Qazıməmməd), after revolutionary Kazi Magomed Agasiyev.[2] The original name was restored in 2000.