(Source: http://www.hrono.ru/land/russ/azov.php)

Azov is not located on the shore of the Azov Sea, as you might think, but it stands on the River Don and its feeder – the Azovka river. The distance from the city to the Gulf of Taganrog is about fifteen kilometers and 25 kilometers up to Rostov-on-Don by a good highway.

The historical part of Azov is concentrated around the port of Azov. It is really a pleasure to walk there. Here you can see beautiful old buildings, including an impressive and well maintained building of the former city council, the sample pseudo-Russian style of the late XIX century. Now this is an Azov paleontological and  Local History Museum. Taking into consideration the antiquity of the city, there are the remarkable exhibits from the collection of Sarmatian gold to fossil animals. For example, the reconstructed skeleton of a huge southern mammoth, named as Mammuthustrogontherii. If you are interested in the fossil elephants, do not miss it as Azov Trogontherium is the only one in the country.

The central square of Azov, though called as the Square of Peter, looks like a typical "Lenin Square". He is standing here and squinted towards the quiet Don, and the Soviet monster-hotels are lined on the perimeter of the square. Anyway, it is comfortable to stay in these hotels because all interesting sights are in walking distance. The public beach on the banks of the Don is near the hand, but it is necessary to walk by a pretty shaky suspension footbridge.

The Don in the area of Azov is really quiet, the banks of the river are overgrown with reeds, the beach is surrounded by a wooded park. The Azov sea port is considered to be a big marine port and plays an important role in the transportation of cargoes from the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov up to the Don and to the middle of Russia. Before it was possible to sail by  a rocket or a small motorship from Azov to Rostov-on-Don and Taganrog.

Today it is possible to boat only to Zadonye district, located on the opposite river bank. There is no need for the tourists to sail to Zadonye, in general, there is nothing to see except the the private sector. On the mooring you can see the ads tours by private motorships, which usually means a fishing trip. Citizens-vacationers go outside with a pleasure as fishing is a famous on the Don.

History

The people settled here long time ago. Moreover, even before our era flourishing factories were formed by the Greeks here, and in 115 BC Azov was conquered by Mithridates Pontic.

After a long transfer from hand to hand, in the X century the place was owned by Rusich, in the composition of Tmutarakan principality, and in the second half of the XI century, the delta of the Don was seized by the cuman. During that period the city was called Azak, and then became Azov.

By the XIII century Azov passed to the Genoese, who fortified it with the stone walls and towers. However, the city flourished at the time when Azov went to the Golden Horde. However, today we are unlikely to value the beauty of towers and castles of that period as well as the Genoese or the Greek ones, just the ruins. In 1395 Tamerlane conquered Azak-Azov and did not leave one stone upon another in the city. The Genoese tried to recreate it later, but the grandeur has been lost. In 1471 Azak and surrounding lands were seized by the Turks.

According to the testimony of diplomats of that time, "Azov has transferred from a noble commercial city into a direct kidnapping place, a nest and a cave of robbers".

In 1696 Peter I regained the fortress of Azov from the Turks, opening the way to the southern seas for Russia. To accomplish this task he ordered to build a navy that got its baptism of fire under the walls of Azov. And finally Azov and the south-east coast of the Azov Sea up to the Ei River was annexed to Russia in 1774 under the Kyuchuk Kaynardzhiisk Treaty with Turkey.