Qabala District (Azerbaijani: Qəbələ rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north of the country in the Shaki-Zagatala Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Oghuz, Shaki, Agdash, Goychay, Ismayilli, Quba, Qusar, and the Russian Republic of Dagestan. Its capital and largest city is Qabala. As of 2020, the district had a population of 107,800.

Qabala bears the name of the ancient Gabala, a city that was the capital of the ancient state of Caucasian Albania. The ruins of the old city are located 20 kilometres southwest of the present center of the district. The remnants of the large buildings, city gates, tower walls, and patterns of material culture indicate that Gabala was one of the most prominent cities at that time.

Ancient Gabala was founded as a city in the late 4th-early 3rd century BC and survived up to the mid-18th century AD. Many changes occurred in the life of the city through the period of its existence. Due to different historical events, the city was damaged more than once.

Though the Roman troops attacked Albania in the 60s BC, they were unable to occupy Gabala. During the Sassanid period, Qabala was a large trade and handicraft center. The situation remained the same in the times of the Islamic caliphate. Though Qabala experienced a decline during the Mongolian invasion in the 13th century, it was restored later. Qabala lost its position in the mid-18th century, and the population gradually declined.

The small feudal state Qutqashen Sultanate was established on the territory of Qabala in the mid-18th century. It was later included in the Shaki Khanate and was ruled by the Shaki naibs appointed by the khans of Shaki.

Following the downfall of the Shaki Khanate, the Qutqashen sultanate was included in the Shaki province. The Qutqashen district was created in 1930. The district was renamed back to Qabala in March 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Most of Gabala district is composed of mountains that begin from the highlands of the South slope of the north part of the Caucasus spreading to the central part of the Alazan-Haftaran (Ganikh-Ayrichay) valley. The south part spreads from the frontal highlands of Ajinohur to the Gabala high plateau, and the south border of this high plateau substitutes orographic units of Surkhaykhan (Akhar-Bakhar) chain of mountains up to the watershed. The Saral, Choban Baba, Muchug, Tufan, and Aghbulag mountain ranges all together form branches of the watershed of Greater Caucasus which encompasses the territory of the region as a chain from the west to the east. The territory of the Gabala region is divided into three areas in geomorphological terms: the mountainous area, plains, and high plateau. The hilly relief forms in the territory of Gabala alternate with one another from highlands to intermontane valleys, from deep scattered precipitous ravines to plane surfaced plateaus. The highest peaks of the Great Caucasus within Azerbaijan is also located in this region (in the northern borders of Gabala). Bazarduzu (4466 m), Tufandagh (4206 m), Bazaryurd (4126 m) and Shahdagh (4243 m) are the highest peaks located here. It is estimated that two major mountain glaciers of 6 km existing in Azerbaijan exist merely on the above peaks (excluding 0.15 km 2 glaciers on Gapichig peak (Nakhchivan).

The mountainous relief forms and high humidity of the climate in the Gabala district are the primary reasons for the formation of a thick river network in this region. The length of 486 rivers out of 8359 running in Azerbaijan territory is more than 10 km and 12 of them, and also 2 of 23 having a length of more than 100 km flowing from the south slope of the Greater Caucasus, are located in Gabala. Gara, Tikanli, Bum Hamzali, Damiraparan, and Vandam are considered the main rivers running in Gabala, which are the branches of the Turyanchay and Goychay rivers. The water supply of these rivers consists of subsoil water (40-50%), rainwater (25-30%), and snow water (20-30%) depending on seasons.