Baku ( ), sometimes known as
Baqy, Baky, Baki
or Bakou, is the capital, the largest city, and
the largest port of Azerbaijan
and all the Caucasus. Located on the southern shore of the
Absheron
Peninsula
, the city consists of two principal parts: the
downtown and the old Inner City
(21.5 ha). Baku is
one of the oldest and biggest cities in East for antiquity,
territory and population. Its urban population in the beginning of
2009 was estimated at 2.0397 million people. In 2003 Baku
additionally had 153,400
internally displaced persons and
93,400 refugees.
In 2007 Culture Ministers of the member-states of the
Organisation of the
Islamic Conference declared Baku the capital of
Islamic Culture in 2009.
The Walled City of
Baku
along with the Shirvanshah's
Palace
and Maiden
Tower
were inscribed as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site in 2000.
According to the
Lonely Planet's
ranking Baku is also amongst the world's top ten destinations for
urban nightlife.
Baku is divided into eleven administrative
districts (Azizbayov, Binagadi, Garadagh,
Narimanov, Nasimi, Nizami, Sabail, Sabunchu, Khatai, Surakhany and
Yasamal) and 48 townships.
Among these are the townships on islands in
the Baku Bay and the town of Oil Rocks
built on stilts in the Caspian Sea
, away from Baku.
Etymology
The name Baku is widely believed to be derived from the old
Persian names of the city
Bād-kube, meaning "Wind-pounded city", in which
bād means "wind" and
kube is rooted in the verb
kubidan, "to pound", thus referring to a place where wind
is strong and pounding. Indeed, the city is renowned for its fierce
winter snow storms and harsh winds. It is also believed that Baku
refers to
Baghkuh, meaning "Mount of God".
Baga (now
bagh) and kaufa (now kuh) are the
Old Persian words for "god" and
"mountain" respectively; the name Baghkuh may be compared
with Baghdād
("God-given") in which dā is the Old Persian word for
"give". Arabic sources refer
to the city as
Baku,
Bakukh,
Bakuya, and
Bakuye, all of which seem to come from a Persian
name.
Various different hypotheses were also proposed to explain the
etymology of the word
Baku. According to L.G.Lopatinski
and Ali Huseynzade
Baku is derived from Turkic word for
"hill". Caucasian history specialist K.P. Patkanov also explains
the name as "hill" but in the
Lak
language. The Turkish
Islamic Encyclopedia presents
the origin of the word
Baku as being derived from the
words
Bey-Kyoy, which mean "the main city" in Turkic. Also
another theory suggest that the name Baku is derived from the
ancient
Caucasian Albanian city
which present was called Baguan.
History
The first written evidence for Baku dates to the
6th century AD. Much of its history since that
time has been linked to various
Persian
Empires.
The city
became important after an earthquake destroyed Shamakhy
in the 12th century,
when the ruling Shirvanshah, Ahsitan I, chose Baku as the new capital.
In 1501,
Safavid Shah Ismail I laid a siege on Baku. At this time
the city was however enclosed within the lines of strong walls,
which were washed by sea on one side and protected by a wide trench
on land. In 1540 Baku was again captured by the Safavid troops. In
1604 the Baku fortress was destroyed by Iranian shah
Abbas I.
On 26 June 1723, after a lasting siege using cannons, Baku
surrendered to the Russians. According to
Peter the Great's decree the soldiers of
two regiments (2,382 people) were left in the Baku garrison under
the command of Prince Baryatyanski, the commandant of the city. In
1795, Baku was invaded by
Agha
Muhammad Khan Qajar to defend against
tsarist Russia's ambitions to subjugate the South
Caucasus. In the spring of 1796, by
Catherine II's order, General Zubov's
troops began a major campaign in Transcaucasia. Baku surrendered
after the first demand of Zubov who had sent 6,000 troops to
capture the city. On 13 June 1796 the Russian flotilla entered Baku
Bay and a garrison of Russian troops was placed in the city.
General
Pavel Tsitsianov was
appointed Baku's commandant. Later, however, Czar
Paul I ordered him to cease the campaign
and withdraw Russian forces. In March 1797 the tsarist troops left
Baku but a new tsar,
Alexander
I, began to show a special interest in capturing Baku. In 1803,
Tsitsianov reached an agreement with the Baku khan to compromise,
but the agreement was soon annulled. On 8 February 1806, upon the
surrendering of Baku,
Huseyngulu khan
of Baku stabbed and killed Tsitsianov at the gates of the
city.
In 1813,
Russia signed the Treaty of
Gulistan with Persia, which provided for the cession of Baku
and most of the Caucasus from Iran
and their
annexation by Russia.
Oil boom
The first
oil well to be mechanically
drilled was in the Bibi-Heybat suburb of Baku in 1846, though hand
dug wells pre date this. Large-scale oil development started in
1872, when the Russian imperial authorities auctioned the parcels
of oil-rich land around Baku to private investors.
Within a short period
of time Swiss, British, French, Belgian, German, Swedish and
American investors appeared in Baku, among them were the firms of
the Nobel brothers together with the
family von Börtzell-Szuch (Carl Knut
Börtzell, who also owned the Livadia Palace
) and the Rothschild
family. An industrial oil belt, better known as Black
City, was established near Baku. By the beginning of the 20th
century almost half of world production was being extracted in
Baku.
In 1917,
after the October revolution and
amidst the turmoil of World War I and
the breakup of the Russian
Empire
, Baku came under the control of the Baku Commune, which was led by veteran
Bolshevik Stepan Shaumyan.
Seeking to capitalize on the existing inter-ethnic conflicts, by
spring 1918, Bolsheviks inspired and condoned civil warfare in and
around Baku. During the infamous
March
Days, using the support of the
Dashnak Armenian militia
in the city, and under the pretext of suppressing
Musavat party, Bolsheviks attacked and massacred
thousands of Azeris and other Muslims in Baku.
On 28 May
1918 the Azerbaijani fraction of the Transcaucasian Sejm
proclaimed the independent Azerbaijan Democratic
Republic (ADR) in Ganja
. Shortly after, Azerbaijani forces, with
support of the
Ottoman Army of
Islam led by
Nuru Pasha, started
their advance into Baku, eventually capturing the city from the
loose coalition of
Bolsheviks,
Esers,
Dashnaks,
Mensheviks and British forces under the command of
General
Lionel Dunsterville on
15 September 1918. Thousands of Armenians in the city were
massacred in revenge for the earlier
March
Days. Baku became the capital of the ADR. On 28 April 1920, the
11th Red Army invaded Baku
and reinstalled the Bolsheviks, making Baku the capital of the
Azerbaijan Soviet
Socialist Republic.
Historical city core
The centre of Baku is the old town, which is also a fortress.
In
December 2000, the Inner City of Baku with the Palace of the
Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower
became the first location in Azerbaijan classified
as a World Heritage Site by the
UNESCO.
Most of the walls and towers, strengthened after the Russian
conquest in 1806, survived. This section is picturesque, with its
maze of narrow alleys and ancient buildings: the cobbled streets
past the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, two
caravansaries (ancient inns), the Maiden Tower
(nice view of the harbor), the baths and the
Juma Mosque (it used to house the Carpet and
Applied Arts Museum, but now is a
mosque
again; the carpets got moved to the former
Lenin museum).The old town also has dozens of
small mosques, often without any particular sign to distinguish
them from the next building.
In 2003,
UNESCO placed the Inner City on the List of World Heritage in
Danger, citing damage from a November 2000 earthquake
, poor conservation as well as "dubious" restoration
efforts.
See
Further reading links below for more
information.
Geography
Topography
Climate
During Soviet times, Baku was a vacation destination where citizens
could enjoy beaches or relax in now-dilapidated
spa complexes overlooking the Caspian Sea.
The climate is hot and humid in the summer, and cool and wet in the
winter. During the winter gale-force winds sweep through on
occasion, driven by masses of polar air (strong northern winds
Khazri and southern
Gilavar are typical here); however, snow is
rare at 28 m below
sea level, and
temperatures on the coast rarely drop to freezing. The average
annual temperature of Baku and that of the Earth differ by less
than 0.1°C (0.2°F): it is . The southwestern part of Great Baku is
a more arid part of Azerbaijan (precipitation here is less than a
year). In the vicinities of the city there are a number of mud
volcanoes (Keyraki, Bogkh-bogkha, Lokbatan and others) and
salt lakes (Boyukshor, Khodasan etc.).
Governance
Districts of Baku
Today, Baku is divided into 11
rayons (administrative
districts) and 5 settlements of city type.
Demographics
Until 1988 Baku had very large Armenian, Russian, and Jewish
population that contributed to
cultural diversity and added in various
ways (music, literature, architecture) to Baku's history treasure
chest.Under
Communism, the Soviets took
over the majority of Jewish property in Baku and Kuba. Since the
collapse of the Soviet Union,
Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliev has returned several synagogues
and a Jewish college nationalized by the Soviets, to the
Jewish community. He has encouraged the restoration of
these buildings and is well-liked by the Jews of Azerbaijan.
Renovation has begun on seven of the original eleven synagogues,
including the Gilah synagogue, built in 1896, and the large Kruei
Synagogue. The new
Azerbaijan
constitution grants
religious
freedom and asserts that there is no
state religion.
Currently the vast majority of the population of Baku are ethnic
Azerbaijanis (more than 90%). The
intensive growth of the population started in the middle of the
19th century when Baku was a small town with the population of
about 7 thousand people. The population increased again from about
13,000 in the 1860s to 112,000 in 1897 and 215,000 in 1913, making
Baku the largest city in the Caucasus region.
Baku has been a cosmopolitan city at certain times during its
history, meaning ethnic Azerbaijanis did not constitute the
majority of population.
| Year |
Azerbaijanis |
Russians |
Armenians |
Iranian Citizens |
Germans |
Jews |
Georgians |
Total |
| 1897 |
40,148 |
37,399 |
19,060 |
9,426 |
2,460 |
2,341 |
971 |
111,904 |
| 1903 |
44,257 |
56,955 |
26,151 |
11,132 |
3,749 |
n/a |
n/a |
155,876 |
| 1913 |
45,962 |
76,288 |
41,680 |
25,096 |
3,274 |
9,690 |
4,073 |
214,672 |
Religion
More than 94% of the residents of Baku practice various forms of
Islam. A small minority of the population
(about 4%) are Christians (majority
Russian Orthodox Church,
Georgian Orthodox Church
and Molokans). Baku also has three Jewish
communities, namely the Ashkenazim
Jews, the Mountain Jews, and the
Georgian Jews.
Art and Culture
Baku has a vibrant life regarding theatre, opera and ballet,
drawing both from the rich local dramatic portfolio and from the
international repertoire. The main movie
theatre is "Azerbaijan Cinema". The Azerbaijan
State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, designed by architect
N. G. Bayev, is one of the most ornate music
halls in the city. The State Philharmonic Hall
with excellent acoustic conditions
often holds performances outside, in a pleasant park. The Carpet and Applied Arts
Museum exhibits the carpets from all periods, styles and from
both Azerbaijan proper and the Azeri provinces in Iran. Baku also
houses country's biggest art museum -
Azerbaijan State Museum
of Art, a depository of both domestic and foreign works of art,
Western and Eastern, and the Nizami Museum of
Azerbaijan Literature.
Heydar
Aliyev Palace
, one of the main venues featuring sizeable
performances (e.g. that of Coolio), has
recently reopened after a major refurbishment.
Most of the pubs and bars are located near Fountain Square and are usually open until
the early hours of the morning. There are several British, Scottish
and Irish style public houses, among
them "The Clansman", "Corner Bar", "Shakespeares", "Finnigans" the
"Rig Bar", "O'Malley's" and the "Phoenix Bar". There is also a Jazz
Club. The Baku
International Jazz Festival is organized annually.
Notable
beaches include Shikhovo
, "Amburan" in Bilgah
and "One
Thousand and One Nights".
Nightlife
Baku has a reputation for offering a vibrant nightlife, and many
clubs that are open until dawn can be found throughout the
city.
Some of
the most popular discotheque and
night club include, "X-Site", "Le
Chevalier" at Grand Hotel Europe,
"Zagulba
Disco Club" and "Le Mirage". Most of them
are open till the early hours of the morning.
According to Lonely Planet, Baku is
one of world's top 10 party cities for having ultimate
experience.
Monuments and Landmarks
Azerbaijan National Dramatic Theatre.
The Martyrs' Lane, formerly the Kirov
Park, is dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives
during the Nagorno-Karabakh War
and also to the 137 people who were killed on Black January, 1990.
Churches
Hamams
Historical monuments
Libraries
Mosques
Museums
Operas
Palaces
Shrines and tombs
Towers
Entertainment
Cinemas
Theatres and concert halls
Parks and gardens
Other prominent parks and gardens include:
- Heydər Əliyev parkı (Heydar Aliyev Park)
- Səməd Vurğun parkı (Samad Vurgun Park)
- Nərimanov parkı (Narimanov Park)
- Fəvvarələr Bağı (Fountains Park)
Economy
Office buildings at Jafar Jabbarli
St.
The basis of Baku's economy is petroleum.
The existence of petroleum has been known since the 8th century. In the 10th
century, the Arabian traveler, Marudee, reported that both
white and black oil were being extracted naturally from Baku. By
the 15th century oil for lamps was obtained from hand dug surface
wells.Commercial exploitation began in 1872, and by the beginning
of the 20th century the Baku oil fields were the
largest in the world. Towards the end of the 20th century much of
the onshore petroleum had been exhausted, and drilling had extended
into the sea offshore. By the end of the 19th century skilled workers and specialists flocked to
Baku. By 1900 the city had more than 3,000 oil wells of which 2,000
of them were producing oil at industrial levels. Baku ranked as one
of the largest centres for the production of oil industry equipment before World War II. The World War II Battle of
Stalingrad
was fought to determine who would have control of
the Baku oil fields. Fifty years before the battle, Baku
produced half of the world's oil supply: Azerbaijan and the United
States are the only two countries ever to have been the world's
majority oil producer. Currently the oil economy of Baku is
undergoing a resurgence, with the development of the massive
Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli field
(Shallow water Gunashli by SOCAR, deeper areas
by a consortium lead by BP), development of the
Shah Deniz gas field, the
expansion of the Sangachal
Terminal and the construction of the BTC Pipeline. The old Intourist
Hotel was one of Baku's largest, now demolished, but overshadowed
by the newer Hyatt Park, Hyatt Regency, Park
Inn and Excelsior.
The Baku Stock Exchange has been
operating since February 2001.
Infrastructure
Bulk power supply of Baku is provided
by five 110 kV lines. As of 8 February 2008
three of them (total length ) have been completely refitted and
modernized with their carrying
capacity being doubled. Three 110 kV and twelve 35 kV
substations were commissioned recently.Water supply is secured by several lines, the
purest water comes from Khachmaz and Shollar lines.
Communication
Baku had its first permanent internet link
only in 1995, through the Academy of Sciences. Dial-up internet access has been
available since 1991. ADSL service was made
widely available in 2007. The city is served by the English
language paper Baku Today.
Transportation
Baku is
served by the Heydar Aliyev International
Airport
and the Baku
Metro. There were once also trams. There are two
official taxi companies in the city: the
yellow Star cabs and the white taxis with blue sign from "Azeri
Taxis". The van buses stop at any point along
that route when flagged down or told to stop. Shipping services
operate regularly from Baku across the Caspian Sea to Turkmenbashi
(formerly Krasnovodsk) in Turkmenistan
and to Bandar Anzali
and Bandar
Nowshar
in Iran.
Education
As Azerbaijan's centre of education, Baku boasts many universities and vocational schools. After Azerbaijan
gained independence, the fall of Communism led to development of a
number of private institutions. Baku also houses the Academy of Sciences of
Azerbaijan founded here in 1945 .
Public universities
Private universities
Sport
Baku was bidding
for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but was eliminated on 4 June
2008.
The
city's two main football clubs are Neftchi Baku (currently in the Azerbaijan Premier League) and
FK Baku, both of whom play at the Tofik
Bakhramov Stadium
. Neftchi has won five Azerbaijani titles,
whilst FK Baku has won twice. Baku also has several clubs in the
premier and regional leagues, including Inter
Baku, Olimpik-Shuvalan in Premier League, MOIK Baku, Adliyya
Baku and Bakili Baku in Azerbaijani First
Division.
In the Azerbaijan Basketball League, Baku is represented by
Gala BC Baku, whose home is the
Palace of Hand Games.
Media
The large majority of Azerbaijan’s media companies (including
television, newspaper and radio) are headquartered in Baku. The
films The World Is Not
Enough and The Diamond
Arm are set in the city. Amphibian Man also included
several scenes filmed in Baku.
Television
Some of national TV channels which broadcast in Baku are AzTV,
ANS, Azad
Azerbaijan TV, Ictimai TV, Lider TV, Space, Khazar Tv.
Radio
Out of the city’s radio stations ANS ChM,
Ictimai Radio, Radio Antenn, Burc FM,
and Lider FM Jazz are some of the more influential
competitors with large national audiences. ANS ChM was one of the
first private and independent FM radio
broadcasting service in the Caucasus and
Central Asia regions when it was
established in May 1994.
Press
Baku has a number of newspaper publishing houses. Some of the most
noteworthy newspapers include the daily Zaman ("The Time"),
Bakinskiy Rabochiy ("Worker of the Baku"), Echo, the
English-language based Baku Today
Notable residents
Because of intermittent periods of great prosperity and as the
largest city in the Caucasus and one of the most ethnically and
culturally diverse in the Soviet Union, Baku prides itself on
having produced a disproportionate number of notable figures in the
sciences, arts and other fields. Some of the houses they resided in
display commemorative plaques.
International relations
Twin towns - Sister cities
Baku is a member of Sister
Cities International, and isPartnership relations at different levels
were established with Berlin
, Paris
, Aberdeen
, Vienna
, Stavanger
, Tbilisi
, Astana
, Minsk
,Volgograd
Kizlyar
, Tashkent
and Chengdu
.
Gallery
File:SV100067.jpg|Baku landmarkFile:FilarmonaSide.JPG| Philharmonic
HallFile:Azerbaycan Cumhuriyeti Milli Meclisi.JPG| Parliament
building of the Azerbaijan republicFile:Baku-super142546.jpg| Baku
bay at nightFile:Baku002.jpg| Bank Standard's
buildingFile:Bakufount.jpg| Fountains in Baku
boulevardFile:Baku.aeroport.jpg| Baku Int. AirportFile:Milli
Kitabxana.JPG|National LibraryFile:Baku State University New Building
3.jpg|Baku State
University
new buildingFile:Qafqaz
Universiteti.jpg|Qafqaz
UniversityFile:SV100240.jpg|Philharmonic
HallFile:Baku7.jpg|Nizami parkFile:Baku
TV tower.jpg| Baku TV towerFile:Bibi Heybat Baku2.jpg|Bibi Heybat
mosque
Further reading
See also
Notes
References
Sources
- Abbasov, Mazakhir. Baku During the Great Patriotic
War.
- Madatov, G. Azerbaijan During the Great Patriotic War.
Baku, 1975.
External links
(Əzizbəyov rayonu)
(Binəqədi rayonu)
(Qaradağ rayonu)
(Xətai rayonu)
(Nərimanov rayonu)
(Nizami
rayonu)
(Sabunçu raion)
(Suraxanı rayonu)
(1950)
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