Azerbaijan - Baku, black city. Azerbaijan - Baku, black city Baku: attractions you can't miss

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Baku was the largest industrial center of Transcaucasia. Over 300 thousand people lived here, a significant part of whom worked in the oil fields. The ethnic composition of the population of Baku was also diverse. It’s not for nothing that they say that Baku residents are a special supranational community, akin to Odessa or Rostov residents. Naturally, Baku did not escape the general rise of the revolutionary movement that took place in the Russian Empire in the early years of the twentieth century. Only, unlike the cities of Central Russia, here Armenian and Azerbaijani nationalists coexisted with the usual Social Democrats and Socialist Revolutionaries. Anarchists also appeared in Baku - representatives of the extreme left-radical movement in the Russian revolutionary movement, who linked social liberation with the complete destruction of any state power. Oddly enough, in the rather traditional environment of Baku residents, anarchist ideas gained a certain popularity, and among the Baku anarchists there were many not only Russian residents of the city, but also Jews, Armenians, Georgians and even Azerbaijani Turks and Persians. Modern Azerbaijani researcher I.S. Bagirova puts the approximate size of the anarchist movement in Baku at the beginning of the twentieth century at approximately 2,800 people - and this does not include the maximalist Socialist-Revolutionaries, who in their ideological views and practice were very close to the anarchists. At the same time, Bagirova notes that according to other estimates, the number of anarchists in pre-revolutionary Baku did not exceed 1,400 people.

In the period 1904-1908. Baku became the main center of the anarchist movement in the Caucasus. Although anarchist groups and organizations operated in Tiflis, Kutaisi, Armavir, Novorossiysk, Yekaterinodar and many other cities, it was in Baku that the most numerous and active anarchist movement was formed. Of course, this was due to the large share of the industrial proletariat in the city's population. People from all over the Russian Empire flocked to Baku to work in the oil fields, which turned the city into a kind of “melting pot.” The harsh working conditions on oil rigs and factories forced workers to think about exploitation and fight for their rights and interests. At the same time, as in every major commercial and industrial city, there was a fairly large and influential criminal world in Baku. As they would say now, organized crime in Baku became the second main source of the formation of revolutionary movements in the city, primarily the anarchist movement, with the ideology of which professional criminals were related by a complete rejection of the state and state power, a negative attitude towards the police and the court, a tendency to expropriation and extortion .

Active anarchist agitation in Baku began in 1904, and in 1905 a number of anarchist organizations arose in the city. They operated both in Baku itself and in its working-class suburbs - Bibi-Heybat, Balakhani and Black City. Let us recall that in pre-revolutionary Baku there was a clear division - wealthy citizens lived in the city center, where oil fields were prohibited, and in the suburbs of Balakhani, Bibi-Heybat and Black City, oil production was carried out. The workers also lived there. “Everything is black, walls, earth, air, sky. You smell the oil, inhale the fumes, the pungent odor suffocates you. You are walking among clouds of smoke that cover the sky,” a contemporary described the general appearance of the Baku “Black City.” Naturally, workers dissatisfied with working conditions often went on strike. During the general strike in the summer of 1903, more than 90 oil rigs were set on fire in Baku, in December 1904 - more than 200 rigs, and in August 1905 in Bibi-Heybat, out of 600 rigs, 480 were burned.

The group “Anarchy” arose in Baku, “Struggle” - in Bibi-Heybat, “Bunt” - in Balakhani, “International” - in Black City. The group of anarchist-communists “Anarchy”, operating in Baku itself, was created by workers of one of the local enterprises, who had previously sympathized with the Social Democrats, but rejected the parliamentary struggle and eventually switched to anarchist positions. The ideologist of the “Anarchy” group was Sarkis Kalashyants, a former member of the “Hnchak” party, who published the brochure “Towards Struggle and Anarchy” under the pseudonym “Sevuni”.

On July 1, 1906, as a result of a split in the “Anarchy” group, another anarchist organization was created - the Baku group of anarchist-communists “Red Hundred”. Its activists claimed that they left the ranks of Anarchy due to bureaucracy and indecisiveness of the group members. The “Red Hundred” strove for more radical and successful, in the opinion of the “Red Hundreds,” methods of armed struggle. The “Red Hundred” was led by V. Zeints and A. Stern. Also in Baku, smaller groups appeared: “Anarchists-Bombists”, “Anarchists-Individualists”, “Red Banner”, “Bread and Freedom”, “Terror”, “Land and Freedom”, “Black Raven”, etc. The ethnic composition of Baku anarchists at that time was diverse, as was the population of the city. Russians predominated, but the groups also included numerous Armenians, Jews, and Georgians (there were 8 Georgian revolutionaries in the “Red Hundred”). The anarchist group “Azad” was Azerbaijani in composition. Armenians came to the anarchist movement, as a rule, from the nationalist and socialist organizations “Hnchak” and “Dashnaktsutyun”, having become disillusioned with their ideology and methods of struggle. As for the Jews, they came from social democratic and social Zionist organizations.

Among the Azerbaijanis who joined the anarchist movement, there were many yesterday’s robbers - “kochi”, who became politicized and decided to give an ideological orientation to their activities. It was the former Kochis who formed the backbone of the Azerbaijani anarchist group “Azad”, which appeared in 1906 and numbered 15 people. The Azad group was led by the brothers Aga-Kerim and Aga-Sanguli. According to “old memory,” the Azad group was in confrontation with a group of criminals led by Teymur Ashurbekov. But when the police arrested both Ashurbekov and Azad leader Agha-Kerim at the end of 1907, the Azad anarchist group ceased to exist. A number of former Kochi members who were part of it left for other groups. The average age of anarchists was somewhat older than in the western regions of the Russian Empire - approximately 28-30 years. This was explained by the fact that in Baku the bulk of the movement’s activists were workers of local enterprises, and not young students.

The intensification of the anarchist movement in the city was facilitated by regular bloody clashes between Azerbaijanis and Armenians. The tsarist government allocated 16 million rubles to organize assistance to the Baku residents affected by the massacre. But the allocated funds ended up in the hands of the joint-stock company of manganese industrialists, who in fact embezzled government money, refusing to provide assistance to Baku workers. A strike began that lasted two months, but the entrepreneurs still did not want to share the money. In the end, the anarchists killed the director of the factory, I. Dolukhanov, and also made an attempt on the director of the factory, Urquhart, who was also the British vice-consul. In the working environment of Baku, this action of the anarchists was supported, and the entrepreneurs, fearful of further assassination attempts, were forced to pay off the workers.

But Dolukhanov was not just an industrialist, but also a sponsor of the Armenian Dashnaktsutyun party. Naturally, the Dashnaks could not leave unpunished the murder of such a prominent figure associated with their party. In response to the death of Dolukhanov, in September 1906, the Dashnaks killed the leader of the Anarchy group, Sarkis Kalashyants, as well as several anarchist workers. A bloody war began between the two organizations, in which 11 anarchists and 17 Dashnaks died. After the death of Kalashyants, the “Anarchy” group was also headed by the Armenians Kh. Zakharyants and A. Ter-Sarkisov and the Russian F. Yatsenko. In the same September 1906, while trying to escape from prison, the leaders of the Red Hundred group, V. Zeinz and A. Stern, were killed. After their death, the Red Hundred group was led by Russian workers M. Zayachenkov and P. Studnev. In addition to the Dashnaks, the Green Hundred, an armed detachment hired by Baku entrepreneurs to protect against expropriations and attacks by revolutionaries, became a serious opponent of the anarchists.

High-profile events associated with Baku anarchists include the battle in the Sevastopol restaurant on September 11, 1906. A large number of anarchists from various groups arrived at this establishment to hold a meeting. However, the police, having learned about the event, surrounded the restaurant, calling for reinforcements in the form of soldiers from the rifle battalion. A shootout began, as a result of which the police managed to arrest 38 people and discover a whole warehouse of small arms in a nearby house. Large-scale repressions began against the Baku anarchist movement, leading to the arrest of 88 people. At the same time, many anarchists managed to escape from the city. Some of them subsequently settled in Batumi, where they created, under the leadership of David Rostomashvili (“Black Datiko”), the Batumi workers’ syndicate of anarchist-communists “International,” which borrowed the methods of struggle of the Baku anarchists.

In 1906-1908 Baku anarchists committed many attacks, assassinations and murders. The most common victims of attacks were police officers. Thus, the Baku anarchists killed assistant police chief Zhgenti, police officers Kudryashov and Zavgorodniy, detectives Levin, Rachkovsky and Dolzhnikov, bailiffs Richter and Prokopovich, prison warden Prokopenko, policeman Pestov. In addition, Swedish citizens Eklund and Tuasson, who worked, respectively, as a manager and an engineer at a Nobel plant, became victims of the attacks. The Red Hundred group claimed responsibility for these attacks. The perpetrators of the murders were Abram Stern, the Shlimak brothers, the Shishkin brothers, Polyakov, Staroverov, Ter-Galustov. As we can see, the composition of anarchist militants, matching Baku, was also international. In addition, in 1906, militants from the “Anarchy” and “Struggle” groups killed the managers of the Bibi-Heybat oil fields, Urbanovich and Slavsky, and secret police officer Tavmisyants. In December 1907, a bomb was thrown at the chief of police of Baku, Lieutenant Colonel Chernyshev, who survived only by a lucky chance.

The daring attack of anarchists on the mail steamer “Tsesarevich,” which belonged to the “Caucasus and Mercury” society, became widely known. Members of the anarchist-communist group “Red Hundred” I. Mdinaradze, N. Beburashvili, S. Topuria, G. Gobirahashvili participated in the expropriation. The seized funds were used to organize assistance to striking workers and the organizational needs of the anarchist movement. Indeed, in addition to “ex” and attacks, Baku anarchists tried to engage in agitation and propaganda activities, releasing leaflets, proclamations and brochures. The anarchist press of that time praised the “exploits of fallen soldiers” and promoted expropriations and assassinations as an essential component of the revolutionary struggle. A characteristic feature of the Baku anarchists, as well as the anarchists of the Transcaucasus in general, was a greater tendency to expropriation, compared to Western or Central Russia, and close ties with the criminal environment - the local flavor had an effect.

Ultimately, it was criminalization that discredited the anarchist movement in Baku. By 1907-1908 The palm of political organizations was taken over by such groups as the “Baku Society of Terrorists and Individualists - Anarchists”, “Black Crow”, “Terror” and “Red Banner”, which were more criminal than revolutionary, and specialized in robberies of shops and firms. As in the criminal world, showdowns periodically arose between competing anarchist groups, ending in armed clashes. Anarchists died in shootouts and fights with each other, which also contributed to a decrease in their authority among the working class community of Baku. In addition, the Social Democrats were gaining strength in the labor movement and created an image for themselves as more thorough and serious fighters for the labor cause. Social Democrats waged an active ideological struggle against anarchists, constantly exposing the criminal bias in the activities of Baku anarchist groups.

After the defeat of the first Russian revolution of 1905-1907, mass repressions against the revolutionary movement began in Baku, as well as throughout the country. Naturally, the first thing the city police did was deal with anarchist groups. In March 1908 alone, the Baku police arrested 50 members of the Red Hundred group and sentenced them to exile in Siberia. In 1909, arrests of anarchists continued, and during a search of the apartment of certain D. Veselov and E. Rudenko, explosives, bombs, and underground literature were discovered. Also in 1909, the Baku police managed to arrest almost all members of the Black Raven, Terror and Red Banner groups, which became famous for a series of assaults and robberies. Thus, after large-scale police repressions in 1908-1909. the anarchist movement in Baku was virtually crushed. The Baku anarchists were not destined to recover from the consequences of such a serious blow - in the “oil capital” of the Caucasus, the movement of supporters of anarchy faded away and did not show serious activity even during the years of the Civil War, which became a period of the revival of anarchism.

To get to know the ancient and wonderful city of Baku better, you need to travel back in time many centuries ago. This blessed region of the Caucasus has always been inhabited by one tribe or another, which often found out among themselves which of them was the boss here and diligently not only built up the territory of the city, but also destroyed it. Nature also actively helped them in this, because Baku, this “city of eternal lights”, due to lava gushing out from under the faults of underwater rocks, periodically trembled during earthquakes. Despite this, truly majestic buildings have survived to this day, which eloquently testifies to the greatness of the city and its glory.

The first memories of Baku can be found in the chronicles of the ninth century AD, but this does not mean that it did not exist before that. Perhaps it was called a little differently, but people have always lived here. The convenient geographical location, as well as the strategic purpose of the city, has always made it an important object of conquest. The climate, the crossroads of trade routes, fertile land, the Caspian Sea, oil-rich land in the surrounding area - all this made the city and the area around it significant.

Already in the 11th century AD, Baku became the capital of the Shirvanshah dynasty and began to be built up with fortress walls. Around the same time, it became the capital of the Khanate. In addition to the construction of mosques and palaces, the ruler of the dynasty paid great attention to the construction of the fleet. And he succeeded. In the war with the Russians at the end of the 12th century, the Caspian fleet, built by the khan, was able to repel an attack consisting of 72 Russian ships.

Numerous ovdans, mosques, minarets, caravanserais, baths, castles and towers built during the reign of the Shirvanshahs have been destroyed today. But the memory of them was preserved because their ruins served as the foundation for the construction of new buildings. The only surviving building is the Mohammed Mosque, built in the 11th century. The fortress that guarded the city from the sea is today under water.

The conquest of the city by the Mongols was not spared either. Baku is the only one who fought the longest. And for this he was severely punished. It was looted and destroyed. For many years the city fell into decay, there was no trade, and oil production ceased. Baku began to come to life at the beginning of the 14th century. At the same time, the Sultan abolished some taxes, and encouraged trade and crafts in every possible way to restore the economy. Merchants from all nearby countries again flocked to the city for carpets and oil, as well as other goods. Baku became such an important trading center that even the Caspian Sea was called the Baku Sea for some time.

The military history of Baku does not end here. The city had to endure more than one siege. At the beginning of the 16th century, Shah Ismail put an end to the reign of the Shirvanshah dynasty. After the fall of the dynasty, the city and surrounding area became part of the Safavid state. The entire 16th and early 17th centuries were a series of endless wars, when the city passed from the hands of the Safavids to the Turks and vice versa. In the end, peace was concluded in Istanbul, and the ancient city, along with neighboring territories, was finally reconquered by the Safavids.

During the quiet period, trade and carpet weaving are on the rise, and other crafts are also developing, but most importantly, mass oil production begins. The lessons of the past are not in vain and, by order of the Shah, the city is surrounded by a second row of fortress walls.

Such is the proportion of areas rich in natural resources that they are never left alone. So at the beginning of the 18th century, Russian Tsar Peter 1 decided to become the sole master of the Caspian Sea and push out the Turks and Persians as far as possible. And although the city fell under the fire of Russian cannons, it was not Russian for long and already in 1730 it again came under Iranian rule. After this, Azerbaijan was subject to civil strife between various khans for many years, mainly due to the oil trade, which even then brought large profits.

At the very end of the 18th century, when the Iranian ruler carried out devastating raids on the territories he had conquered and plundered cities, Russia again decided on a policy of subjugating the territory and incorporating it into the Russian Empire. This activity continued for 10 years with varying success.

And in 1806, the Baku Khanate was annexed. But for another 22 long years, Iran and Russia sorted out relations on the territory of Azerbaijan. The Turkmanchay Treaty, which divided the state along the Araks River, put an end to the wars. It was a tragedy for the residents, but peace was more important. At that time, the city of Baku was within the boundaries of Icheri Sheher (inner city), surrounded by fortress walls and consisted of 300 houses housing 3,000 inhabitants. From that moment on, the city began to grow.

Oil production played a key role in the development of the city of Baku. Thanks to the discovery and development of oil fields, foreign capital poured here. By the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, almost half of the world's oil was produced from the Baku fields. The city became the first in many ways:

• drilling the world's first oil well;
• construction of the world's first oil tanker;
• construction of the first Baku-Batumi oil pipeline;
• release of the first magazine dedicated to news of oil and its production.

The growth was so rapid that not a single city, neither Europe nor Russia, could boast of it. In just 30 years, from 1883 to 1913, the population increased 4.5 times - from 45 to 200 thousand. Today, Baku is home to just over 2 million inhabitants, making it the largest and most populous city in the Caucasus.

Over the past hundred years, Baku has seen and experienced a lot. And the rapid construction of numerous factories and factories, and the development of light and heavy industry, the construction of a large number of cultural and social facilities. Together with its residents, it survived the revolution of 1905, when the uprising of Baku workers led to the incitement of ethnic hatred between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. This was one of the first, but not the last, clashes.

During the Great Patriotic War, the city achieved a record for oil production, because it was used for aircraft fuel. He hasn't been beaten yet. In the 20th century, Baku twice became the capital of an independent state and remains so today. Despite territorial disputes and various problems associated with internally displaced persons after the collapse of the USSR, the city of Baku can rightfully be considered a modern city with an ancient history.

Baku: Attractions you shouldn't miss

There are too many of them and they all deserve your attention. We list only the most significant of them, which are rightfully considered the hallmark of the city. Among them you will find both ancient and modern:

1. Icheri Sheher. Its walls and inscriptions on them are more than a thousand years old. A great opportunity to travel back in time and feel the breath of antiquity.
2. Maiden Tower (Gyz Galasi). The true purpose of the tower has not yet been clarified. Because of the myths and legends, it remains the most favorite tourist attraction.
3. Azerbaijani cuisine. Since in Baku, it will not be prepared anywhere. The highlight of the cuisine is lamb in all kinds. Since the cult of food operates behind the scenes in Azerbaijan, the preparation and consumption of food takes place in restaurants, which are also attractions of the city.
4. Carpet Museum. The building, built in the shape of a rolled carpet, immediately attracts your attention. The inside is as interesting as the outside.
5. Palace of the Shirvanshahs. Thanks to care and restoration, the palace has turned into a stunning museum.

Be sure to visit Baku. The history of the city, which for centuries belonged to great civilizations and was often the site of battles between them, is extremely interesting even to non-specialists, as it resembles an exciting historical novel.

Victoria Malysheva.

Baku is a provincial city in the Transcaucasian region, on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, at 40°21" N and 67°20" E. d.; 45679 inhabitants.

Orthodox churches - 3, Armenian-Gregorian. - 2, Lutheran. - 1, Catholic. prayers. house, mosques - 11. Kerosene factories - 23, for the preparation of lubricating oils - 6 (production for 1,491,000 rubles), mechanical - 4, preparing sulfuric acid - 3, steam mills - 11 (production for 3,000,000 rubles), tobacco. factories - 3, caravanserais - 36, shops - 1300.

The name Baku, or Bakuie, is derived from the Persian badkube, wind blow, which indicates the long-standing fame of the local strong NNW winds (northers). Under this name, B. has existed since the beginning of the Muslim era, but it was probably founded earlier, since gas outlets near B., or eternal flames, were known to fire worshipers. It is believed that there was a city here under the Sassanids called Bhagavan.

B. from VIII Art. was under the rule of the Arabs, then the Shirvan khans, from the 16th century. until the beginning of the 18th century. was mostly in the possession of the Persians. In 1723, after a long siege, B. surrendered to the squadron of Admiral Matyushkin and was annexed to Russia, but in 1735 it was again ceded to Persia and was ruled by khans who were dependent on the Persian Shah. In 1796, when Count Zubov was here, the Baku Khan Hussein-Kuli swore allegiance to Russia, but then fell away again, and when Russian troops appeared after the annexation of Georgia in 1806, the khan expressed his submission and the surrender of the city was scheduled for February 8 1806 Upon surrender, the commander-in-chief, Prince. Tsitsianov was treacherously killed; the city surrendered to Russian troops only on October 3. 1806 after the flight of the Khan and was made a district city, and in 1859 - a provincial city.

Back in 1860, B. had only 13,831 inhabitants. and very little trade. Since that time, the development of oil fields in its vicinity, many oil refineries in the city, the development of shipping on the Caspian Sea, of which B. became the center, and the construction of a railway to the Black Sea have changed B. beyond recognition. No city in Russia has developed so quickly. Its inhabitants are undoubtedly much larger than the official number, since a one-day census was not carried out. The number of inhabitants is probably from 80 to 100 thousand.

On the seashore, in the southern part of the city, an excellent embankment stretches for about 2 versts, on which there is a large pier of the Caucasus and Mercury society, the governor’s house, next to it the former khan’s garden, many shops, etc.

The promenade is followed by several well-paved streets lined with European-built houses. An Asian city is built in terraces along the hillside with flat roofs made of thin boards with kir (oil soil) and narrow streets. Here are the ruins of the Khan's palace of beautiful Muslim architecture of the 15th century, and nearby is the Shah's mosque, built in 1078. On the seashore, near the fortress wall of the old city, there is a round maiden tower, the subject of many oriental legends. Now it is turned into a lighthouse.

To the north of the pier on the seashore there is the so-called. A black city where oil plants are concentrated. Its name comes from the thick black smoke emitted when heating with oil residues. Previously, the smoke was even thicker, since there were no convenient devices for burning the residues.

In total, up to 49.5 million poods were produced in Baku in 1888. kerosene and other lighting oils from petroleum and 2.5 million poods of lubricating oils, for the production of which 173 million poods were consumed. crude oil. In 1888, 29.5 million poods of lighting oils were exported by rail to Batum. (in 1887 only 18 million) and by sea 20 million poods; up to 50 million poods of oil residues were exported by sea in 1888, and about 60 million poods in 1889.

The oil industry and trade are of primary importance for Bulgaria, but in addition, other branches of trade also flourish here. Due to the convenience of its harbor and the fact that here is the central point of the Caspian Shipping Company, B. is a storage point for Transcaucasian and Persian goods going to the inner provinces of Russia and partly abroad through the Black Sea - cotton, rice, silk, wine, dried fruits, nuts wood, fish, as well as Russian manufactured goods, iron products and sugar, going from here to various cities of Transcaucasia and Persia. Relations with the mouths of the Volga and Persian ports are very lively.

The population is dominated by two nationalities: - 1) Azerbaijani Tatars, completely incorrectly called Persians. They are Shiite Muslims and imitate the Persians in many ways, but their language is Turkic-Tatar. They make up the mass of laborers, but among them there are many merchants and owners of oil fields, and 2) Armenians, in whose hands most of the trade and many oil fields are in their hands. There are not as many Russians as Armenians and Tatars, but more than in other cities of Transcaucasia, except Tiflis, and, moreover, not only military men and officials, but there are owners and employees in the oil fields, the best craftsmen, cab drivers (the latter exclusively Molokans).

Climate of Baku. The average temperature of the year is 14.3; January 3.4; April 11.1; July 25.8; October 16.6. Autumn here is much warmer than spring, for example. November has the same temperature as April. There are no particularly severe frosts, but the thermometer often drops to -10°, although not for long. Sometimes it snows for a week or longer, and for the first time in 80 years, in December 1888, the Baku roadstead froze for a short time. Precipitation during the year is 235 mm. More in December, January and October. In summer there is almost no rain and the climate is generally very dry.

In Baku and its environs, at times 100 versts to the west and east, an unusually strong and gusty NNW wind, usually called the north, blows. The strongest ships cannot go against him. After several hours, there is no dust in the city, all of it has been carried away to the sea, but pebbles are floating in the air. The reasons for the Nord's extraordinary strength are not exactly known; it occurs in all months, but is strongest only from October to April. Nord is one of the main reasons that there are almost no trees in Baku; with the heaviest irrigation they succeed only in places protected from the wind.

In Bulgaria and its environs, a change in the boundaries of the sea and the continent has long been noticed. Near the city, 2 versts, between capes Shikhov and Bailov, in the sea there is a sunken structure in the form of an oblong quadrangle, with round towers. The natives call it bail stones. Khanykov believes that it was built in the 13th century.

Baku district occupies the eastern part. part of Baku province; space 3457 k.v., or 360202 tithes, living. 100560 (without city 54881). Most of the occupies the Absheron Peninsula, all consisting of a low limestone highland, and in the west. Part of the district passes the last low spur of the Caucasus Mountains - Shabani (356 m). Only in the northwestern part of the reaches the higher slopes of Mount Shuguza, and here are the only forests and more fertile soil on the gentle slopes and valleys. On the Absheron Peninsula the soil is generally infertile, the climate is dry, only on the north-east of the peninsula have residents made good use of spring waters and have excellent gardens and vegetable gardens. Of the rivers, there is one low-water one, Sumgait, with brackish water. Winter crops, wheat and barley are sown without irrigation. In u. There are salt lakes and the most important oil fields in Russia. There are 64 mosques in the district (some built in the 15th century), four schools, three mechanical plants and two chemical plants.

I decided to call the last part of my story about Baku “the black city”, since part of the bus tourist route ran through the city territory of the same name, which I will tell you about a little later. In the meantime, let's look around a little. This square is the end point of the circular bus route. The bus stops here for 20-30 minutes, after which it moves on.

I took a walk around the neighborhood

Baku is a port city; on the embankment you can always see many boats and large ships.

Marine Station

Black City is an area in the eastern part of Baku where oil refineries were located in the late 19th century. Mostly workers from these enterprises lived here, since no one would voluntarily agree to live in such conditions. Soot and soot covered the walls of the houses, thick black smog constantly hung in the air, and the smell of crude oil haunted anyone who dared to walk the streets of the Black City.

More than 120 oil plants were located here, each of which contributed to the already unfavorable environmental situation in the city. In the photo above you see a brick chimney against the background of a skyscraper - this is all that remains of the old factories. Already at the beginning of the 20th century, oil production here ceased and enterprises were moved further from the city and the black city began to be actively built up.

Gradually the bus reached the center of Heydar Aliyev. This architecturally unique building was built in 2012 in honor of the 3rd President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev. Now the country is led by his son, Ilham Aliyev.

The complex houses the Heydar Aliyev Museum, conference rooms, offices and exhibition halls.

The appearance of the modern city is not similar to that terrible “black city”, which a century ago was the personification of troubles and a low standard of living.

Heydar Aliyev Avenue, along which we return back to the center.

Amazing traffic lights with an illuminated frame, the likes of which I have never seen anywhere.

After making another circle on the bus, I got off near the Flame Towers and went to enjoy the view of the city from the observation deck. Directly opposite is the so-called “alley of martyrs,” which perpetuates the memory of those killed during the entry of Soviet troops into Baku in January 1990, which went down in the history of Azerbaijan as “Black January.”

An eternal flame burns here.

And from here there is a beautiful view of the embankment

And to the city itself

To the right of the mosque is the entrance to the funicular.

A few more unrelated photographs:

Cube bushes

In 2012, the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Baku.

Carousel

Despite extreme fatigue, I forced myself to go for an evening walk and did not regret it. Baku at night is even more beautiful than during the day. The Flame Towers live up to their name. Animated flames can be seen from almost every corner of the city.

The Maiden's Tower is also perfectly illuminated.

All the buildings in the old town look very cool

Bright garlands of lights are pleasing to the eye, and traffic on the roads is still heavy, despite the late hour.

Embankment

The fountain is also illuminated and sparkles with bright colors

Towers again

And a Ferris wheel

And finally, a few words about my cozy hotel, Museum Inn. It was quite difficult to find her even with a taxi driver; we had to wander through the streets of the old city. But it was located directly opposite the Maiden Tower. The green spot in the photo is exactly my hotel.

Breakfast took place just in this shade of green leaves, which turned out to be thickets of grapes and zucchini.

Everything inside is not rich, but done with soul. Overall the impressions are very good.

That's all about Azerbaijan, it was beautiful and very eventful.

This story is one of a series of stories about my journey in Baku in July 2014.

All photos can be viewed in a larger size, just click on any photo and view at your convenience.