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Located on the southern shore of the Apsheron peninsula, Azerbaijan's capital was founded 1,500 years ago. The first written reference to Baku dates from 885, although archaeologists have found remains of a settlement predating by several centuries the birth of Christ. The city became important after an earthquake destroyed Shemakha and the of the 12th century and the Shirvanshah, Ahistan I, made Baku the new capital. There are a few theories about the origin of the name, the most widely known being that Baku comes from bad kube, meaning 'city of winds'.

The basis of Baku's economy is petroleum. The existence of petroleum has been known since the 8th century. By the 15th century oil for lamps was obtained from surface wells. Commercial exploitation began in 1872, and by the beginning of the 20th century the Baku oil field was the largest in the world. Towards the end of the 20th century much of the land's petroleum had been exhausted, and drilling had extended into the sea. Baku ranks as one of the largest centres for the production of oil industry equipment. 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 supplied half of the world's oil production.

Main Sights in Baku:

Maiden's Tower
The Maiden's Tower (Gyz Galasy) is Azerbaijan's best known landmark and the de facto symbol of Baku. You can climb its eight floors and enjoy a magnificent view of the old town and Baku bay. The cylinder shaped tower is about 30 metres tall with a diameter of 16.5 metres and walls 5metres thick. Archaeologists estimate that the tower was started in the 7th or 8th century and enlarged in the 11th or 12th century by a Massud ibn Daud, as a kufic inscription reveals. Built on a coastal rock, that made tunnelling under it impossible, the tower as a bizarre projection at the base which gives it the appearance of a retort

Inner City (Iceri Sheher)

Inner City is the ancient historical core of Baku. . This section is picturesque, with its maze of narrow alleys and ancient buildings: the cobbled streets past the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, two caravansaraies (ancient inns), the Maiden Tower (nice view of the harbor), the baths and the Djuma Mosque. The old town also has dozens of small mosques, often without any particular sign to distinguish them from the next building.

Shirvanshahs' Palace
The ShirvanShah's Palace ensemble (15-16th century) was built when the Shah's capital was moved from Shemakha to Baku. This was the most prominent architectural complex in the medieval city. Some of the builings in the complex far surpass the palace in splendour. Despite having built in different periods without a single plan the several contruction form an harmonious whole. The palace is a two story building, with service rooms on the ground floor and state rooms on the uper floor. Built in the 15th century by Halilullah I the palace remained intact a hundred years. After Baku was taken by Shah Ismail the palace was abandoned.

Juma Mosque
The Juma (friday) mosque hosted for a long time the carpets museum, but is now back to its original use. The building you can see today dates from the early twentieth century, courtesy of an oil baron, but stands over the remains of preceding buildings. Its main attraction is the intricate stone ornamentation.

Martyrs Lane (Shahidlar Hiyabany)
Formerly the Dagustu park, the space is now dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives during the war with Armenia and also to the 137 people who were killed on 19 & 20 January 1990 when Soviet tanks and troops took to the streets of Baku (often called 'Bloody January'). Photographs of victims featured on each tomb-stone are sobering and poignant. Now 20 January has become a national holiday of deep emotional meaning.

Info created by

mexfi_girl on Feb 17, 2008 @ 15:14