Marco Polo (1254–1324) wrote of Baku oil exports to Near Eastern countries. Peter the Great of Russia captured Baku on June 26, 1723, after a lasting siege using cannons. [100], In the Lonely Planet "1000 Ultimate Experiences", Baku placed 8th among the top 10 party cities in the world. The population per square meter was 115. Mikayil Mushfig, Bakuvian poet and victim of the Stalinist purges. In 1604, the Iranian Shah Abbas I destroyed the Baku fortress. Baku also houses the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan founded in 1945. From the Bronze Age there have been rock carvings discovered near Bayil, and a bronze figure of a small fish discovered in the territory of the Old City. Among Baku's prestigious cultural venues are Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall, Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. [112] The city's three main football clubs are Neftchi Baku, Inter Baku and Qarabağ FK of whom first has eight Premier League titles making Neftchi the most successful Azerbaijani football club. [26], The Russians built the first oil-distilling factory in Balaxani in 1837. Public universities include: Azerbaijan Medical University, Azerbaijan State Economic University, Azerbaijan State Oil Academy, Azerbaijan Technical University, Azerbaijan University of Languages, Azerbaijan Architecture and Construction University, Baku Academy of Music, Baku Slavic University, and Baku State University. One of the more prominent institutions headquartered in Baku is the International Bank of Azerbaijan, which employs over 1,000 people. The boulevard contains an amusement park, yacht club, musical fountain, statues and monuments. Along with its modern amenities, Teze Bey features a swimming pool and architectural details inspired by Oriental, Russian and Finnish baths. Many sizeable Azerbaijani institutions have their headquarters there. The park is popular with dog-walkers and joggers, and is convenient for tourists. Commercial exploitation began in 1872, and by the beginning of the 20th century the Baku oil fields were the largest in the world. 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. Since 1921, the city was headed by the Baku City Executive Committee, commonly known in Russian as Bakgorispolkom. Although Azerbaijan is a member of human rights bodies, several independent bodies, such as the Human Rights Watch, have deemed human rights there to be sub-par at best. Baku frequently came under assault from the Khazars, a semi-nomadic Turkic people who dominated the Pontic steppe and the North Caucasus from the seventh to the tenth centuries, and starting from the tenth century, by the Rus, a medieval state centered on Kiev, from 880 to the middle of the twelfth century. It has been home to legendary jazz musicians like Vagif Mustafazadeh, Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, Rafig Babayev and Rain Sultanov. Partnership relations also exist at different levels with:[143] Paris, Vienna, Tbilisi, Nur-Sultan, Minsk, Moscow, Volgograd, Kizlyar, Tashkent and Chengdu. The majority of the light annual precipitation occurs in seasons other than summer, but none of these seasons is particularly wet. compare ‹See Tfd›قاپو qāpū in old Perso-Arabic spelling with modern Azerbaijani ‹See Tfd›qapı, "door") or in suffixes, as و was often used to transcribe the vowel harmony in Azerbaijani (which was also the practice in Ottoman Turkish). Snow is rare, and temperatures on the coast rarely drop to freezing. Festivals include Baku International Film Festival, Baku International Jazz Festival, Novruz Festival, Gül Bayramı (Flower Festival) and the National Theater Festival. When Baku was occupied by the Russian troops during the war of 1804–13, nearly the entire population of some 8,000 people was ethnic Tat. International banks with branches in Baku include HSBC, Société Générale and Credit Suisse.[69]. Together with Baku Party Committee (known as the Baksovet), it developed the economic significance of the Caspian metropolis. In 1540, Safavid troops recaptured Baku. During the infamous March Days, using the support of the Dashnak Armenian militia in the city, and under the pretext of suppressing the Musavat party, Bolsheviks attacked and massacred thousands of Azeris and other Muslims in Baku. [26] The intensive growth of the population started in the middle of the 19th century when Baku was a small town with a population of about 7,000 people. [83] Baku joined UNESCO's Network of Creative Cities as a Design City on October 31, 2019 on the occasion of World Cities’ Day. Please check your download folder. [20] By 1730, the situation had deteriorated for the Russians; the successes of Nader Shah (r. 1736–1747) forced them to make an agreement near Ganja on 10 March 1735, ceding the city and all other conquered territories in the Caucasus back to Iran. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'newworldencyclopedia_org-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_3',168,'0','0'])); During World War II (1939-1945), Allied generals considered bombing Baku to wreck the supply of oil and thereby weaken the Soviet Union. Baku was among the leader cities of former Union for the rapid growth of the urban population during the Soviet era until the 70s. [9][101], Baku has large sections of greenery either preserved by the National Government or designated as green zones. Medieval seaside fortifications were demolished in 1861, to allow for the creation of the port and a customs house in the quay. In February 1920, the First Congress of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan took place in Baku and prepared for an armed revolt. Mstislav Rostropovich, Grammy Award–winning cellist. Russian forces, led by Tsitsianov, attempted to besiege Baku during the third Russo-Persian War (1804-1813). Shortly after this, Baku was proclaimed the new capital of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Headed by General William Thomson, 5000 English soldiers arrived in Baku on November 17, and martial law was imposed. There are some other faiths practised among the different ethnic groups within the country. The city will also host three group games and one quarter-final of the UEFA Euro 2020 European Football Championship.[103]. The first oil platform in the world, originally called "The Black Rocks," was built in 1947, within the city's metropolitan area. The center of Baku is the old town, which is also a fortress. The Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway, which directly connects Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, began to be constructed in 2007 and opened in 2017. The city is renowned for its harsh winds, which is reflected in its nickname, the "City of Winds". More than 90 percent of the population of Baku are ethnic Azerbaijanis. The metro area population of Baku in 2018 was 2,286,000, a 1.2% increase from 2017. Defeated Turkey withdrew its forces from Azerbaijan in the middle of November 1918. Under Communism, the Soviets took over the majority of Jewish property in Baku and Kuba. The southwestern part of Great Baku is a more arid part of Azerbaijan, where precipitation is less than six inches (150mm) a year. During Soviet times, Baku was a vacation destination where citizens could enjoy beaches or relax in now-dilapidated spa complexes overlooking the Caspian Sea. By 1730, the successes of the Shah of Iran, Nadir Shah, (1698-1747) in Shirvan forced the Russians to make an agreement near Ganja on March 10, 1735, and Russian troops withdrew from the city. The semi-autonomous Persian-ruled[22][23] Baku Khanate was one of these. [70] Many sizable world hotel chains have a presence in the city. In the spring of 1796, by Catherine II’s order, General Valerian Zubov’s troops started a large campaign against Qajar Persia. Modern Baku consists of three parts: The Old Town (İçəri Şəhər), the boomtown, and the Soviet-built town. Late modern and postmodern architecture began to appear in the early 2000s. Since 1988, the ethnic composition of the city has changed. The first was the 2016 European Grand Prix, with the track going around the old city. [45][46], Until 1988, Baku had very large Russian, Armenian, and Jewish populations which contributed to cultural diversity and added in various ways (music, literature, architecture and progressive outlook) to Baku's history. Drilling for oil began in the mid-1800s, with the first oil well drilled in the Bibi-Heybat suburb of Baku in 1846. The temperature for January is 33.8°F (1°C) and in July 82.4°F (28°C). The World War II Battle of Stalingrad was fought to determine who would have control of Baku oil fields. It is adjacent to the newly built International Centre of Mugham and the musical fountain. The Baku Stock Exchange is Azerbaijan's largest stock exchange, and largest in the Caucasian region by market capitalization. Shirvanshah Akhsitan I built a navy in Baku, and in 1170, he repelled another Russian assault. Lotfi A. Zadeh, artificial intelligence researcher, founder of fuzzy mathematics, fuzzy set theory, and fuzzy logic. Land area totals 100 square miles (260 square kilometers). Baku has vibrant theater, opera and ballet. Baku is the seat of the Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of Azerbaijan. Fifty years before the battle, Baku produced half of the world's oil supply.[68]. These Indian traders built the Ateshgah of Baku during 17th–18th centuries; the temple was used as a Hindu, Sikh, and Parsi place of worship. The Baku International Sea Trade Port is capable of handling two million tonnes of general and dry bulk cargoes per year. [119][120], Baku Railway Station is the terminus for national and international rail links to the city. The climate is hot and humid in the summer, and cool and wet in the winter. Among these are the townships on islands in the Baku Bay and the town of Oil Rocks, built on stilts in the Caspian Sea, 37 miles (60km) away from Baku. Garry Kasparov, chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion. Teze Bey is the most popular hamam (traditional bath) in Baku. Fountain and Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall, View of Baku taken from the International Space Station, Rise of the Shirvanshahs and the Safavid era, Downfall of the Safavids and the Khanate of Baku, Russo-Persian Wars and Iran's forced ceding, Russia and Iran, 1780-1828By Muriel Atkin, Page 16-20, Azerbaijan: The status of Armenians, Russians, Jews and other minorities, report, 1993, INS Resource Informacion Center, p.10. Between 1856 and 1910 Baku's population grew at a faster rate than that of London, Paris or New York. In 1813, following the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813, Qajar Iran was forced to sign the Treaty of Gulistan with Russia, which provided for the irrevocable cession of Baku and most of Iran's territories in the North Caucasus and South Caucasus to Russia. Out of the city's radio stations, Ictimai Radio, Radio Antenn, Burc FM, Avto FM, ASAN Radio and Lider FM Jazz are some of the more influential competitors with large national audiences. Baku ranked as one of the largest centres for the production of oil industry equipment before World War II. His successor, king Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576), completely removed the Shirvanshahs from power, and made Baku a part of the Shirvan province. In the 10th century, the Arabian traveler, Marudee, reported that both white and black oil were being extracted naturally from Baku. 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. The first street to be built outside the Inner City, originally called Nikolayevskaya after Nicolas I, was renamed to Parlaman Kuchesi, because the Parliament of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic held its meeting in a building located at that street. The largest sport hub in the city is Baku Olympic Stadium with 68,700 seating capacity whose construction was completed in 2015.

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