“If you didn’t see Baku…” (Robert Rojdestvensky, a Russian Poet)

Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan and the largest city in the Caucasus. The city is located on the southern shore of Absheron peninsula with a territory covering over 2,130 square kilometers. It slopes like an amphitheatre down the peninsula into a bay. According to one version, Baku’s name comes from Persian bad-kube meaning “the city of pounding winds.” Indeed, the cold northern wind khazri and the warm southern wind gilavar are typical here all year round. In addition, Baku is known as the land of fire. Indeed, even the coat of arms of the city has three flames on it. The city is also famous for its trade and seaport – it has the largest port in the Caspian Sea, the biggest lake in the world. Azerbaijan’s capital is the biggest commercial, industrial, cultural and scientific center in the Caucasus. More than 75% of Azerbaijan’s GDP is produced in Baku. The city contributes greatly with its petroleum industry to the balance of payments of the Republic. Baku is located on the crossroads of West and East and formed by different cultural impacts and values. The uniqueness of the city, as well as the people who are traditionally friendly and hospitable, will not leave anyone indifferent.

Prior to Tzarist annexation, Baku was considered to be one of the most deserted and forgotten places in the region with a harsh climate and an absence of water, making the location unattractive. According to Alexander Dumas, who visited Baku in 1840s, the region was characterized as a “place where tigers, jackals, panthers, snakes and poisonous snakes roamed freely.”  Indeed, before Russian annexation in the early 19th century, Baku was no more than  a small fortress, far from the major trading routes or cultural centers even though it had access to the Caspian Sea. However, in the second half of the 19th century the city was transformed into the jewel of the Russian empire. The birth of the new Baku as an industrial city dates back to 1847, following the drilling of the first industrial oil well. The period from the 1870s to World War I has been called the “first oil boom”, or golden period of the development of Baku. From this period to 1918, Baku witnessed the rise of magnificent buildings in a Baroque style that was completely alien at the time to the architecture of the Moslem city.

 By 1913, Baku produced almost 95% of all Russian oil and 55% of total global oil production. The revenue from this development gave birth to the emergence of an urban class that was multi-cultural in composition. The rapid development of Baku was interrupted by the Russian revolution of 1917. As a consequence, Baku initially became the capital of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic that existed from 1918 to 1920, at which time the Red Army occupied the city. For the next 70 years Baku was the capital of the Soviet Azerbaijan. The significance of Baku to the Soviet Union during the period of World War II is difficult to overestimate, as around 70-75% of all Soviet oil produced between 1941-1945 came from Baku. Indeed, this was also noted by the Germans who reacted by undertaking a military thrust from the Northern Caucasus toward Baku, at the time of the siege of Stalingrad, in order to stop the oil supply from Baku to the frontline. Later, the postwar period was marked by a massive investment in the oil industry, despite the fact that new oil fields in Siberia had been discovered. Furthermore, Baku became a center for the production of oil-related industries and a training center for oil experts. Indeed, the first city on the sea, Oil Rocks, was built in the Caspian Sea, near Baku in 1947.

Baku became the capital of the independent Azerbaijan Republic after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The “contract of the century”, signed in 1994, brought many foreign investors to Baku’s oil industry and pushed the development of the city. The city is a major element in the oil chain Baku-Tbilisi-Jeyhan and the gas pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, which provide a direct supply of fuel and energy to many European countries. In addition, Baku is an important commercial and cultural center. The first national theatre of the Muslim East was opened in Baku in 1873, as well as the first opera, Leyli and Majnun, which was staged in 1908. Moreover, Azerbaijani cinema dates back to 1898, making it one of the first countries involved in the industry, and the first shoots were made in Baku.

Baku has a lot of touristic places to visit. The Inner City, which is surrounded by  the walls of the fortress, which was aimed to protect a small, at that time, city since the XII century, Shirvanshah’s Palace, a magnificent complex of structures, including a mosque, mausoleum, burial-vault and divan-khana, and a masterpiece of the Middle Ages – Maiden Tower - are all inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Moving from downtown Baku, one should definitely visit another historical site – Ateshgah, a place for Zoroastrian worshipers. Marvelous mosques such as Juma Mosque, Taza-Pir Mosque, Bibi-Heybat Mosque as well as a Lutheran Church of the Savior, a Russian Orthodox Church of Michael Archange, St.Mary’s Catholic Church of Baku, Jewish Synagogue, together compose a unique picture of the religious tolerance and multiculturalism of the city.

Baku offers an intense list of various cultural attractions. The Azerbaijan State Museum of History, located in the former mansion of the famous Azerbaijani philanthropist and oil magnate Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev, is one of the largest museums in Azerbaijan.  The Azerbaijan State Museum of Art has a huge collection of works by both national and foreign artists and sculptures from ancient times till now. Baku is also a center for modern artists, whose works are gathered in the Museum of Modern Art, which was designed in a very ingenious and striking style. The Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre, Azerbaijan State Philarmonic Hall, International Mugham Center,  and Baku Jazz Center are a few in the big list of places where one can enjoy music and performance.

New buildings will definitely be of great interest. The Flame Towers are gradually becoming a new symbol of the city and are frequently pictured on postcards bought by visitors. The towers symbolize the long history of fire worshippers that consider Azerbaijan as a birthplace for the prophet Zoroaster. The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center is another spectacular building with postmodern architecture.

Many famous and outstanding people are from Baku. The famous physicist and Nobel laureate  Lev Landau was born into a Jewish family in Baku. The talented and outstanding cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich was also born in the city if winds. In addition, world-known chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov was born and lived in Baku with his family for a long time.

Baku is also known for holding different festivals, such as the Baku International Film Festival, Baku International Jazz Festival, and Baku International Mugham festival, as well as for hosting various music and sport contests. The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was held in Baku in May 2012, and in September the city is going to host FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. In addition, the city hosts many sporting events, including the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships and Wrestling Championships.

The warmness and sincerity of Baku and its residents will definitely impress its guests. The city’s development in past years has made it an attractive destination for tourists and businessmen alike. Azerbaijan’s rich cultural and historical heritage is introduced to the visitors of Baku through various museums, theatres, concert halls, but most importantly by the beauty of the city itself. Baku is certainly a must-see city of the world.