Baku - first post

My first post of course will be about my home city Baku :) 

  Baku - is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is the heart of the country - its cultural, industrial and educational center.
  Azerbaijan is a land of unlimited natural resources, centuries-old culture, history and friendly people whose lifestyle presents a unique, harmonious combination of tradition and ceremonies of different cultures and civilizations.
  Azerbaijan is a country which plays an extremely important role in the Caspian and Caucasian regions, particularly in the development of transport infrastructure in the Caucasus and the implementation of energy projects. It was the region’s first country to explore the huge energy potential, to form an absolutely new economic model of regional development, and to expand political and economic ties between Europe and Asia.


 Baku was first mentioned in the Book of the Dead by the Egyptian Pharaoh Minesan in 3,500 BC. The ancient age of Baku is also evidenced by stone carvings dating back to 12,000 years ago and archeological excavations. This means that Baku is nearly 5,500 years old. Baku was one of the main cities in the Shirvanshah's State in the 12th century, in the Sefevids State in the 14th century, in the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, and became the capital of the Baku khanate in the 17th century.
   The Inner City of Baku along with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

The first oil well was mechanically drilled in the Bibi-Heybat suburb of Baku in 1846, though a number of hand-dug wells predate it. Large-scale oil exploration started in 1872, when Russian imperial authorities auctioned the parcels of oil-rich land around Baku to private investors.
Baku's largest industry is petroleum, and its petroleum exports make it a large contributor to Azerbaijan's balance of payments.

Modern Baku has wildly varying architecture, ranging from the Old City core to modern buildings and the spacious layout of the Baku port. Many of the city's most impressive buildings were built during the early 20th Century, when architectural elements of the European styles were combined in eclectic style. Baku thus has an original and unique appearance, earning it a reputation as the 'Paris of the East'.

Baku is one of the most important tourist destinations in the Caucasus. Baku has many popular tourist and entertainment spots, such as the downtown Fountains Square, the One and Thousand Nights Beach, Beach and Oil Rocks.

On 2 September 2010, with the inauguration of National Flag Square, Baku became home to the world's tallest flagpole (162m) , according to the Guinness Book of Records.  

National Flag Square

The city is listed 48th in the 2011 list of the most expensive cities in the world conducted by the Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Its Nizami Street is one of the most expensive streets in the world.

The city has many amenities that offer a wide range of cultural activities, drawing both from a rich local dramatic portfolio and an international repertoire. Many of the city's cultural sites were celebrated in 2009 when Baku was designated an Islamic Culture Capital. 

Following the victory of Azerbaijan's representative Eldar & Nigar at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, Baku hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.
Crystal Hall during ESC 2012

Baku’s newly Flame Towers, curving and incandescent are set to become a global architectural landmark. But if a building in Baku stands to become an icon the contemporary city, the visual shorthand by which it is Branded in the public consciousness, the likelihood is it will be the Flame Towers. The tallest of the 3 towers is 181 m, it is slightly shorter sisters 162 m and 150 m, containing 38, 37 and 35 storeys respectively. But most extraordinary of all is their form, for all three are shaped like flames, in a nod to Azerbaijan’s history as a Land of  Fire.