Baku, Azerbaijani Bak?, city, capital of Azerbaijan.
Baku, Azerbaijani?Bak?, city, capital of?Azerbaijan. It lies on the western shore of the?Caspian Sea?and the southern side of the?Ab?eron Peninsula, around the wide curving sweep of the?Bay of Baku. The bay, sheltered by the islands of the Baku?Archipelago, provides the best harbour of the Caspian, while the?Ab?eron Peninsula?gives protection from violent northerly winds. The name Baku is possibly a contraction of the Persian?bad kube?(“blown upon by mountain winds”). Baku derives its importance from its oil industry and its administrative functions.
The first historical reference to Baku dates from 885?CE, although archaeological evidence indicates a settlement there several centuries before Christ. By the 11th century?CE, Baku was in the possession of the Shīrvān-Shāhs, who made it their capital in the 12th century, although for a period in the 13th and 14th centuries it came under the?sway?of the Mongols. In 1723?Peter I?(the Great) captured Baku, but it was returned to Persia in 1735;?Russia?captured it finally in 1806. In 1920 Baku became capital of the Azerbaijan?republic.
The core of present-day Baku is the old town, or fortress, of?Icheri-Shekher. Most of the walls, strengthened after the Russian conquest in 1806, survive, as does the 90-foot (27-metre) tower of Kyz-Kalasy (Maiden’s Tower, 12th century). The old town is highly picturesque, with its maze of narrow alleys and ancient buildings. These include the Palace of the Shīrvān-Shāhs (now a museum), the oldest part of which dates from the 11th century. Also of the 11th century is the Synyk-Kala Minaret and Mosque (1078–79). Other notable historic buildings are the?law court?(Divan-Khan), the Dzhuma-Mechet Minaret, and the mausoleum of the astronomer Seida Bakuvi. The walled city, along with the Palace of the Shīrvān-Shāhs and Maiden’s Tower, were collectively designated a?UNESCO?World Heritage site?in 2000.