Black City (Baku)

Black City (Azerbaijani: Qara Şəhər) is the general name for the southeastern neighbourhoods of Baku, which once formed its suburbs.

In the late 19th and early 20th century it became the main location for Azerbaijan's oil industry, and the area's name derives from the smoke and soot of the factories and refineries.

In 1870, the authorities suggested that pasture lands to the east of the city be allotted for construction of oil refineries.

Some of the farms and pastures of the neighbouring village of Keshla were zoned to accommodate replacements for factories that had been dismantled in the city.

To prevent further pollution, the new zoning law prohibited oil refineries from being built within the residential area.

[6] Wealthy residents chose to settle in the city centre, where oil extraction and refinery were forbidden.

The oil was moved by pipes 4 to 6 inches (100 to 150 mm) in diameter resting on the ground and conforming to its curvature.

[14][a] When Black City began growing beyond its borders, oil industrialists started to look for new convenient areas to serve their needs.

By the end of 1902, up to 20 more large oil refineries and oil-related trade businesses were built here such as Mantashev and Co., Caspian–Black Sea Society and Shibayev's Chemical Plant.

As a young man Joseph Stalin spent time there in the 1900s, where he allied himself with organized crime gangs against the oil tycoons.

The industrial zone grew from south to north and eventually occupied the rural area that separated Black City from Balakhany.

[19] However, a 2009 book described a desolate scene of derelict oil wells, garbage and pollution in the vicinity of Black City, with no trace of greenery.

The district is served by the Şah İsmail Xətai (or Khatai) station of the Baku Metro system.

A masterplan for the redevelopment of a 221 hectares of former industrial land as "White City" foresees the construction of 10 urban neighbourhoods to house around 50,000 residents and to create work space for 48,000 jobs.

[27] The waterfront will extend Baku Boulevard by another 1.3 km and plans to include a 65m ferris wheel, a 4-hectare fountain garden and a whole series of 'landmark' buildings, to ensure the environment does not feel too homogenous.