Caspian seals, sturgeon, and numerous types of birds, such as teal ducks, herring gulls, and grebes are some of the species that can be found on and around Boyuk Zira Island.

Most of the names of islands in the Baku archipelago, including Boyuk Zira, were changed by the Russians and partially by Cossacks, who appeared in the Caspian Sea region in the 17th century.

[2] In January, 2008 SOCAR finished construction of a 17 km long, 12–14 meters deep water line extending from Lökbatan township to Boyuk Zira Island.

The beacon was constructed on the southern part of the island and provided ships with an opportunity to enter Baku Bay at night.

About ten thousand soldiers, as well as civilians, (Turks, partially Germans and Austrians) who were captured in 1914-1915 in Turkey during the occupation of Eastern Anatolia by the Russian army, were held in captivity on the island.

Vecihi Hürkuş – a Turkish veteran pilot and aviation pioneer– also escaped from the island with the assistance of local residents, and a film dedicated to him is intended to be shot in Turkey.

[5] A documentary exposing the tragedy Turkish soldiers endured in Nargin island in the early 20th century was shot by order of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.

In recent years, the erection of a monument on Nargin Island to the perished Turkish soldiers has been frequently proposed by Turhan Çömez, a former deputy of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and others.

[citation needed] In 2009 a plan was mooted for turning Boyuk Zira Island into a carbon-neutral eco-resort and recreation centre with a profile based on Azerbaijan's seven best-known peaks.

[8][9] The cost of the project, known as “The dream island”, by Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), would have been around two billion US dollars.