History Black City (Baku)

1 history

1.1 background
1.2 foundation , growth
1.3 later developments

history

black city in 1913


background

baku incorporated russian empire in 1813 under treaty of gulistan. @ time small town of 10,000 inhabitants. world s first oil drilled @ baku in 1847/1848, , followed many more. first oil refining plants built in 1859 in city suburbs. 1860s baku fields accounted 90% of world s oil supply. industrial buildings came occupy large sections of city. plants , factories hazardous population due air pollution smokestacks. public pressure forced provincial authorities consider developing separate industrial zone. in 1870, authorities suggested pasture lands east of city allotted construction of oil refineries. 1872 there sixty refineries in baku producing kerosene. law passed prohibiting construction of new plants in city, , allocating new district outside city limits refineries.

foundation , growth

nobel oil refinery, late 1880s

by 1874 there 123 refineries in become known black city . refinery district 8 miles (13 km) shipping ports. industrial area plan completed in 1876. of farms , pastures of neighbouring village of keshla zoned accommodate replacements factories had been dismantled in city. new industrial zone 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) residential areas. prevent further pollution, new zoning law prohibited oil refineries being built within residential area. 1880, there 118 industrial businesses functioning in black city area.

most of baku oil workers lived in area. suburb accommodated oil companies offices, workshops , housing associated labourers. living conditions bad in contrast conditions in baku proper. wealthy residents chose settle in city centre, oil extraction , refinery forbidden. area came known black city (russian: Чёрный город) because of black smoke , soot coming factories , oil refineries. turkish traveller visited black city in 1890 described follows:

black; walls, earth, air, , sky. can feel oil , inhale fumes, , reek chokes you. walk among clouds of smoke cover sky.

oil pipeline outside black city, 1905

in 1878, nobel brothers built first oil pipeline in russian empire. 5.6 miles (9.0 km) long , 2 inches (51 mm) in diameter, , deliver 10,000 barrels per day. crude pumped oil wells central storage tanks @ balakhani, , there refineries. cost of construction recovered in first year of operation. other companies followed nobels lead.

the older nobel brothers founded nobel brothers oil extraction partnership in 1879, , in control of 75% of oil industry in baku. of october 1885 of baku refineries in black city. oil moved pipes 4 6 inches (100 150 mm) in diameter resting on ground , conforming curvature. there twelve reservoirs in all, 2 owned nobels. smaller refiners had make use of reservoirs owned larger firms.

later developments

balakhany oil-rich area 9 miles (14 km) baku city. swedish explorer sven hedin visited balakhany oil fields in 1890. there 410 wells, of nobels owned 116, 720 900 feet (220 270 m) deep. 1 of nobel wells gushed 150,000 poods per day, , nobels pumped 230,000 poods of crude each day black city through 2 lines, largest diameter of 24 inches (610 mm). nobels produced 60,000 poods of refined oil per day.

when black city began growing beyond borders, oil industrialists started new convenient areas serve needs. new industrial area east of black city emerged , became known white city. end of 1902, 20 more large oil refineries , oil-related trade businesses built here such mantashev , co., caspian–black sea society , shibayev s chemical plant. unlike black city, white city accommodated more modern , better functioning refineries , therefore, area not polluted. in 1882–1883, nobel brothers founded industrial community on border of black city , white city called villa petrolea. 1905, oil refineries of baku located there.

james dodds henry wrote in 1905 black city , bibi-heybat black spots of baku. baku 1 of toughest cities in russian empire. young man joseph stalin spent time there in 1900s, allied himself organized crime gangs against oil tycoons. said wasteland in black city controlled gang. stalin made agreement gang let through bolsheviks, not mensheviks. bolsheviks had special passwords. story says stalin behind profitable kidnapping of oil tycoon musa nagiyev.

stalin organized strikes in oil fields, , bolsheviks distributed newspaper iskra via oil shipping network.

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