Absheron Lighthouse

(autotranslated, could have mistakes)

Having established itself in the Caucasus, Russia began a thorough study of the Caspian Sea as a key strategic region from the mid-19th century. Systematic research of the Caspian coast using naval forces started in 1854. As a result of these efforts, a new atlas consisting of 22 maps of the Absheron Peninsula and nearby islands was compiled in early 1860. Additionally, to ensure the safety of navigation for commercial vessels and warships, great attention was paid to establishing new lighthouses and converting old ones on the Absheron Peninsula.

One of the first structures adapted as a lighthouse was the Maiden Tower. On June 13, 1858, a lighthouse beacon was installed on the Maiden Tower, marking the entrance to Baku Bay at night. The visibility range was 15 km. Because the outline of the lighthouse blended with the background of surrounding mountains during the day, a wide white stripe was painted on the upper part of the Maiden Tower in 1895. The Maiden Tower served as a lighthouse until 1907. At that time, its flashes were lost among the growing constellation of city lights, and the lighthouse lost its significance, yielding its functions to the Nargin Lighthouse.

The lighthouse on Nargin Island (Böyük Zirə) first went into operation on December 11, 1884. Built on the western side of Nargin Island, it allowed ships to enter Baku Bay at night and consisted of a one-story stone residential building with a 3-meter tower on the roof, where the lantern was located. A kerosene wick burner, and later a gas lamp with a fourth-class optical apparatus specially manufactured in Sweden, helped illuminate the path for ships. In connection with the start of the war in 1941, the lighthouse building was blown up by order of the Soviet military command. Anti-aircraft guns were installed on Nargin Island at that time to protect Baku from air raids, and the lighthouse building could have served as a good landmark for German aviation. The Nargin Lighthouse was restored in 1958. A stone 18-meter tower with a complex optical-navigation system was built on the elevation of the middle part of the island. This lighthouse is still in operation today. The lighthouse is serviced by watch personnel, who are rotated on the island every two weeks. The light from the lighthouse is visible at a distance of 20-30 km. Power is supplied by solar batteries, which can provide power for up to 7 days; thereafter, electricity comes from a diesel generator.

The proposal to build lighthouses on the northern coast of Absheron was raised by the Caucasus Viceroy as early as 1852, but due to lack of funds, it was rejected. The issue of shipping safety became urgent just a few years later when a large steamship "Kuba" wrecked near Cape Shaulan on September 14, 1857. To ensure safe navigation on the northern coast of the Absheron Peninsula in the second half of the 19th century, three lighthouses were built: Absheron, Amburan (sometimes called "Nardaran"), and Shaulan, which still serve today.

In 1859, the Absheron Lighthouse was built on a mountain opposite Pirallahı Island. It is the largest of the local lighthouses, featuring a 25-meter stone tower of original design with an arched entrance and anchor-shaped windows. A spiral staircase with 102 steps leads to the top of the structure. The lighthouse went into service on October 23, 1860. With a visibility range of 38 km, it ensured safe nighttime entry for ships into the Absheron Strait between the mainland and Pirallahı Island. The lighthouse was illuminated by a kerosene lamp. Later, in 1912, the lighting was replaced by a kerosene vaporization system, and from 1956 onwards, by electricity. Currently, the light is provided by a 500 W electric lamp and a system of special lenses.

In 1874, the Baku Society for "Saving Those Drowning at Sea" erected a rescue station at the northern entrance to the Absheron Strait on Cape Shaulan. Thirty-three years later, a lantern structure with an optical apparatus with a visibility range of 15 km was installed on its roof. The visibility range of the light was increased to 24 km after the lighthouse light source was reconfigured in 1935. Currently, the lighthouse is under the jurisdiction of the military department, and the servicing personnel live with their families in a two-story lighthouse building.

The Amburan Lighthouse was built in 1882 on the Amburan spit at the Kalagya elevation. It consisted of a two-story stone residential building, on whose roof an illuminating lantern was installed in 1884. The light of this lighthouse differed from other Absheron lighthouses with its white-red flash. In September 1983, after reconstruction, the lighthouse light changed from sectoral to circular.

A total of 9 out of 19 Caspian lighthouses were located along the Azerbaijani coast. Besides the aforementioned lighthouses, there were others: one on Sangi-Mugan Island (Pig Island) and another in Lankaran. The lighthouse on Sangi-Mugan Island is famous for being manufactured in France in 1891 based on calculations and drawings by Eiffel—the recognized master of elegant metal towers. The lighthouse consisted of a cast-iron pipe approximately 50 meters high. During one of the mud volcano eruptions, for which Sangi-Mugan Island is known, a gas fountain over 150 meters high erupted and melted the cast iron of the lighthouse pipe. Later, a new electronic lighthouse was installed here. The history of the Lankaran Lighthouse dates back several centuries (200-300 years) and was also built according to a French project. Two non-operational lighthouses are located at the mouth of the Kura River; they are now disconnected due to disuse. The next lighthouse stands on the border between Azerbaijan and Iran in Astara. Additionally, over the years, the Caspian Flotilla included at least three floating lighthouses—following old maritime tradition, such vessels mark dangerous underwater rocks and shoals where it is impossible to install a "regular" lighthouse with a tower and light on top.