Pirallahi Island
Encyclopedia
Pirallahi Island or Pirallakhi Island (Azeri: Pirallahı adası) is an island in the Caspian Sea
. The island is part of Azerbaijan
, and is located right off the northeastern shore of the Apsheron Peninsula, 43 kilometres (26.7 mi) to the ENE of Baku
.
This island is 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) long and has a maximum width of 4 kilometres (2.5 mi). Administratively Pirallahi Island belongs to the Khazar district of Baku.
Oil
deposits on the northern part of Pirallahi are estimated at 1.2 million tonshttp://www.bakupages.com/pubs/azernews/7270_en.php.
Flights to other Caspian isles are available at the heliport on the southern tip of the island.
times the island's name was Svyatoy (from Russian
: Святой - "The holy one"). It is said that undersea booty from a 1660 sea battle between Persians and Cossack
explorer Stepan Razin lies off the northern tip of the island.http://www.amazon.com/dp/1873756798.
Pirallahi Island is said to be the among the first places that oil was extracted in Azerbaijan
and in the 1820s it was divided into two separate areas, one residential, and another where oil was refined into paraffin. In 1934 oil explorers dropped metal drills off piers from the island, which at the time was considered an advancement in offshore oil exploration http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai112_folder/112_articles/112_chronology.html.
, this island was renamed as Artyom Island (Russian: Artëm) after the pioneer revolutionary
Comrade Artyom (Fyodor Sergeyev
). Pirallahi Island still has a settlement called Artyom
. The old Artyom village was vacated due to rising water levels on the Caspian Sea and residents moved to a series of apartment towers built by German prisoners in 1948.
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
. The island is part of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, and is located right off the northeastern shore of the Apsheron Peninsula, 43 kilometres (26.7 mi) to the ENE of Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
.
This island is 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) long and has a maximum width of 4 kilometres (2.5 mi). Administratively Pirallahi Island belongs to the Khazar district of Baku.
Oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
deposits on the northern part of Pirallahi are estimated at 1.2 million tonshttp://www.bakupages.com/pubs/azernews/7270_en.php.
Flights to other Caspian isles are available at the heliport on the southern tip of the island.
History
In ancient times Zoroastrians worshipped a fire at the low-lying island. During Russian ImperialRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
times the island's name was Svyatoy (from Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Святой - "The holy one"). It is said that undersea booty from a 1660 sea battle between Persians and Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
explorer Stepan Razin lies off the northern tip of the island.http://www.amazon.com/dp/1873756798.
Pirallahi Island is said to be the among the first places that oil was extracted in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and in the 1820s it was divided into two separate areas, one residential, and another where oil was refined into paraffin. In 1934 oil explorers dropped metal drills off piers from the island, which at the time was considered an advancement in offshore oil exploration http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai112_folder/112_articles/112_chronology.html.
Artyom Island
While Azerbaijan was part of the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, this island was renamed as Artyom Island (Russian: Artëm) after the pioneer revolutionary
Old Bolshevik
Old Bolshevik , also Old Bolshevik Guard or Old Party Guard, was an unofficial designation for those who were members of the Bolshevik party before the Russian Revolution of 1917, many of whom were either tried and executed by the NKVD during Stalin era purges or died under suspicious...
Comrade Artyom (Fyodor Sergeyev
Fyodor Sergeyev
Fyodor Andreyevich Sergeyev , better known as Comrade Artyom , was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, agitator, and journalist. He was a close friend of Sergei Kirov and Stalin...
). Pirallahi Island still has a settlement called Artyom
Artyom, Azerbaijan
Artyom is a small town on the west coast of Pirallahi Island, Baku, Azerbaijan. In 1968 it had a population of 14, 400...
. The old Artyom village was vacated due to rising water levels on the Caspian Sea and residents moved to a series of apartment towers built by German prisoners in 1948.