Baku

An overview of Baku, which is largely a concrete jungle but has many green spots.  Some interesting history: Baku was originally part of a wider Iranian (Persian) empire until about 1747 after which it became an independent Khanate (pop. about 5,000 - now 2 million!), then went through a couple of hundred years of conflicts, variously between Persia, the Ottomans, and the Russian Empire. Eventually the Russians defeated the Persians in 1813 and they were compelled to sign the Treaty of Gulistan, which handed most of the Caucasus, previously controlled by Persia, to the Russian Empire.  Apparently, the terms of that treaty still hurt in Iran today.  Interestingly, about one third of Iran's population are ethnic Azeris.

At one point in history, around the turn of the 19th century, Baku produced about half the world's oil supply. A resurgence of oil development over the last 15 years has tripled the size of the economy and, as a consequence of this, Baku has been almost completely rebuilt - as evident in the image. The party came to an end when the oil price dropped and development has largely halted.

Back to 1917:  Nicholas II on his younger brother, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich's, refusal to take the throne:  "Misha shouldn’t have done that. I wonder who could have possibly given him such an odd piece of advice.”  Michael was subsequently detained by the Bolsheviks and then summarily shot in July 1918. 

In Moscow, the barbers and hairdressers welcome the Chairman of the State Duma and express ".. infinite joy and happiness on the fact that the craftsmen will finally see the justice and positive changes in the Great Russia."  Heady times (excuse the pun).