Nizami Park, Public garden in Xətai district, Baku, Azerbaijan.
Nizami Park is a public green space in the Xətai district of Baku, featuring two fountain complexes, an artificial lake, and walking paths. The grounds also include sports facilities and seating areas, making it a place used by people of all ages.
The garden was laid out in 1882–1883 by the Nobel brothers as part of Villa Petrolea, a settlement for their oil company's staff. Horticulturist E. Bekle brought fertile soil by barge from Lankaran and Volga water as ballast for irrigation. After 1920 it was renamed for Lunacharsky, then Rote-Fane, and in 1991 took the name of Nizami Ganjavi.
The park's name honours Nizami Ganjavi, the 12th-century poet from Ganja. Its earlier names came from politics: after 1920 it was named for Lunacharsky, then Rote-Fane, after the German communist newspaper. On 9 July 1931 an all-Baku rally of oil shock workers met here to mark the arrival of the Rote-Fane red banner and voted to send a telegram to Ernst Thälmann, leader of the German communists.
The park lies in Xətai district, about 8 km from Baku's centre, on the Villa Petrolea estate. The terrain slopes toward the Caspian, and the main alleys lead to viewpoints over the Black City oil refineries and the sea. The 2021 reconstruction added an artificial lake, two fountain complexes and new lighting.
A small amphitheater and a summer cinema built in 1938 still stand in the park, even if they are no longer in regular use. They point to a time when this was one of the few places in the city where people could watch films or attend open-air performances.
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