An environmental cleanup campaign was held on Mount Kyukhlyu (in Soviet times – Razinskaya) and the surrounding area, organized by the Azerbaijan Ecotourism Association with the assistance of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau, the executive director of the association told Trend Life Samir Dubendi.
The action was attended by activists of eco-volunteer organizations and tourism volunteers, representatives of the Executive Power of the Sabunchu District of Baku.
fence off the territory and create appropriate conditions for visiting tourists and young people who want to join mountaineering and rock climbing and, at the same time, open up opportunities for further study of the legendary cave by archaeologists, speleologists, historians and other interested parties. Here I would like to note that educating young people in a sports spirit, promoting an active and healthy lifestyle, creating opportunities for safe mountaineering, caving, cross-country running, mastering hiking and trekking skills are also among the main opportunities of this territory after it is brought into proper order,” said Samir Dubendi. According to experts from the Ecotourism Association, Mount Kyukhlyu and the cave, as a natural and historical site, can subsequently be included in tourist routes around Baku. After all, they are on the way to famous tourist sites – the State Historical-Architectural Reserve “Ateshgah” (Temple of Fire Worshipers), the State Historical-Cultural and Natural Reserve “Yanardag”, the State Historical-Ethnographic Museum “Gala”, the fortresses of the Absheron villages, which creates the possibility of including the mentioned objects in the Baku tourism cluster.
“Hike for zipuns” in Baku
10 km from the Baku railway station is the village of Bakikhanov, which until 1992 bore the name of Stepan Razin, as well as the mountain located here. On May 1, 1923, the first working village of Azneft was founded here, built in the fishing zone of Baku and bearing the name of Razin. During the Soviet years, May Days were held on the mountain, poppies were collected, rock climbers mastered difficult climbs, speleologists wandered into the cave to find stalactites and stalagmites, and children played hide and seek and “war games.”
Stepan Razin (1630-1671), ataman of the Don Cossacks, was presented by Soviet propaganda as “the organizer of the largest popular uprising of the pre-Petrine period, which was called the Peasant War.” In fact, he was a robber who, with his army, raided, robbed and killed. His famous “Campaign for zipuns” to Persia and the western coast of the Caspian Sea did not bypass the city of Baku.
History says that after Stepan Razin walked with his army through the Volga towns in 1667, he and his flotilla moved from Krasny Yar to Guryev, then to Derbent – Baku, then to Persia to Oresht – Gilan – Farabad, passed along the eastern coast of the Khvalyn Sea (Caspian) and returned to the islands of Duvan and Svinoy near Baku. After a short rest, he went on plows past Astrakhan to the Black Yar on the Don to the Kagalnitsky town. According to legend, Stepan Razin left Persia with great booty and hid treasures on the Volga. And some claimed that the treasures were hidden on the island of Sengi-Mugan and in the cave of Mount Kyukhlyu, which at one time aroused great interest among “black archaeologists” and researchers.
Razin’s first attack on the western shores of the Caspian occurred in 1667. That year he set up his camp in this cave, from where he raided the surrounding regions. The local population called Mount Kükhlyu Sabun, and nearby was the village of Sabunchi. Robber raids caused so much trouble to the local residents that they began to call the mountain Razinskaya.
In the spring of 1669, near the island of Sengi-Mugan (Pig), a battle took place between Razin’s flotilla and the Shah’s fleet under the command of Mamed Khan of Astara. According to some historical information, Razin had 23 ships, including 15 larger sea plows, equipped with twenty large and twenty small cannons for the entire fleet. The Shah’s fleet had 50 ships of different sizes, but all larger and higher-sided than Razin’s plows. Mamed Khan’s ships were also armed with artillery, and there were squads of archers on board. In order to surround the Razins and prevent them from leaving, the Shah’s fleet connected its ships with iron chains, which ultimately led to disaster. Razins used cunning, they first took a false flight, causing joy in the enemy, who rushed after them, and then unexpectedly turned around, and concentrating their fire on the flagship of Mamed Khan, they sank it with special incendiary shells filled with cotton and oil. A fire broke out, then the gunpowder supply exploded and Mamed Khan hastily moved to another ship, and the burning flagship began to sink, dragging other ships along with it. Of the entire Shah’s fleet, only three ships survived. According to legend, Razin’s cunning plan was popularly called the common expression “putting a pig”, which gave the name to the island.
According to one legend, after this battle, Stepan Razin even captured the daughter of the Salyan Khan in 1670, then married her, according to Sharia, and lived with her in this cave, but upon returning home he drowned her in the sea.
Despite the major defeat on the island of Sengi-Mugan, Mamed Khan undertook ground operations against Razin and after a series of defeats, Razin was forced to leave Baku and return to Russia, where the tsarist troops were already waiting for him, sent to pacify the “self-willed”, whose actions caused an increase in the number of fugitives peasants who wanted to join the ataman.
The mysterious history of Mount Kuhul
Many legends have arisen around this mountain, including about a mysterious underground passage that has access to the Caspian Sea through a branch several kilometers long. Moreover, in one of these underground passages, Razin hid part of the looted wealth in walled niches that he did not manage to take out. They tried to find this underground passage several times, but the search was unsuccessful. Some claim that a group of archaeologists came to study the cave and discovered this passage; it is very long and collapsed in places, and therefore it is very risky to climb there. And some talk about lost children who entered the cave but did not return. Accidents did occur in the cave, which was the reason why the entrance to it was walled up.
In recent years, excursions have increasingly begun to be held here for Russian tourists and guests from the CIS countries, telling them stories about the secret passages and hidden treasures of the famous Cossack. It is worth noting that the mountain was and is a favorite place for young people from mountaineering and rock climbing clubs, where they can conduct their training at all times of the year, without traveling far. The mountain offers a beautiful view of the sea. The lands here are fertile and full of all the colors of the local flora. The cave with an entrance width of 5 meters and a height of 13.6 meters consists of two parts. The length of the first part is 38.4 meters, the width is 5 meters, the length of the second is 7.9 meters, the width is 4.3-7 meters. The total area of the cave is 255.7 square meters. meters.
Residents recall that there was another entrance about 10-15 meters from the main entrance, but it was too narrow for an adult to squeeze through, and it became that way due to a collapse, and previously this is where the mysterious underground passage began. By the way, quite a few narrow branch passages were actually found in the cave itself. But it was impossible to squeeze into them more than a few meters. Despite its ominous history, this mountain remains a walking place for local residents. When night falls, the mountain glows with multi-colored lights, and in the spring it turns red with poppies.
Source: https://shorturl.at/BMST2