![Baku-Shollar water pipe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Baku-Shollar_water_pipe.jpg)
Shollar water is bottled water from the Shollar spring in
Şollar,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, or water pumped to the city of
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
from the Shollar spring.
History
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
is the capital and largest city of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, as well as the largest city in the
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
and of the
Caucasus region
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...
. Despite its grandeur, in the 19th century its water was salty and seldom clean, contributing to diseases such as
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
,
diphtheria
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...
,
scarlet fever
Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...
,
typhoid
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...
, and spotted fever. Faced with constant interruptions and unsanitary supply of water, the people of Baku sought "a reliable, healthy source of water". When all known solutions had been exhausted, Baku's city planners sought international expertise. After years of research and deliberation, a decision to construct a pipeline to direct water from the
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains,
: pronounced
* hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ,
: pronounced
* az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced
* rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ
* tr, Kafkas Dağla ...
to Baku was made. Water from this pipeline became known as "Shollar water".
In the late 19th century, access to drinking water was a serious problem for most people living in Baku. Alternatives such as desalination plants or a pipeline from the
Kura River were too costly, and were abandoned. While in Paris,
Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev
, image = Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev.jpg
, image_size = 250px
, caption =
, birth_date = 25 January 1823[philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...]
, conceived an idea to build a pipeline from the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains to Baku. In 1899, Taghiyev hired
William Lindley
William Lindley (7 September 1808 in London – 22 May 1900 in Blackheath, London), was an English engineer who together with his sons designed water and sewerage systems for over 30 cities across Europe.
Life
As a young engineer he worked t ...
, a British civil engineer who had designed multiple water and sewerage systems for more than thirty cities across Europe. Tasked with trying to find a plentiful source of water, Lindley chose the springs near
Guba, in the Caucasus Mountains.
Baku's municipal government was primarily opposed to the idea of constructing a pipeline, but Taghiyev insisted, saying, "As long as the
Shahdagh Mountain adice on its peak …Shollar will never run out."
Lindley spent the year of 1899 completing exploratory works near Quba Uyezd's rich springs and rivers. Water was found in
Shollar, located on the highlands between
Qusar
Qusar District (; az, Qusar rayonu; lez, КцIар район, script=Latn) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north-east of the country and belongs to the Guba-Khachmaz Economic Region. The district borders the dist ...
and
Khazri ''Khazri'' ( az, Xəzri) is the name of the cold north Caspian Sea wind that blows across the Absheron Peninsula throughout the year, particularly in Baku. ''Khazri'' is a gale-force coastal wind and one of the prevailing winds
In meteorology, ...
. His project was supported by
Alimardan Topchubashov
Alimardan bey Alekber bey oghlu Topchubashov ( az, Әлимәрдан бәј Әләкбәр оғлу Топчубашов, italic=no, Əlimərdan bəy Ələkbər oğlu Topçubaşov; 4 May 1862, Tiflis – 8 November 1934, Paris) was a prominent ...
, a member of the
Duma
A duma (russian: дума) is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions.
The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were for ...
. Topchubashov supplied 25,000 rubles for Lindley's project.
In 1901, the
Duma
A duma (russian: дума) is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions.
The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were for ...
provided another 182,000 rubles for the project. Work began on 3 January 1904. However, the project was slowed due to the revolution between 1905 and 1907. On 5 May 1909, the
Duma
A duma (russian: дума) is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions.
The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were for ...
created the Department of Construction of the Water Conduit, and Lindley was named an engineer.
Construction of the pipeline began in January 1917.
Water conduit
The Baku-Shollar water conduct passes through the hills of in Guba and ends in Baku. The conduit has a length of 110 miles south and cost 27 million men to construct. Soon after its construction, the pipeline supplied 3 million buckets of water a day to Baku residents. To this day, the Shollar pipeline remains a vital source of water to central Baku. Reliable and clean, this water source has helped increase Baku's population from few thousand to over 2.5 million.
When constructed, the Baku-Shollar water conduit was the longest in the country.
There are three Shollar Water Towers in
Sovetsky settlement of Baku. According to residents these monuments were taken under state control. These towers were built in the 19th century due to construction of Shollar water pipeline. From each of this tower people were provided by Shollar water. These towers were functioned till 1950s.
Sovetsky ( built in the 19th century)">
Shollar Water Tower on Suleyman Rahimov Street (2).jpg, Cross of Suleyman Rahimov and Abdulla Shaig streets
Shollar Water Tower on Salatin Asgarova Street.jpg, Cross of Salatin Asgarova and Abdulla Shaig streets
Shollar Water Tower on Shamil Azizbekov Street.jpg, Cross of Shamil Azizbeyov and Rasul Rza streets
Today's challenges
Access to dependable and clean drinking water remains a major issue for the majority of cities within
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
. In particular, the
Absheron peninsula
The Absheron Peninsula ( az, Abşeron yarımadası) is a peninsula in Azerbaijan. It is the location of Baku, the biggest and the most populous city of the country, and also the Baku metropolitan area, with its satellite cities Sumqayit and Khyrd ...
lacks a source of potable water, as its groundwater is contaminated and polluted. Azerbaijan imports bottled drinking water from other nations such as
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, and the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, but the country actually has enough domestic water sources to avoid importing water, according to
Parviz Moin
Parviz Moin ( fa, پرویز معین ''Parviz Mo'in'' born October 23, 1952, Valandan, Shahreza, Iran) is a fluid mechanics, fluid dynamicist. He is the Franklin P. and Caroline M. Johnson Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford Universit ...
, an Iranian fluid dynamicist.
Moin conducted research on whether Shollar water could be used as a source in the bottled water operation. After Moin took a sample from the Shollar spring and sent it to Germany for testing, German scientists confirmed that the Shollar water was an "excellent source of drinking
ater Ater (Hebrew אֲתַר) is an Old Testament male name.
#A descendant of Hezekiah, who returned from Babylon ;
#An Israelite, who subscribed to Nehemiah’s covenant
#A porter ; {{bibleverse, , Nehemiah, 7:45
Set index articles on Hebrew Bible ...
"
Modern water bottling from the Shollar pipeline began on 1 July 1997. Using Taghiyev's original pipeline and local workers, the operation sells water throughout Azerbaijan. The company even expanded its resources and currently bottles soft drinks, including cola and orange-flavored soda.
References
External links
* {{Commons category-inline, Shollar water
Azerbaijani cuisine
Mineral water
Quba District (Azerbaijan)
Culture in Baku
Economy of Baku