Shollar water
Clean water from the Caucasus Mountains to Baku.
Shollar water comes from the Shollar spring in Şollar, Azerbaijan, or is the water sent through a pipeline from that spring to the city of Baku.
In the 1800s, Baku—the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus—had water that was often salty and dirty. This led to outbreaks of diseases like cholera, diphtheria, scarlet fever, typhoid, and spotted fever. After trying and failing to find a clean local source, city leaders looked for international help. They eventually decided to build a pipeline from the Caucasus Mountains to Baku. The water it carried became known as Shollar water.
Azerbaijani industrialist and philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev came up with the pipeline idea while in Paris. In 1899, he hired British engineer William Lindley, who had designed water and sewer systems for over thirty European cities. Lindley chose springs near Guba in the Caucasus Mountains. Baku’s municipal government opposed the plan, but Taghiyev insisted the water would never run out as long as the Shahdagh Mountain had ice on its peak.
Lindley spent 1899 exploring springs and rivers near Quba Uyezd. He found water in Shollar, on the highlands between Qusar and Khazri. Alimardan Topchubashov, a member of the Baku City Duma, supported the project, and the Duma allocated funds for it. In 1901, the Duma added 182,000 rubles. Construction began on 3 January 1904 but slowed due to the 1905–1907 revolution. On 5 May 1909, the Duma created a Department of Construction for the water conduit, naming Lindley as engineer. The main pipeline construction started in 1916.
The Baku-Shollar water conduit runs approximately 117 km (73 miles) south through the hills of Guba to Baku. It cost 27 million rubles to build and soon supplied 3 million buckets of water daily. It remains a key water source for central Baku and helped the city’s population grow from a few thousand to over 2.5 million. At the time, it was the longest pipeline in the country. Three Shollar Water Towers in Baku’s Sovetsky settlement, built in the 19th century for the pipeline, provided water to residents until the 1950s and are now under state control.
Today, many Azerbaijani cities still struggle with clean drinking water. The Absheron peninsula has no potable groundwater due to contamination.
- Pipeline length
- approximately 117 km (73 miles)
- Construction cost
- 27 million rubles
Lore & Background
In the late 19th century, Baku's water was salty and unclean, causing diseases like cholera and typhoid. After costly alternatives failed, Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, an Azeri industrial magnate, conceived a pipeline from the Caucasus Mountains. In 1899, he hired British engineer William Lindley, who chose springs near Guba. Despite municipal opposition, Taghiyev insisted the Shollar spring would never run out. Lindley completed exploratory works in 1899 near Shollar, supported by the Baku City Duma, of which Alimardan Topchubashov was a member. The Duma provided 182,000 rubles in 1901. Work began on 3 January 1904 but slowed due to the 1905–1907 revolution.
Reader's Guide
The Baku-Shollar water conduit, 110 miles long and costing 27 million men, supplied 3 million buckets of water daily to Baku residents. It remains a vital source for central Baku, helping the population grow from a few thousand to over 2.5 million. Three Shollar Water Towers in Baku's Sovetsky settlement, built in the 19th century, functioned until the 1950s. Today, access to clean water remains a challenge in Azerbaijan, with the Absheron peninsula lacking potable water. Parviz Moin, an Iranian fluid dynamicist, had Shollar water tested in Germany; scientists confirmed it as an excellent drinking source. Modern bottling began on 1 July 1997, using Taghiyev's original pipeline. The company now also bottles soft drinks. Shollar water's legacy lies in its role as a pioneering infrastructure project that transformed Baku's public health and continues to provide clean water.
Did You Know?
- Baku's water in the 19th century was salty and contributed to diseases such as cholera, diphtheria, and typhoid.
- William Lindley, a British civil engineer, designed the pipeline after choosing springs near Guba.
- The Baku-Shollar water conduit was the longest in the country when constructed.
- Modern bottling of Shollar water began on 1 July 1997.
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