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  • The Nargin Island POW Camp: World War I on Baku's Doorstep

    The Nargin Island POW Camp: World War I on Baku's Doorstep
    2026/06/12
    During World War I, a remote island in the Caspian Sea became an unexpected prisoner-of-war camp, holding thousands of Ottoman soldiers captured on the Caucasus front. Nargin Island, just off the coast of Baku, was a barren rock with no fresh water, overlooked by the Russian Empire as a place to confine enemy combatants. This episode explores the harsh conditions, the international legal debates around treatment of POWs, and the lesser-known story of how these prisoners interacted with the diverse population of Baku. We discuss the Ottoman soldiers' origins, the role of the Red Cross, and the camp's evolution after the Russian Revolution. We also touch on how the memory of Nargin Island has been preserved — or forgotten — in modern Azerbaijan. Drawing on archival records and eyewitness accounts, we piece together a chapter of World War I that rarely makes it into the standard histories of the Caucasus. #NarginIsland #POWcamp #WorldWarI #CaucasusCampaign #OttomanEmpire #RussianEmpire #Baku #CaspianSea #PrisonersOfWar #RedCross #Bayil #Absheron #FirstWorldWar #History #FexingoHistory #AzerbaijanHistory #MilitaryHistory #EasternFront Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 分
  • Baku's Oil Boom: The City That Built the 20th Century

    Baku's Oil Boom: The City That Built the 20th Century
    2026/06/11
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Baku's oil industry transformed from a local phenomenon into a global force that powered the 20th century. They discuss the geology of the Absheron Peninsula, the role of the Nobel and Rothschild families, the rise of the first oil tanker Zoroaster, and the construction of the Baku-Batumi pipeline. The conversation also touches on the human cost: the exploitation of workers, the 1904 strike, and the environmental legacy. Along the way, they examine how oil wealth shaped Baku's architecture, culture, and politics, setting the stage for the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. #Baku #OilBoom #Absheron #Nobel #Rothschild #Zoroaster #Pipeline #Batumi #WorkersStrike #1904 #Azerbaijan #Caucasus #History #FexingoHistory #IndustrialRevolution #BlackGold #Petroleum #CaspianSea Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 分
  • The Shirvanshahs: Azerbaijan's Forgotten Dynasty

    The Shirvanshahs: Azerbaijan's Forgotten Dynasty
    2026/06/11
    Before the oil barons and the Russian conquest, Azerbaijan was ruled for nearly 700 years by a dynasty you've probably never heard of: the Shirvanshahs. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the rise and fall of these Persianate kings who built Baku's Old City, commissioned the Maiden Tower, and turned a small Caspian principality into a cultural powerhouse. We follow the dynasty from its origins in the 9th century under the Yazidi family, through the golden age of the 12th-century poet Khaqani, to the devastating Mongol invasions, and finally the Shirvanshahs' last stand against the Safavids in 1538. Along the way, we visit the crumbling palace complex in Baku, decode the mysterious inscriptions on the Maiden Tower, and ask why this long-lived dynasty is so little remembered today. If you've walked through Icheri Sheher and wondered who built those stones — this is their story. #Shirvanshahs #Azerbaijan #Baku #IcheriSheher #MaidenTower #Khaqani #Safavid #Mongol #Caucasus #Shirvan #PalaceOfTheShirvanshahs #Persianate #MedievalHistory #IslamicHistory #Yazidi #Derbent #History #FexingoHistory Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • Zeynalabdin Taghiyev: Azerbaijan's Oil Philanthropist

    Zeynalabdin Taghiyev: Azerbaijan's Oil Philanthropist
    2026/06/10
    This episode explores the life and legacy of Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, the self-made oil baron who used his vast fortune to modernize Baku and nurture Azerbaijani national identity. Born into a poor shoemaker's family, Taghiyev rose to become the wealthiest man in the Caucasus, funding schools, theaters, and the first Muslim girls' school in the Russian Empire. We discuss his rivalry with the Nobel brothers, his role in the 1904 Mazut Constitution, his patronage of the Molla Nasraddin satirical magazine, and his tragic end after the Bolshevik takeover. The conversation also touches on the Ismailiyya Palace and Taghiyev's vision for a secular, educated Azerbaijan. #HajiZeynalabdinTaghiyev #BakuOil #AzerbaijanHistory #Caucasus #RussianEmpire #OilBarons #Philanthropy #MazutConstitution #MollaNasraddin #IsmailiyyaPalace #Branobel #TaghiyevTheatre #MuslimGirlsSchool #BolshevikRevolution #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #Azerbaijan Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • The Khanate of Talysh: Azerbaijan's Lost Borderland

    The Khanate of Talysh: Azerbaijan's Lost Borderland
    2026/06/10
    In this episode of The Story of Azerbaijan, Lucas and Luna explore the little-known Khanate of Talysh, a semi-independent state that flourished in the 18th century along the Caspian coast. They discuss its founding by Mir Mustafa Khan, the unique Talysh language and culture, the khanate's strategic position between Qajar Iran and the Russian Empire, and its eventual annexation in the Russo-Persian wars. The episode also covers the controversial figure of Mir Mustafa's successor, the khanate's role in the Treaty of Gulistan, and why its history has been largely forgotten in modern Azerbaijani and Iranian narratives. #Talysh #KhanateOfTalysh #MirMustafaKhan #CaspianSea #Lankaran #Qajar #RussianEmpire #TreatyOfGulistan #Caucasus #AzerbaijanHistory #18thCentury #TalyshLanguage #Borderlands #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #Azerbaijan #LostKingdoms Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 分
  • The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic: The First Muslim Democracy

    The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic: The First Muslim Democracy
    2026/06/09
    In May 1918, as the Russian Empire collapsed and the Caucasus convulsed, a small delegation of Azerbaijani leaders gathered in Tiflis and declared something extraordinary: the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. It was the first secular parliamentary democracy in the Muslim world, with universal suffrage, equal rights for women, and a multi-party system — decades ahead of its neighbours. This episode explores the ADR's founding, its fragile 23-month existence, and the figures who shaped it: Mammad Emin Rasulzadeh, Fatali Khan Khoyski, and Nasib Yusifbeyli. We look at the challenges they faced — from Armenian-Azeri violence to Bolshevik invasion — and the legacy they left: the flag, the anthem, and the idea of Azerbaijan itself. Drawing on the Baku oil boom's political awakening, the collapse of the Transcaucasian Federation, and the brief alliance with the Ottoman Empire, we trace how a nation was born between empires. #AzerbaijanDemocraticRepublic #ADR #MammadEminRasulzadeh #FataliKhanKhoyski #NasibYusifbeyli #Tiflis #Baku #Caucasus #MuslimDemocracy #UniversalSuffrage #OttomanEmpire #Bolshevik #TranscaucasianFederation #MarchDays #BattleOfBaku #History #FexingoHistory #AzerbaijaniHistory Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 分
  • The Caucasus Campaign 1914-1918: Azerbaijan's Forgotten Front

    The Caucasus Campaign 1914-1918: Azerbaijan's Forgotten Front
    2026/06/09
    During World War I, the Caucasus became a brutal battleground between the Russian and Ottoman empires, with Azerbaijan caught in the middle. This episode explores the Caucasus Campaign of 1914-1918, focusing on the Battle of Sarikamish, the Russian advance under Nikolai Yudenich, the Armenian volunteer units, and the tragic Erzurum Offensive. We discuss how the war devastated local populations, fueled nationalism, and set the stage for the short-lived Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Through the eyes of soldiers and civilians, we uncover a forgotten front that shaped the modern Caucasus. #CaucasusCampaign #WWI #Sarikamish #Erzurum #Yudenich #EnverPasha #Azerbaijan #OttomanEmpire #RussianEmpire #ArmenianVolunteers #TranscaucasianRepublic #AzerbaijanDemocraticRepublic #Baku #Trabzon #History #FexingoHistory #WorldWarI #EasternFront Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 分
  • Azerbaijan's Oil Barons: Taghiyev and Philanthropic Empire

    Azerbaijan's Oil Barons: Taghiyev and Philanthropic Empire
    2026/06/08
    Continuing our deep dive into Azerbaijan's oil history, this episode focuses on the larger-than-life figure of Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, Baku's most prominent Azerbaijani oil magnate and philanthropist. Born into a poor family, Taghiyev used his fortune to transform Baku: funding schools for girls, the first Azerbaijani opera, and the grand Ismailiyya building. We trace his rise from construction worker to millionaire, his rivalry with the Nobel brothers, his role in the 1904 oil strike (the 'Mazut Constitution'), and his tragic fall after the Bolsheviks seized everything in 1920. Along the way, we explore the broader class dynamics of Baku's oil boom — the contrast between foreign capital (Nobel, Rothschild) and local entrepreneurs, and Taghiyev's vision of a modern, educated Azerbaijan. Plus: the burning of his beloved theatre under the Red Army. #HajiZeynalabdinTaghiyev #BakuOilBarons #AzerbaijanHistory #CaucasusHistory #OilHistory #Philanthropy #Baku #AzerbaijanDemocraticRepublic #Ismailiyya #TaghiyevTheatre #MazutConstitution #Branobel #BolshevikRevolution #Absheron #NobelBrothers #Rothschild #History #FexingoHistory Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分