Absheron peninsula, Azerbaijan

Absheron peninsula to - darkometer rating : 5 - (overall; individually between 1 for Arteshgah, and 8 for Artyom) A semi-desert promontory that pokes out eastwards into the Caspian Sea just north-east of Baku , Azerbaijan . The area is littered with old oilfields and associated industries – and is hence heavily polluted: a surreal "post-apocalyptic" industrial wasteland – fascinating but way off the normal tourist trails, though some of it is (just about) accessible to curious off-the-beaten-tracks travellers. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: The Absheron peninsula is kind of the birth place of the by now global oil drilling craze – at least it was the first place where this reached massive (early) industrial proportions. At the beginning of the 20th century it was the No. 1 oil production place on Earth, supplying nearly half the world's oil. What began in the immediate environs of Baku soon moved further afield, and in particular all over the eastern part of the Absheron peninsula – and onwards beyond to offshore fields, including ones accessed from Arytom island off Absheron via wooden trestle bridge piers connecting the various offshore oil derricks. Later still, the legendary Neft Dashlari ('Oil Rocks') was effectively the first completely offshore oil rig – or rather system of rigs, a whole city built on stilts in the sea. During WWII , Baku and its surrounding oil reserves became a prime target for Germany to occupy in order to secure vital oil supplies for Hitler 's war. The German army, however, failed to capture Baku, or even to get close to it.