Monuments
The House of Haji Mammadkarim Ramazanov
The House of Haji Mammadkarim Ramazanov
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, with the development of the oil industry in Baku, the city expanded beyond the fortress walls. The economic boom also changed the landscape of Icherisheher. In the Baku Fortress and in the adjacent buffer zone, European, local, and Polish architects built beautiful buildings one after another by order of Baku millionaires. Among them, the Ramazanov estate can be noted. This magnificent building was built in the 90s of the 19th century. This house belonged to Haji Mammadkarim Ramazanov, a representative of a famous merchant generation, and his family. His father was also a well-known merchant and had the Agha Zeynal bathhouse built in Icherisheher. The Ramazanov family lived on the fourth floor of the building. One of the lower floors was rented out, the other housed gold shops, and one of the floors was used for performances.
It is said that Mammadkarim Ramazanov did not have a child for many years. One day, at a prestigious gathering, he touched the Quran and swore that when his first child was born, he would offer a gold coin equal to the child's weight to Mecca.
Not long after this incident, Haji's first daughter was born. Haji kept his word and poured the newborn baby into one eye of the scale and the other into the other eye, even removing the gold belt around his waist to get the weight right. After the first daughter, God blessed him with three sons.
Years passed, when Haji's daughter reached puberty, a Baku "gochu" sent a messenger to the girl with the offer of marriage. Haji rejected the messengers. The "gochu", enraged, killed Haji's eldest son. This incident greatly shook the family. Haji's daughter did not marry for the rest of her life. Haji's wife even curses and does not forgive the murderer who came to her door to seek forgiveness while she was on her deathbed.
Until recent years, Haji's grandchildren lived in a small apartment on this property that their grandfather had built, until their passing.