History

From the Bazaar Square to the present day

A square and a quarter that grew up beyond the walls of old Baku in the 19th century.

The history of Kubinka is first of all the history of the square that gave the quarter its name, and of the informal bazaar that grew up beside it. Here are its main milestones, drawn from local-history sources.

Where the name comes from

The name derives from Kubinskaya Square. According to the research of the architect and historian Shamil Fatullayev, it is linked to the city of Quba in the north of the country — through the merchants who came from there to trade, and through the trade routes from the northern regions. By another account, the square was named after Kubinskaya Street, which began here.

Where the name comes from It is widely believed that the quarter was founded by resettlers from Quba. This is not documented in reliable sources — it is folk etymology, not an established fact.

1840s

Bazaar (Pochtovaya) Square

In the early stages of building Baku's forshtadt, beyond the walls of the old city, a square and an informal bazaar beside it take shape.

1903

Clearing the square

The authorities remove the farm traders and the auxiliary structures from the square.

1920s

The end of the old bazaar

In the first years of Soviet rule the bazaar on the square is closed; the square is later renamed in honour of Georgi Dimitrov.

1962

Fizuli Square

After the monument to the poet Fizuli is erected in front of the Drama Theatre, the square takes its present name.

The Soviet years

The famous flea market

The quarter itself became famous as an unofficial market for scarce and foreign goods, with its own "unwritten laws".

2010s — 2020s

Demolition

The old streets of Kubinka begin to be demolished for new residential development.

Where the boundaries run

The quarter lies on the border of two districts: its core (Samad Vurgun Street, by the circus and Nizami metro) is assigned to Nasimi district, while the south-western edge now being demolished belongs to Yasamal district. This is not a confusion of sources but the genuine in-between nature of the place.

What lies nearby

At its upper edge the quarter adjoins Teze Bazar, and it contains the Meshadi Dadash Mosque. Nearby are Fizuli Square with the Drama Theatre, the Baku Circus, and Nizami metro station.

There is no separate "Kubinka Mosque" as a monument — this is a common misconception. The quarter has the Meshadi Dadash Mosque; the "Quba Mosque", by contrast, is in the city of Quba itself.