Editing Baku (section)

===Rise of the Shirvanshahs and the Safavid era===
{{See also|Shirvanshah}}
[[File:1541-Battle in the war between Shah Isma'il and the King of Shirvan-Shahnama-i-Isma'il.jpg|left|190px|thumb |A [[Miniature (illuminated manuscript)|miniature painting]] marking the downfall of the [[Shirvanshahs]] at the hands of the [[Safavids]]]]
Baku was the realm of the [[Shirvanshahs]] during the 8th century AD. The city frequently came under assault from the [[Khazars]] and (starting from the 10th century) from the [[Kievan Rus'|Rus']]. [[Akhsitan I]] built a navy in Baku and successfully repelled a Rus' assault in 1170. After a devastating earthquake struck [[Shamakhi]], the capital of [[Shirvan]], Shirvanshah's court moved to Baku in 1191.<ref>[http://www.kaspiy.az/rubrics.php?code=316 "Ичери Шехер": быть или не быть] Retrieved on 25 June 2006 {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080620120625/http://www.kaspiy.az/rubrics.php?code=316 |date= 20 June 2008 }}</ref>

[[File:Sabayil relics.jpg|thumb|Relics from the sunken [[Sabayil Castle]] ]]
The Shirvan era greatly influenced Baku and the remainder of present-day Azerbaijan. Between the 12th and 14th centuries, massive fortifications were built in Baku and the surrounding towns. The [[Maiden Tower (Baku)|Maiden Tower]], the [[Ramana Tower]], the [[Nardaran Fortress]], the Shagan Castle, the [[Quadrangular castle (Mardakan)|Mardakan Castle]], the [[Round Castle (Mardakan)|Round Castle]] and also the [[Sabayil Castle]] on the island of the [[Bay of Baku]] date from this period. The [[Old City (Baku)|city walls of Baku]] were also rebuilt and strengthened.

By the early 16th century, Baku's wealth and strategic position attracted the attention of its larger neighbours; in the previous two centuries, it was under the rule of the Iran-centred [[Kara Koyunlu]] and [[Ak Koyunlu]]. The fall of the Ak Koyunlu brought the city immediately into the sphere of the newly formed Iranian [[Safavid dynasty]], led by king (''[[shah]]'') [[Ismail I]] ({{reign | 1501 | 1524}}). Ismail I laid siege to Baku in 1501 and captured it; he allowed the Shirvanshahs to remain in power, under Safavid suzerainty. His successor, king [[Tahmasp I]] ({{reign | 1524 | 1576}}), completely removed the Shirvanshahs from power and made Baku a part of the [[Safavid Shirvan|Shirvan]] province. Baku remained as an integral part of his empire and of successive Iranian dynasties for the next centuries, until ceded to the [[Russian Empire]] through the 1813 [[Treaty of Gulistan]]. The House of Shirvan, which had ruled Baku since the 9th century, was extinguished in the course of Safavid rule.

At this time, the city was enclosed within lines of strong walls, which were washed by the sea on one side and protected by a wide trench on land. The Ottomans briefly gained control over Baku as a result of the [[Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–1590)|Ottoman-Safavid War of 1578–1590]]; by 1607, it came under Iranian control again.<ref>{{Cite book |last1= Dumper |first1= Michael |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA65 |title= Cities of the Middle East and North Africa |last2= Stanley |first2= Bruce E |publisher= ABC-CLIO |year= 2007 |isbn= 978-1-57607-919-5 |access-date= 4 July 2020 |archive-date= 28 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210528124515/https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA65 |url-status= live }}</ref> In 1604 Shah [[Abbas I of Persia|Abbas I]] ({{reign | 1588 | 1629}}) destroyed Baku fortress.

[[File:Ateshgah temple inscription.png|upright|thumb|right| [[Ateshgah of Baku|Atashgah]] is a temple built by Indian traders before 1745, west of the Caspian Sea. The inscription invokes Lord [[Shiva]] in [[Sanskrit]] at the Atashgah.]]
Baku had a reputation as a focal point for traders from across the world during the [[Early modern period]]; commerce was active and the area prospered. Notably, traders from the [[Indian subcontinent]] established themselves in the region. These Indian traders built the [[Ateshgah of Baku]] during 17th–18th centuries; the temple was used as a [[Hindu]], [[Sikh]], and [[Zoroastrian]] place of worship.<ref name="Ziyadov2012">{{Cite book |last= Taleh Ziyadov |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=48CHpkjeCcEC&pg=PA94 |title= Azerbaijan as a Regional Hub in Central Eurasia: Strategic Assessment of Euro-Asian Trade and Transportation |publisher= Taleh Ziyadov |year= 2012 |isbn= 978-9952-34-801-9 |pages= 94– |access-date= 16 August 2018 |archive-date= 28 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210528124524/https://books.google.com/books?id=48CHpkjeCcEC&pg=PA94 |url-status= live }}</ref>