Nargin (Boyuk Zira) Lighthouse – Boyuk Zira (previously known as Nargin) located in Baku bay of the Caspian Sea can be seen clearly from the coast in good weather. Lighthouse in the island shows way to vessels and flock of cranes night and day. Small ships voyaging passengers in Baku bay whistle symbolically as they go around near the island. In fact this whistle is respect for eternal memories of hundreds of people that were killed on that small rocky island rising in the middle of the sea.The first lighthouse was built on the island on December 11, 1884. The lighthouse was destroyed by Soviet military command because of the intelligence flights of fighters of Fascist Germany in 1941. After 17 years, in 1958 it was reconstructed using stones and its height is 18 m. Today the lighthouse is in use. It is equipped with complex optical navigation system. The lighthouse is supplied with solar panels. Maiden Tower was used as a lighthouse until 1907.The island was named Nargin in 1719 during the rule of Peter the Great because it looked like the Nargin Island that is located in the Gulf of Finland (in Estonian “narrow strait”). After Azerbaijan gained its independence in 1991, the name of the island changed again back to Boyuk Zira. During the First World War, soldiers captivated by Russians on Turkish front were held in this island and tortured. Historical sources show that major part of the Turkish captives died of thirst, starvation, snake bites and were shot to death by Armenians. There are historical facts that show horrible tortures done to Turkish captives by Armenian soldiers and officers who were cooperation with Russian Army at that time. According to some resources, approximately ten thousand Turkish soldiers were killed in Boyuk Zira. Some of the intellectuals of Azerbaijan were also killed in this island during the repressions of 1937-38.http://aztc.gov.az/az/posts/id:332http://report.az/multimedia/boyuk-zire-mayaki/http://metbuat.az/news/83381/boyuk-zire-mayaki.html