A Soviet-era city that broke records for being the site of the world’s first offshore oil well is now slowly crumbling into the sea.
Oil Rocks, also known as Neft Dashlari, is on its way to becoming modern Atlantis.
Located in the Caspian Sea, the large floating city is about 55 kilometers from the coast of Azerbaijan and 120 kilometers from Baku, within the limits of the capital city.
It was built by the Soviets in 1949 after engineers discovered black gold, thousands of feet beneath the Caspian seabed.
Oil production began in 1951 and this unique city subsequently earned its title as the oldest offshore oil platform.
A Soviet-era city that broke records for being the site of the world’s first offshore oil well is now slowly crumbling into the sea.
The project was commissioned by Joseph Stalin before developing Russian oil operations in Siberia.
It was not and remains a small operation: Neft Dashlari covers around 17 miles and is home to around two thousand workers, three hundred kilometers of roads and 256 individual oil wells.
The artificial archipelago also has a nine-story apartment complex for its workers, in addition to other facilities to complete the city, such as a park, restaurants, hotels, a museum, a bakery, a cinema and even a soccer field.
Some of its foundations were even built on sunken ships and, at its peak, the artificial city had more than 2,000 drilling platforms producing oil.
At its peak, the city had 5,000 workers, although that number has now been cut in half as the waves began to claim its structure.
The city’s Guinness World Records page says: ‘Neft Dashlari is an entirely functional city built on the Caspian Sea, 55 kilometers off the coast of Azerbaijan.
“Construction and development continued until the city included hotels, hostels, a bakery, a power station and a total of 7 hectares of land, made up of separate ‘islands’ connected by more than 200 kilometers of trestle bridges, all supported on metal piles.
“Although much of Neft Dashlari has been reclaimed by sea, its platforms still produce oil.”
Oil Rocks, also known as Neft Dashlari, is on its way to becoming modern Atlantis.
In the photo: the apartment complex built for workers living in Neft Dashlari.
Located in the Caspian Sea, the large floating city is about 55 kilometers from the coast of Azerbaijan and 120 kilometers from Baku, within the limits of the capital city.
More homes are being built for the 5,000 workers the city had at its peak
While it’s not a traditional city and at first glance looks like a giant spider on the waves, Oil Rocks is what thousands of people call home, and its future doesn’t look good.
It was not and remains a small operation: Neft Dashlari covers around 17 miles and is home to around two thousand workers, three hundred kilometers of roads and 256 individual oil wells.
While it’s not a traditional city and at first glance looks like a giant spider on the waves, Oil Rocks is what thousands of people call home, and its future doesn’t look good.
It was built by the Soviets in 1949 after engineers discovered black gold, thousands of feet beneath the Caspian seabed.
While it’s not a traditional city and, at first glance, looks like a giant spider on the waves, Oil Rocks is what thousands of people call home, and its future doesn’t look good.
Time has taken its toll on the historic city and when it turns 100 in 2051, it could be completely submerged.
Of the 300 km road network, only about 45 km remain usable as they slowly crumble into the waters.
After new oil fields were discovered elsewhere and its price began to fluctuate, Neft Deshari unfortunately fell into disrepair, the German news site reported. Mirror.
Most platforms are now out of use and many bridges have collapsed, meaning workers cannot reach them.
The media also explained That a worker in Oil Rocks earns approximately $130 a month, which doesn’t sound like much, but is actually twice as much as someone doing the same job on the mainland.
But due to submerged construction, oil leaks and damaged equipment, the plant has not been able to operate effectively for a long time.
The publication details that “properly decommissioning Neft Dashlari would likely be more expensive than simply keeping it running with reduced oil production.”
Some of its foundations were even built on sunken ships and, at its peak, the artificial city had more than 2,000 drilling platforms producing oil.
Time has taken its toll on the historic city and when it turns 100 in 2051, it could be completely submerged.
Pictured: A man watches from the Neft Dashlari staff dormitories.
A worker at Oil Rocks earns approximately $130 a month, which doesn’t sound like much, but is actually twice as much as someone doing the same job on the mainland.
Most platforms are out of use and many bridges have collapsed, meaning workers cannot reach them.
Due to submerged construction, oil leaks and damaged equipment, the plant has not been able to operate effectively for a long time.
In the photo from 2003: a view of the oil wells.
Experts estimate that its oil deposits will only last about 20 more years, but soon all that will remain of this historic piece of architecture will be a few pieces of metal protruding from the sea.
There were reports that plans were made to renovate the town and transform it into a tropical resort, but nothing materialized.
So mysterious that it doesn’t even appear on Google Maps, the enormous maze will simply be a memory.
With a similar history, for more than 2,000 years, the lost city of Atlantis has fascinated treasure hunters and explorers.
But despite countless theories and decades of searching, the lost city remains stubbornly lost.
While Atlantis itself may be nothing more than a myth, archaeologists have discovered real sunken cities around the world.
From a ‘cursed’ town in Germany to a mysterious underwater pyramid in Japan, there are submerged worlds that are stranger than you would expect.
So if you feel like searching for some lost civilisations, MailOnline has created an interactive map revealing sunken lost cities around the world.