Oil-rich Azerbaijan is enjoying a construction boom, which means soaring profits for some, and backbreaking labor for others. RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service photographer Abbas Atilay visited a quarry in the Türkan district on the outskirts of Baku, where seasonal workers from the provinces spend long days cutting stone for use in new buildings.
'Making Bread From Stone' In Baku
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Oil-rich Azerbaijan's construction boom means high profits for some and hard work for others. - Photos by Abbas Atilay, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service
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There are about 50 quarries in and around Baku supplying stone to the construction industry.
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The quarries mainly employ migrants who can't make a living in their home regions.
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The workers refer to their hard labor as "making their bread from stone."
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Zakir, a 44-year old farmer, came here from a remote village near the Iranian border.
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Workers receive 5 cents for each stone block they cut. They usually earn $20-$30 for up to 11 hours of work.
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The workers divide their earnings evenly among the members of the team.
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Zakir adjusts one of the stone-cutting machines, which require frequent servicing.
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Loading the bricks onto trucks earns the whole group another $25.
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Workers spend an average of two weeks at the site between visits to their families.
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The workers sleep and eat in trailers by the quarry.
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Sharing a watermelon after a hard day's work