'Making Bread From Stone' In Baku

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

There are about 50 quarries in and around Baku supplying stone to the construction industry.

The quarries mainly employ migrants who can't make a living in their home regions.

The workers refer to their hard labor as "making their bread from stone."

Zakir, a 44-year old farmer, came here from a remote village near the Iranian border.

Workers receive 5 cents for each stone block they cut. They usually earn $20-$30 for up to 11 hours of work.

The workers divide their earnings evenly among the members of the team.

Zakir adjusts one of the stone-cutting machines, which require frequent servicing.

Loading the bricks onto trucks earns the whole group another $25.

Workers spend an average of two weeks at the site between visits to their families.

The workers sleep and eat in trailers by the quarry.

Sharing a watermelon after a hard day's work