Murtuza Mukhtarov, a prominent representative of the oil industry, a major oil entrepreneur and philanthropist, was born in 1857 in the village of Amirjany, in the suburbs of Baku, in the family of a coachman. For a long time he worked as a plasterer, carried oil on carts, and was engaged in small contracts.

Since 1870, he worked at one of the mines in the villages of Balakhany-Zabrat. Noticing a capable, hardworking young man, the owner of the oil field, Martov, taught him the secret of mechanical tools and oil-producing machines. Soon Mukhtarov becomes a master. Subsequently, Martov sells his private workshop to Murtuza.

In 1890, Murtuza Mukhtarov expanded his workshop and began to cooperate with many countries.

M. Mukhtarov gained fame as a petroleum engineer without a diploma and entered the history of the oil industry of Azerbaijan with his invention. In 1895, he was the first in the world, who designed an upgraded machine of the impact rod drilling method, for which he receives a state patent. He called this invention "Baku drilling system". Although he did not have a higher technical education, he was known among the oil magnates as an entrepreneur with a deep knowledge of the secrets of oil fields and drilling operations.

Founded in 1891 “Mukhtarov M." company produced technical equipment for the oil industry and was engaged in oil well drilling.

In 1890 he had opened a private drilling office, “Contract Drilling”. This office played an important role in drilling oil wells in the Balakhany, Surakhany, Ramany and Sabunchu oil regions of Baku. A Sabunchu, Bibieybet and Surakhany regions had their own mechanical plants and oil fields. M. Mukhtarov's drilling equipment plant in Bibiheybat was the first oil equipment enterprise in Russia. He signed contracts with the owners of the oil fields and drilled wells not only in Baku, but also in Maykop and Grozny. His company "Mukhtarov M." has been one of the main participants of the "Syndicate of Drilling Entrepreneurs", "Baku Society of Oil Drilling Contractors" since 1906, and since 1917 "Union of Contract Drilling Companies". In 1913, Mukhtarov's enterprises expanded even more, and his third plant in Surakhany was launched. In the same year, the company was transformed into a joint-stock company and had a capital of 4 million manats. Since 1916, the majority of the company's shares were transferred to the Azovo-Don Bank in Petrograd, and its management was transferred from Baku to Petrograd. Mukhtarov participated in the creation of the Baku Trade Bank in 1914. He built a mosque with double minarets and double balconies in Vladikavkaz, a mosque in the same architectural style in Amirjany (1910), and a school. One of the first villas (now the Dendrological Park of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan), on a plot of about 8 hectares, built in the village of Mardakan (1890), belonged to Mukhtarov.

Mukhtarov conducted extensive charitable activities and never spared funds for the construction of public buildings and schools. He actively participated in the work of the “Nashri-Maarif” and “Nijat” societies. Many buildings in Baku and surrounding villages, in a number of cities in Russia and Europe are associated with his name. While on a trip to Europe with his wife Liza Mukhtarova, he was fascinated by the architecture of buildings in Venice and built a similar Palace in Baku within a year (1911-1912). This building was constructed in the French Gothic style by architect I.K.Ploshko, known as the “Saadat Sarayi” (the Palace of Happiness), and is located on the street named after him. Mukhtarov was directly involved in the activities of almost all charitable societies in Baku, was a member of the board, took care of the press, education and culture, artists, provided material and moral assistance. He took on the medical expenses of the famous actor Huseyn Arablinsky, paid for the studies at the Saratov Conservatory of the future People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR Fatma Mukhtarova, whose fame thundered throughout Russia, and then the USSR. Mukhtarov also built a school building for the Saadat charity organization. He financed the newspaper "Terekki", published daily in Baku since July 3, 1908. After some time, Mukhtarov bought the "Irshad" printing house and handed it over to Hashim bey Vezirov for permanent use. Mukhtarov also helped the Iranian revolutionaries (the Sattarkhan movement) with money and weapons.

At the expense of Mukhtarov, a lighthouse tower on the banks of the Absheron (1913), a dome over the grave of Akhund Mirza Abu Turab on the Pirkhasan bridge in Mardаkans, many beautiful buildings in Kislovodsk (Northern Caucasus), in Florence (Italy) were built.

During the first "looting week" of the April occupation of Baku by units of the 11th Red Army in 1920, Mukhtarov shot dead one of the armed soldiers who broke into his house, and then shot himself. After the occupation of the enterprise of his company "Mukhtarov M." were nationalized.

Recommended literature:

1. Bakı neftinin və yerli icmalarının tarixi / L. Əliyeva [et al.] ; tərc., red. Ə. Novruzov, elmi red. L. Əliyeva ; Milli və Beynəlxalq Araşdırmalar Mərkəzi. - Bakı : Qanun, 2009. - 264 s.
2. İlkin, Qılman. Bakı və bakılılar / Q. İlkin ; red. A. Musayev. - IV nəşr. - Bakı : Kitab Klubu, 2015. - 440 s.,
3. Dadaşova, Sevda Urxan qızı. Bakı - tarixin səhifələri = Баку - страницы истории / S. U. Dadaşova, E. Ə. Qasımzadə, F. Q. Məmmədov ; ing. dilindən tərc. T. Kərimova ; layihənin rəh. E. Ə. Qasımzadə ; fot.: Y. Xəlilov, F. Xayrulin, E. T. Əliyev ; Azərbaycan Respublikasının Memarlar İttifaqı. - əlavə edilmiş və yeniləşmiş II nəşri. - Bakı : Şərq-Qərb, 2013. - 188 s.
4. Bakı tarixinin ensiklopediyası: [Sara Aşurbəyli - 110 il] / T. Ə. Bünyadov [et al.] ; red. N. Quliyev ; Azərbaycan Respublikasının İçərişəhər Dövlət Tarix-Memarlıq Qoruğu İdarəsi. - Bakı : Elm və təhsil, 2016. - 88 s.
5. Рустамова, Джамиля Яшар кызы. Национальная буржуазия в период Азербайджанской Демократической Республики : монография / Д. Я. Рустамова ; науч. ред. Э. Б. Мурадалиева ; Бакинский Государственный Университет. - Баку : Мутарджим, 2007. - 240 с.