Biography
From a simple worker on the fields to a famous drilling master.
The son of a poor village
Murtuza Mukhtarov was born around 1855 in the village of Amirjan near Baku, into a poor family. He had neither fortune nor education — only his hands, his persistence and a natural mind. Very young, he went to work on the oil fields as a simple labourer.
There, on the fields, he found his calling. Observant and hard-working, Mukhtarov studied the workings of the drilling machines, taught himself — and gradually became one of the most respected drilling masters in Baku. He travelled the road from labourer to engineer without diplomas, by practice and talent alone.
Through a life
An inventor from Baku
Mukhtarov's chief work was drilling. He obtained several patents for drilling equipment, and his drilling rig with metal rods was a breakthrough for its time. The 'Baku Drilling System' was used on the fields and brought him recognition far beyond Azerbaijan. By the early 20th century around 2,500 workers were employed at his enterprise.
A fortune earned by labour
Mukhtarov's wealth was not inherited — he earned it himself, by his skill and persistence. He invested in new drilling technologies, expanded his business, built villas and houses. But having climbed to the top, he remained a man who remembered his roots and his fellow countrymen.
He did not inherit his fortune — he drew it out of the earth with his own hands and mind.