Caspian Sea

North of the Absheron peninsula, the western Caspian coast leads towards Shirvan and Derbent. Ships passing the islands and shoals around the peninsula connected Baku with ports farther north and south. These maritime routes complemented the caravan roads along the Caucasian shore, joining the Volga basin to the markets of Shirvan and Persia. Across the open middle Caspian lay the arid shores of Mangyshlak.