Baku Crystal Hall ( Azerbaijani: ''Bakı Kristal Zalı'') is an indoor

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

. It is located on the coast of Baku near National Flag Square. Construction of the arena began in August 2011 and finished in April 2012in time for it to host its first major event, the

Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song "Running Scared (Ell & Nikki song), Running Scared" by Ell & Nikki, El ...

History

Baku Crystal Hall was built in order to host the

. On 2 August 2011, the main agreement was signed with Alpine Bau Deutschland AG to construct the venue and preparations for construction had been started in the area. Although the full cost of the contract was not named, the government is known to have allocated 6 million AZN for the construction of the venue. On 5 September 2011, it was announced that the venue will be able to hold 25,000 spectators. The arena also contains VIP lounges. The construction of the arena was expected to be completed by 31 March 2012. However, there was a delay of three weeks because of weather conditions, and the building was announced to have been completed on 16 April 2012. Baku Crystal Hall was opened on 7 May 2012 by the

President of Azerbaijan The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. The Constitution of Azerbaijan, Constitution states that the president is the embodiment of Executive (government), executive power, co ...

Ilham Aliyev and First Lady

Mehriban Aliyeva Mehriban Arif gizi Aliyeva (; born 26 August 1964) is an Azerbaijani politician and physician who is the Vice President of Azerbaijan, vice president and First Lady of Azerbaijan, First Lady of Azerbaijan. She is married to Ilham Aliyev, the pre ...

Structure and facilities

The total area of the complex is 30,958 m², while the area of the arena is 10,964 m². Its height in the middle is 24 m. The arena is lit by 12,000

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...

light points with a lighting rate of 850 lux at 1 m height. The corridor around the arena is divided into two symmetrical parts with 15 entrances on each side, including 30 outside entrances. Each sector has 2 transport access points (1 on each side), 10 arena entrances (5 on each side) and 16 tribune access points (8 on each side). Along the corridor, there are 10 beverage facilities (5 in each sector), 18 catering facilities (9 in each sector), 2 first aid points (1 in each sector), 36 toilets (6 for men, 6 for women and 6 for persons with physical disabilities in each sector). The hall has 12,000 seats but can accommodate 27,000 people. The building has a crystalline shape and illuminated façade with numerous LED lights. The LED lights were upgraded to allow different dynamic lighting scenarios that can highlight the membrane façade and create moods appropriate for different events.

Usage

Concerts

Baku Crystal Hall's first major event was the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, held at the arena from 22 May to 26 May 2012.

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

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and

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performed concerts at Baku Crystal Hall later in 2012. Local singer Aygün Kazımova had a concert on 22 September 2017.

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

performed a sold-out concert on April 28, 2018. On 28 May 2018, a gala concert to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (), also known as the Azerbaijan People's Republic (; ), was the first secular democracy, democratic republic in the Turkic peoples, Turkic and Muslim worlds. *Tadeusz Swietochowski. ''Russia and Azerbaijan: ...

was held in Crystal Hall.

Culture

Baku Crystal Hall hosted the 6th e-Sports World Championship held by the International e-Sports Federation in November 2014.
Official facebook post - IeSF World Championship to be held in Baku Crystal Hall

Sports

Baku Crystal Hall hosted Boxing at the 2015 European Games, boxing,

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

and volleyball (indoor) events during the inaugural 2015 European Games. Other sporting events include boxing and volleyball at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games and the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships.

Gallery

File:Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the Baku Crystal Hall, the venue of the Eurovision-2012 Song Contest.jpg, The opening of the Baku Crystal Hall File:Crystal Hall Baku Inside.jpg, The 2012 Eurovision Song Contest was the first major event at Baku Crystal Hall File:Final Four Baku 4.JPG, CEV Champions League 2013-2014 Final Four File:View of Baku at night 3.jpg, Baku at night with the Baku Crystal Hall in the background File:Stamps of Azerbaijan, 2014-1177.jpg, Stamp celebrating Baku Crystal Hall

References

External links

*
Baku Crystal Hall on the website of constructor Alpine Bau
{{Authority control Music venues completed in 2012 Sports venues completed in 2012 Sports venues in Baku Music venues in Azerbaijan Indoor arenas in Azerbaijan 2012 establishments in Azerbaijan Tourist attractions in Baku Gerkan, Marg and Partners buildings Volleyball venues in Azerbaijan Handball venues in Azerbaijan 2015 European Games venues