There is a reason, although not politically correct, for the Azerbaijani people to call January black, especially o January 2oth, which is a memorial date for when the Soviet troops invaded Baku in 1990.
January 20th is considered a national holiday in Azerbaijan as this date is known as an Azerbaijani tragedy that resolved because of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. On January 19-20th 1990, because of the state emergency, there were violent pogroms of the Armenian population in Baku. "Black" January is seen as a rebirth of the Azerbaijani Republic.
In December 1989, the Azerbaijani population living close to the Iranian border, demanded closer ties with Azerbaijani population living in Iran (the historical territory of Azerbaijan had been divided in the past constructing Northern and Southern Azerbaijan, the second belonging within the territory of Iran). The administration surrendered to the rioters, giving up the power to the Popular Front of Azerbaijan. This also resulted in a turn over of the administration of Lankaran which at the time was an iranian unit.
On January 9th, 1990 the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR declared the Nagorno-Karabakh should be included in Armenian administration, ergo, it should be considered as a part of the Armenian SSR. This resulted in a strong disagreement with Azerbaijan and 3 days later the Popular Front called to mobilise people for a battle against Armenia. The Armenian pogroms followed the events with non-stoppable rioters and more and more disorganisation in the country.
On January 19th, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR approved the decree signed by M. Gorbachev, introducing state of emergency in Baku and some other places in the Azerbaijani SSR. Late at night on January 19, 1990, after demolition of the central television station and termination of phone and radio lines by Soviet special forces, 26,000 Soviet troops entered Baku, smashing through the barricades in order to crush the Popular Front. The troops attacked the protesters, firing into the crowds. The shooting continued for three days. They acted pursuant to a state of emergency, which continued for more than four months afterward, declared by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, signed by President Mikhail Gorbachev. The state of emergency was, however, disclosed to the Azerbaijani public only several hours after the beginning of the offensive, when many citizens already lay dead or wounded in the streets, hospitals and morgues of Baku.
Almost the whole population of Baku turned out to bury the dead on the third day, January 22. For another 40 days, the country stayed away from work as a sign of mourning and mass protest.
To commemorate all the victims of the January events, there was built a memorial and cemetery in Baku, called Marty's Lane.
It is dedicated both for those killed by the Soviet Army durning "Black" January and later for those killed in the Nagorno-Karabakh war. Marty's Lane is also home for the Baku Turkish Marty's Memorial.
The large memorial to the 1,130 Turkish troops, which were killed while fighting Bolshevik and Armenian forces in the Battle of Baku in 1918. Next to the memorial there is a Martyrs mosque also built by Turks.
The peace of the victims is guarded by the eternal flame on the top of the mountain, in a perfect spot to teh the whole panorama of Baku.
