In the closing days of World War I, fighting broke out in Baku as a result of the Russian Civil War, with four groups fighting for control of the area when the Russian Empire collapsed. Fighting each other were the Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, Armenians and Azeris. Many people were killed in the fighting including some from a small British force sent to prevent Baku falling into the hands of the Russians. The Martyrs' Lane site first served as Muslim cemetery for victims of the March Events of 1918.