Baku
DESTINATION GUIDE
Baku is a city of two halves, mixing history and modernity. Affectionately nicknamed the ‘City of Winds’, Azerbaijan's capital sits on the shores of the Caspian Sea – the world’s largest inland body of water
HIGHLIGHTS
Baku is brimming with both historic and contemporary architecture and culture, making it a truly fascinating city to explore. The walled old city - or Icherisheher (inner city) - was founded on a site inhabited since the Palaeolithic period and is incredibly well preserved.
Stroll around the maze of narrow streets within the old walls, with its limestone houses, some with intricate and distinctive wooden balconies, and soak up the atmosphere of this historic and architecturally unique area of the city.
Visit the Palace of the Shirvanshahs – built in the 15th century and described by UNESCO as ‘one of the pearls of Azerbaijan’s architecture’. Home to the once ruling Shirvanshah dynasty, and serving as a royal residence for 200 years, the sprawling complex contains a palace, burial vaults, mosque, a mausoleum and the remnants of a bath house, and has by far some of the best views in the city.
A world away from the old city in every sense, the strikingly bold and distinctive architecture of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, designed by the late Iraqi-British design architect Zaha Hadid, is one of the best representations of forward-facing Baku.
Baku has not one but two unique museums well worth a visit. Not far from the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and housed in an elegant building, the Museum of Miniature Books stores around 8,000 tiny, printed publications from 76 countries that could all fit in the palm of your hand.
In fact, the world’s smallest book resides in the collection here, and measuring just 2x2mm means that the text can only be read with the help of a very strong magnifying glass.
If you prefer textiles, then the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum is for you. The building itself resembles a giant rolled up carpet, and at the time of establishment was the only museum dedicated to the noble Azeri art of carpet weaving, housing many ancient specimens and the largest collection of Azerbaijani carpets in the world.
FUN FACT
Built in the 12th century, the iconic Maiden Tower situated within the walls of the old city is a bit of a mystery. To this day, nobody knows for sure why the tower was constructed and what its purpose may have been, and many theories and legends abound, influencing Azerbaijani poems, ballets and plays over the years.
One of the more common legendary tales features a king who wanted to marry his daughter off to a man she didn’t love. The daughter manages to stall proceedings by asking her father to build her a tower first which she hopes will never be completed, but sadly for her the tower is finished and, in despair, she takes her own life by throwing herself off the top of it and her body is washed away into the Caspian Sea.
Along the coastline of the Caspian Sea, the Baku Boulevard is perfect for a relaxing stroll along the waterfront. This coastal promenade starts at National Flag Square, and is home to an amusement park, cafes and bars, the Baku Ferris Wheel and Mini-Venice.
Opened in the 1960s, this curious area of artificial canals peppered with islands connected by bridges may be a small approximation of the real thing, but for a few manats you can ride the local version of a gondola through the waterways. The omnipresent trio of the Flame Towers, with their ever-changing LED displays, can also be viewed perfectly from this seaside vantage point.
Baku sits firmly at the crossroads of East and West and bears the architectural legacy of all those who ruled her, from the fortified old city of the medieval Shirvanshah reign to the rigid, yet opulent, 19th century Soviet-era designed buildings.
But the city hasn’t rested on its historic laurels, and today’s Baku is very much a forward-facing centre for modern culture, whilst still regularly glancing over its shoulder to its past.
WHAT TO EAT
Azerbaijan sits snugly on the boundary between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, and unsurprisingly displays a culinary heritage heavily influenced by its neighbours Georgia, Russia, Armenia and Iran, with the food of nearby Turkey also featuring on menus in the Azerbaijani capital.
This show-stopping king of dishes resembling a large pie is created by encasing various combinations of rice, meat, dried fruits and nuts in a round crust of levash, a thin flatbread, before baking it until crisp and golden brown. The plov is then cut into portions to reveal the fragrant filling and is washed down with a glass of local Azerbaijani wine.
Craving a down to earth experience? Dotted around the city are small characterful pubs and bars serving inexpensive local beer and bar snacks to enjoy for a low key evening.
