Baku City Tour

Baku Boulevard (Seaside Park), also known as National Park, is a promenade that was built in 1909 and runs parallel to the seafront of Baku. It is the second largest park in Europe after the park on the Seine River in Paris. The park is very popular among both tourists and Baku residents for walking and enjoying the beauty of the city and the sea.

Azerbaijani carpets and carpet products with different weaving techniques and materials from different eras are displayed in the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. Azerbaijan has the largest collection of carpets in the world. In 2014, it moved from its former location on Neftchilar Avenue to a new building in Baku’s seaside park.

Little Venice is one of the most beautiful corners of Seaside National Park in Baku.

This small town within the city, reminiscent of Italy’s Venice, adds a special beauty to the capital of Azerbaijan with its amazing canals and architecture. Little Venice was built in the 1960s as part of Baku Boulevard and has become a favorite recreation spot for Baku residents and guests of the city.

If the city has an old town, then it also has a heart. It does not matter how the metropolis was built and grew, what skyscrapers and road junctions there are, or how modern it is. This little piece of antiquity, like the roots of a tree, holds the whole crown of history. The best thing to do in the old city of Baku (Icherisheher) is to get lost. No destination or route milestones are needed. Yes, there are always a lot of tourists, and you are less likely to be alone, but you can feel the mood of the city. Turn off the navigator and remove the card, but do not forget to take the camera. He lives his own life in Icherisheher. People live here, cook, wash clothes, and children chase cats. Maiden Tower – It’s hard not to know, and it’s a “must-see” during a Baku city tour and a major symbol of the city. A plain wall adjoins the solid tower. According to one version, the tower has a protective function. At least the fortress was part of the general defense system of Baku. However, the internal structure of the tower did not correspond to the defensive functions. The castle has several windows, and they are unusual. Each step of the tower was connected to another using a ladder. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the tower was used as a lighthouse. Excursion to the Museum of Miniature Books – there is a museum of rare miniature books during the tour of the old city of Baku. The smallest book in the collection is in a blue box—such a small point. The bill is measured in microns, and meanwhile, it has 23 pages. A little more book (right) is now visible, but still very small.

Another must-see on the Old Town tour is the Shirvanshahs Palace, the residence of the rulers of Shirvan. The whole complex of the palace—the main building, mausoleum, mosque, sauna, and Divankhana courtyard—is presented for viewing. Surprisingly, there are no windows in the main throne room, although it is the front of the palace. I can assume that the palace was rebuilt and some architectural elements were lost. During the reign of the Shahs, the throne room was decorated with beautiful blue ceramic tiles.

Unfortunately, the pipe was not preserved and restored. Instead, a pattern typical of that period is painted on the dome. Other rooms have household items, clothes, and decorations. Of course, it is more enjoyable to visit the museum with a Baku city tour. I toured one, and an exclusive tour would have cost me money.

The Shirvanshahs Palace in Baku is a world architectural monument that has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2000. The castle was once the residence of the monarchs of the Shirvan state. The rule of this dynasty began in the 8th century AD. The palace complex received the status of a museum-reserve only in 1964. Today, the Museum of Shirvanshahs is considered the main architectural monument of Azerbaijan. Shirvanshah’s museum building is located in the old part of Baku, in the territory of the ancient Icherisheher. The palace is built on a hill, and the Caspian Sea is about 500 meters from the palace to the east. The architectural complex is located in the historical part of Baku. The palace of the Shirvanshahs and its adjacent buildings become a whole complex for historians. In addition to the place of residence itself:

• Divan Khan (Khan’s rule)
• The mausoleum of Seyyed Yahya Bakuvi (the Darvish Mausoleum)
• Destroyed Kai-Kabad mosque (Old Mosque)
• Eastern portal
• Palace mosque with minaret
• Grave
• Shirvanshahs bath
• Ovdan

During the existence of the state of Shirvanshahs, a tower wall was erected around the complex. To this day, the visible remains of the foundation, which were almost indistinguishable at the beginning of the 20th century, have long since disappeared.

The first destination of the Baku City Tour is Nizami Street, a large pedestrian and shopping street in the center of Baku, named after the classical poet Nizami Ganjavi. The history of the street dates back to the city planning project of Baku in 1864. The street runs through the city center from west to east. It starts from Abdulla Shaig Street, in the mountainous part of the city, and ends at the railway bed on Sabit Orujov Street. The total length of the street is 3538 meters.

The traffic-free segment starting from Fountain Square and ending at Rashid Behbudov Street is commonly known as “Torgovaya” in Russian, which means Merchant Street in English.

Nizami Street is home to a variety of outlets, from banks to fashion stores, and is one of the most expensive streets in the world.

Fountain Square, as the name suggests, has several beautiful fountains decorating the square. Apart from them, various human-like figures are erected on the streets of the Square, which often attract the attention of tourists to take photos. Like Icherisheher, Fountain Square is one of the liveliest and most visited places in Baku.

The last place on the tour will be the magnificent work of Zaha Hadid, built in 2012 and covering an area of 57,500 m². Some facts about the building:

• The registered value of the center is USD 250 million.
• The architects spent 2.5 years researching how to build this amazing building.
• The material used for off-center construction was invented by architects because there was no known material to make such a curved building.