Baku Museums Tour

The National Azerbaijan History Museum is a very large museum of Azerbaijan located in Baku, in the former mansion of Azerbaijani oil magnate and philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. Its foundation was laid in 1920, and it was opened to visitors in 1921. The museum building was built in 1893–1902. The Italian Renaissance-style mansion is huge and takes up an entire city block. Some of the buildings have four floors. Designed by Polish architect Jozef Goslawski. The museum has more than 2,000 exhibits and includes the following departments: Department of Modern History, Department of Ethnography, Department of Ancient and Medieval History of Azerbaijan, Department of Scientific Excursions, Laboratory of Restoration of Museum Exhibits, Numismatic Fund, including Yevgeny Pakhotnov, Art Design Group, and Library.

The Museum of Modern Art was built under the initiative of the First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva, and was opened on March 20, 2009. It was financed by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, headed by the first lady. The foundation also created projects with the Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versailles. The museum is the focus of an “ecological-cultural zone” created by former Guggenheim Foundation director Thomas Krens, which also includes a white sand beach, a Frank Gehry skyscraper, and a skywalk. Caspian Sea. The museum does not have fixed subject areas. The architectural concept of the museum avoids halls with corners and has open passages and walls that intersect at different angles, creating a multidimensional perspective of the exhibits. Prominent metal construction and the use of white color unite all parts into a single “elegant abstract structure”. The chief designer of the museum is the artist Altay Sadikhzada; the architect of the building is Jean Nouvel.

The Carpet Museum was founded in 1967, but the new building was built in 2014. In the museum, Azerbaijani carpets, rugs, and materials with different weaving techniques from different periods are displayed. Currently, 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. At the time of its creation, it was the only museum dedicated to the art of carpet weaving. The main purpose of creating the museum was to preserve, research, and display the rare examples of carpet weaving art, which is the national heritage of Azerbaijan. The initiator of the creation of the museum is Latif Karimov, a famous scientist and carpet maker, the founder of Azerbaijani carpet weaving art, artist, and teacher.

Shirvanshahs Palace Complex – a palace built by the Shirvanshahs in the 15th century and described by UNESCO as “one of the pearls of Azerbaijani architecture”. It is located in Icharisheher, Baku city, Azerbaijan, and together with Maiden’s Tower, it forms part of the ensemble of historical monuments included in UNESCO’s World Historical Heritage List. The complex consists of the main building of the palace, Divankhana, temples, the mausoleum of Miyareli Shah, the Seyyed Yahya Bakuvi mausoleum (called “Darvish Magbara”), the portal located at the entrance of the palace, Sharg, Murad Gate, reservoir, and bathhouses. There used to be an ancient mosque next to the temple. The bath ruins remain, and the lamb belongs west of the grave.

Baku Museum of Miniature Books is the world’s only museum of miniature books, located in the old part of Baku called Ichari Shahar. The museum started operations on April 2, 2002. In 2015, the Museum of Miniature Books presented the Certificate of the Guinness Book of Records as the ten largest museum of miniature books.