Baku

About Baku - presentation, information, photos and recommendations

Fantanii Square - Wander through dozens of beautiful fountains in this territory, in the heart of Baku, a short walk from the historical attractions of the old city. Pedestrian stones, grassy areas, bronze sculptures and unusual shapes of wells make this a perfect place. In the market you can enjoy excellent meals and browse the bookstores, clothing boutiques and souvenir shops. There are also several nightclubs around the market. The square is bordered by greenery and historic buildings such as the 19th-century St. Gregory Church and the Nizami Museum of Azerbaijani Literature. Nizami Museum is an impressive building with architectures with sculptures of writers and poets. Explore the history of Azerbaijani Literature inside, from manuscripts and books to art and portraits of writers. Visit Nargiz Shopping Mall for upscale items and stop for a coffee on the upper levels. From this point of view of the birds-eyes you have a great opportunity for the people who look in the market below and a view towards the skyscrapers Tower of Flames.
Old Town - This incredible UNESCO World Heritage site has been added over the centuries by Arabs, Persians, Turks and Russians. Parts of the buildings in the walled city were dated to the seventh century, although the site itself was inhabited since the Paleolithic era. Go through the gates of the impressive walls of the fortress to discover this incredible part of Azerbaijan's culture. Walk through the narrow alleys to discover 18th-century residences, mosques and medieval inns, where you can grab a bite to eat. Discover the Shirvanshah Palace, built for the Persian rulers of the city in the 15th century. It is almost a small town itself, with a mosque, a state room, a bath house, residential rooms, gardens and mausoleums. Watch as you enter the mausoleum to see the beautiful sculptures above! The Maidens tower was built in the 12th century, approximately when the outer protective wall was built. It is a thirty-meter cylindrical shape, which strangely mirrors a more modern architecture of Baku, which has waves and curves. Experts have not yet reached a consensus on the structure, but assumptions vary from a temple to a fire, to an observer, to a mausoleum. Standing somewhat incongruously behind the Maiden tower is the mansion of an oil baron built in 1912, complete with ornate limestone sculptures.
Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center - The shape of the building is very organic, but modern and of enormous magnitude is a striking feature even among the many outstanding and modern architectural beauty of Baku. From any angle, the form of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center seems to change and break. The whole experience is something like entering a very white spaceship, very similar to the bark. The large windows on the upper floors offer amazing views of Baku. Outside, a reflecting pool, a lake and a lawn form a relaxing and green public space, from which you can see the city. The auditorium holds regular cultural events, including exhibitions of opera, art and science and music by international performers.
Baku Fire Temple - This temple was built in the seventeenth century by Indian fire worshipers in a place where natural gas leaked from the earth. The temple is located on the Absheron peninsula, on the Caspian Sea, and has an altar. The position of the altar on a natural gas port and careful maintenance meant that the fire from the well and four pillars were almost indestructible even in strong winds. Arranged in a pentagon around the courtyard are the rooms for traveling worshipers and monks. Unfortunately, after the natural gas that supplied the temple altar began to be extracted, the temple fell into oblivion and completely lost the flame in the 1960s. After some restoration and a connection to the city's gas network, the temple was opened as museum in 1975. The temple is located in Surakhane district, thirty kilometers from Baku. Although there is a train station right in front of the temple, it is easier and safer to get by taxi.
Carpet Museum - Azerbaijan is well known for the beauty of its carpets, with symmetrical geometric patterns interspersed by Islamic artists. Carpet processing has been practiced in Azerbaijan since the 9th century BC. Although none of the carpets in this museum are so old, there are some with real historical value. Of particular interest are the works of Latif Karimov, a multidisciplinary artist who has spent a lifetime supporting artists and the arts and without efforts whose museum would not exist.
Miniature Book Museum - One of the most unusual attractions in Baku is the miniature book museum, collected by a citizen of Baku, Zarifa Salahova. There are over six thousand books here. The smallest, produced in Japan, is only two millimeters, but can be read with a magnifying glass large enough. You will also see a small seventeenth-century Koran and over three hundred works by the great Russian author Pushkin, including his epic novel Eugene Onegin. The museum is open every day, but Monday and Thursday and there is no entrance fee. The museum can be found near the Shirvanshah Palace in the old town.
Yanar Dag Fire Mountain - It is about an hour's drive from the city center and is most impressive during the snow, when it really looks ethereal and the heat it produces is welcome. Stop for a snack at the Yanar Dag cafe, where you can sit and watch the flames.
Gobustan National Historical Park - offers visitors a perspective on the first steps of humanity as artists on this UNESCO World Heritage site. The sculptures show long-lost ways of life, the animals and plants that sustained life in the area even 40,000 years ago. Six thousand sculptures have been discovered so far, from prehistory to middle ages. This site offers visitors an amazing perspective on the history of Caucasus life and human evolution. Also, in Gobustan there are mud volcanoes, where an accumulation of gas wastes mud, forming a hill. There is also a large flat stone which, when played with other stones, gives hollow tones like a metal drum.
Beaches and resorts in the Caspian Sea - Suburbs on the peninsula are a hive of beach resorts, water parks, fine dining and nightlife, just a short trip from Baku. For luxury, the best beaches are Bilgah, northeast of Baku and Novkhani, northwest. Mardakan to the east is known for its 15th-century history, the Tuba-Shakhi Mosque and castles of the 13th and 14th centuries, the golden beach and the botanical tree. South of Baku is Shikov Beach overlooking the oil rigs, which are the country's economic blood, and Sahil Beach.

Baku | Baku, also known as Baky or Baki, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan. It is located in the southern part of the Abseron peninsula and is composed of three parts: the Old City, the New City and the city built by the Soviet Union

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