In brief: Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, the odd thing about its still walled Old City – where the Muslim Shahs ruled from their central palace between the 9th and 16th century – is that it can seem newer than the new city.
The Old City of Baku
So much of what was destroyed in conflicts with other empires like the Ottomans has been restored to look, well, new: the golden sandstone once again gleams with renovated tourist hotels and other structures. So, in one sense, we could visualize the city and the palace as if we were the Shahs of old, but sadly without the richness of their adornments and furnishings. (For our post about the rest of the city, click here.)
Strangely, during our visit, the section of the palace most like the old days was actually dressed by filmmakers to recreate an ancient bazaar with costumed characters to match. We failed to pass the screen test and couldn’t enter.
The sturdy walls of the old city, with newer buildings inside. There are only a few gateways – fortunately unguarded these days – through which one can pass.
There are only a handful of old gates to the city, interrupting the continuous walls that surround it. This is the double gate entrance on the northern side of Old Baku.
A map of the current central city clearly shows the walls and nearby features like the neo-Baroque concert hall (center foreground). The Shah’s palace sits on a high point of the hillside town at center-left of the photo, marked by its watchtower.
The famous 12th century Maiden Tower (or Qiz qalasi) along the encircling walls of Baku’s Old City, shaped oddly like a round tower with a tail.
To reach the panoramic rooftop about 30 meters up (100 feet) we climbed eight levels of narrow and uneven steps, wriggling past people coming down at the same time, and bumping our heads just once. The origin of the name is unclear, but has generated many legends about virgin saviors, royal princesses, or complete resistance to attackers.
Even the purpose is debatable, perhaps defensive and perhaps a Zoroastrian fire tower, i.e a kind of brick candlestick where fires blaze on top.
The museum inside the Maiden Tower reviews the history and legends of the place with several displays about Baku through the ages. These two swords survived, like the tower. The left dates from the end of the Shirvanshah dominance, while the right comes from early occupiers of this area in the Bronze age.
Panorama of the Old City – and quite a bit of the new one – from the top of Maiden Tower. The mosque tower and onion dome roof of the Shah’s palace is just detectable toward the rear of the photo a bit to the right of center and with three modern apartment high-rises behind it.
The entrance to the Old City’s Juma Mosque, in a style that looks a lot older than the late 19th century. It does date from the 12th century, but has been renovated many times since.
Caravanserai, the old inns offering beds and food to traders crossing land and sea, date back centuries. We just happened to find this rare one – complete with a huge tree – within the Old City, clearly renovated as a restaurant serving traditional Azerbaijani cuisine. That long table filled up with a wedding party of 40 people – and, unlike the caravanserai time, women only!
The projecting porticoes on this typical Old City street present an antique look in Ottoman style, but everywhere they have mostly been restored and modernized.
Another street adjacent to the Shah’s palace shows off the typical sandstone block construction of much of the old city.
Shah’s Palace
After roaming through the Shah’s palace, we shifted to a neighboring rooftop to relax while the setting sun painted the palace’s sandstone a golden hue.
Grand entrance to a tomb built in the 15th century for members of the ruling Shirvanshah family, festooned with elaborate mystical, natural, and calligraphic design. Around the palace interior, large fragments of decorated stone like these were displayed, ruins remaining from the destructive conflicts.
The simple interior of the tomb, with plain stone coffins and stalactite decoration in the corners.
Recently rediscovered was the site of the old baths for the palace. In the remains you could clearly see the heating elements (like the oven to the far right) and the various spa chambers, including a bit of columnar decoration to the right.
The 15th century tomb of the court scientist, considered a Dervish for his mystical wisdom. To enter the tomb, we descended a steep set of stone steps below that arch on the right (watch your head!) leading to a simple stone coffin with calligraphic notes on it. In the background, you can just see one of the 21st century Flame Towers.
A modern recreation of the “feel” of the palace’s throne room, atmospheric but not quite as sumptuous as the original would have been, we thought.
(To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Azerbaijan, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)
