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Written by journey author, Richard Collett.
Baku lies on the shores of the Caspian Sea, and the capital of Azerbaijan is a metropolis that has been made wealthy from the oil that seeps from the bottom round it. It’s a metropolis not like anyplace else within the former Soviet Union, a spot the place Persian and Turkish cultures combine with Russian, European and Soviet influences earlier than merging with the distinct eccentricities of contemporary Azerbaijan.
Baku is a metropolis the place the tradition and historical past of Azerbaijan may be seen preserved on the slim, winding streets of the outdated metropolis, however a metropolis the place it’s clear that new cash is being thrown into lavish, elaborate tasks that go away guests shocked and bewildered by their scale and grandeur. Flaming skyscrapers mild up the skyline whereas extravagant carpet museums and architecturally surreal cultural facilities are designed to impress. Similar to the traditional city of Xinaliq, it’s one Azerbaijan many eye-opening surprises
It’s an unreal metropolis, a metropolis that’s each unusually new and archaically historic. Its centre is dazzlingly clear, the buildings are polished to glint within the solar, but there’s at all times one thing extra left below the glowing exterior of town simply ready to be found.
It’s a metropolis that by no means fails to intrigue, and listed below are one of the best issues to do in Baku.
Stroll The Streets Of The Outdated Metropolis
The slim, winding, sun-bleached stone streets of the Outdated Metropolis are the place to start out any journey to Baku. Identified regionally because the Icheri Sheher – the internal metropolis – that is the historic coronary heart of Baku, the place defensive partitions stand excessive on the shores of the Caspian Sea and royal palaces are hidden amongst the cobbled roads.
The Outdated Metropolis is only a few sq. kilometers meters in space and is house to only some thousand inhabitants, however individuals have lived right here for hundreds of years, and it’s from this internal metropolis that the remainder of Baku grew into the metropolis it’s at present.
Go to The Legacy Of A President At The Heydar Aliyev Heart
Heydar Aliyev is to some a dictator, to others a nationwide hero. In Azerbaijan, it’s unimaginable to flee his likeness. He was the primary President of unbiased Azerbaijan – he additionally held the title of First Secretary of Azerbaijan below the Soviets for some time too – and his son turned the present President after he handed away in 2003. The Heydar Aliyev Heart is his lasting legacy and tribute, a distinctly curved and elaborately designed constructing which pays tribute to the Aliyev dynasty whereas internet hosting artwork exhibitions, performances, and boards.
The Three Flame Towers
From the Outdated Metropolis and from anyplace else in Baku, the three Flame Towers may be seen dominating the skyline. In stark distinction to the traditional partitions of Icheri Sheher, the Flame Towers are the trendy image of Baku’s wealth and eccentric spending. These three towers are the tallest buildings within the nation and are actually formed like flames. At nighttime, they’re the colourful scene of sunshine shows, which flip these towers into blazing, luminous flames of LED lights.
Stroll The Baku Boulevard
The Baku Boulevard is a sweeping seafront walkway that stretches uninterrupted for miles alongside the Caspian Sea. It’s a windswept however cooling stroll within the in any other case arid Baku local weather, and its polished flooring are sparklingly clear and its multitude of small parks and inexperienced areas are at all times completely trimmed. There are a couple of weird sights to cease at alongside the best way, together with the flowery Little Venice, a small-scale duplicate of the canals of Venice with working gondolas that’s open for brief rides and the huge, outsized Azerbaijan Carpet Museum – a museum really formed like a carpet and housing the most important variety of Azerbaijani carpets discovered anyplace on the earth.
Discover Gobustan Nationwide Park
In the deserts that encompass Baku is an thrilling and strange Nationwide Park. Gobustan is the place Azerbaijan’s Mud Volcanoes may be seen. A spot the place mud seeps and bursts from the bottom in spectacular style, it’s an odd phenomenon that may be seen in only a few locations world wide. Gobustan Nationwide Park can be the positioning of an attention-grabbing archaeological museum and a few finely preserved Petroglyphs that are discovered engraved on the facet of rocks and now preserved within the boundaries of this protected space.
The Baku Fireplace Temple
The Baku Fireplace Temple is an outdated Zoroastrian temple which was used for spiritual ceremonies and fireplace worship for hundreds of years. Baku is constructed on oil and pure fuel, and at many factors across the metropolis uncontrollable fires rage when these gases are lit. On the Baku Fireplace Temple, one such flame was lit for tons of of years till native fuel extraction firms used all of the native reserves up. Now the temple is a museum, and though the flame is fed by fuel piping, it’s an attention-grabbing take a look at the traditions of an outdated Baku tradition.
Climb The Maiden Tower
Though now dwarfed by the three flame Towers and numerous different skyscrapers, the Maiden Tower – discovered overlooking the outdated metropolis – was as soon as the tallest tower in Baku. It dates again centuries and was constructed to face guard over the Caspian Sea. Over time it has collected legends and tales and turn into well-known within the annals of Azerbaijan’s historical past. In the present day its round, stone staircase can nonetheless be climbed to the highest for views over the encompassing outdated metropolis and out to sea.
See The Second Tallest Flagpole In The World
On the far finish of the Baku Boulevard is the Nationwide Flag Sq., house to the world’s second-largest flag pole. The flagpole reaches 162 meters in top, and at sure instances an enormous Azerbaijani flag is flown from it – though not at all times. When it was first constructed, this was, in reality, the tallest flagpole on the earth. However then rival post-Soviet nation Tajikistan determined to construct a flagpole reaching 165 meters in top, simply to assert the title. They even used the identical large flagpole building firm to construct it.
Go to The Palace Of The Shirvanshahs
One other historic sight additionally discovered throughout the partitions of the Outdated Metropolis, is the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. This in depth palace is a maze of chambers, partitions, guard homes and vaults that after shaped the house and fortress of the Shirvanshahs, Baku’s main rulers. It’s now a part of a UNESCO World Heritage space and an vital cultural and historic museum.
The Museum Of Miniature Books
Hidden away within the maze of the Outdated Metropolis is the intriguing Museum of Miniature Books. This small, outdated constructing is the world’s solely museum devoted in its entirety to miniature books, and by some means it ended up in Baku, Azerbaijan. The museum holds small books from all around the world, together with books that are so tiny {that a} magnifying glass is required to learn them.
When you’re carried out exploring Baku, take a look at one other close by, off the overwhelmed path vacation spot – Nakhchivan.
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