The country, considered the link between the eastern and western cultures, is proud of its rich history. The Great Silk Road ran through Azerbaijan, the sights of which reflect its past. The territory of the ancient state stores many national values that delight tourists.
Icheri Sheher Old Town
Not a single trip to an oriental tale is complete without a visit to the historical part of Baku. The old city of Icheri Sheher, surrounded by fortress walls, is located in the heart of the capital of Azerbaijan, the sights of which can be transferred several centuries ago. This is a real treasury, lurking dozens of historical monuments.
The oldest residential quarter is exactly the place where the development of majestic Baku began. Protected by UNESCO, it attracts travelers from many different countries. Each guest, walking through the intricate labyrinth of narrow streets, feels the amazing atmosphere prevailing in the Old Town. Icheri Sheher with open arms greets guests who dream of wandering around the corner where everything breathes history. They try to preserve every pebble here, and the restored dwellings play with bright colors in a new way.
Stone houses decorated with carved beams, wooden balconies, terraces, excite the imagination of impressionable tourists. Surprisingly, only cats live in the quarter - the rightful owners of the historical monument. Walking in a quiet place evokes deep feelings, and guests feel that they are opening a completely different world.
Maiden's Tower
On its territory are other sights of Azerbaijan, photos and descriptions of which can be found in any guide to the capital. The maiden’s tower, towering above the historical part, is recognized as a symbol of Baku. Shrouded in mysterious legends, it was a powerful stronghold of the Baku fortress, and later was used as a lighthouse.
Representing a stone cylinder about 30 meters high, the structure is divided into tiers, between which the spiral staircase originally passed. In the 60s of the last century, the tower was turned into a museum.
Former residence of rulers
The Shirvanshahs Palace, which has become one of the main attractions of Baku, Azerbaijan (photo and description is presented in the article), is also located in the Old City. The pearl of ancient Baku is located at the highest point of the old quarter. The residence of the rulers, built in the 15th century, is an architectural ensemble consisting of several buildings: the palace itself, a mosque, a tomb, a mausoleum, a gate, a bath.
The majestic complex, taken under state protection, has been declared a museum-reserve. The most popular tourist site was built by different architects, but, despite this, it looks very harmonious.
Ateshgah - temple of fire
The Temple of the Eternal Flame, which is a pentagonal structure, stands on the site of the ancient sanctuary of the Zoroastrians. Fire-worshipers endowed the flame with mystical properties and worshiped the shrine. Ateshgah, located 30 kilometers from Baku, in the settlement of Surahani, is the most visited attraction of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This area has gained fame as a unique natural phenomenon - here gas comes to the earth's surface and spontaneously ignites.
In the temple, surrounded by a battlement, consisting of 26 cells and one room, there is a well-altar with unquenchable fire. Back in the 19th century, due to shifts in the earth's crust, the flame ceased to burst from the bowels, which the believers perceived as the wrath of the gods. And now the fire is maintained artificially. In 1975, the sanctuary turned into a state museum, the exposition of which tells about the life of Zoroastrians.
Archaeological Reserve Gobustan
The national version of the English Stonehenge is the Gobustan archaeological reserve, located south of Baku. The open-air museum stores cave paintings that are tens of thousands of years old. The unique attraction of Azerbaijan attracts not only tourists, but also scientists studying ancient petroglyphs dating from the Stone Age.
Visitors to the country's business card make an unusual excursion into the distant past of ancient civilizations. Primitive people who carved drawings on the rocks, thus broadcast their "I" to the whole world. The reserve, protected by UNESCO, is a kind of archive of human evolution on earth.
Cultural Center G. Aliyev
Many modern architectural monuments are located in Baku. Sights of Azerbaijan are remembered for a long time by vacationers in a hospitable country. The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center was opened in 2012. The author of a stunning work of art is the famous Zaha Hadid, who dreamed of breaking her link with the monumental architecture of the Soviet Union and creating an amazing complex.
It seems that the building has a liquid surface, and this feeling is complemented by numerous waves and folds. Due to the unusual shape, a clear boundary is erased between the landscape and the structure itself, which is perceived as part of the landscape. The interior is no less striking than the appearance of the center. The architects hid the rigid frame of the room behind smooth bends.
It houses a museum dedicated to the President of Azerbaijan, exhibition areas with galleries, a giant concert hall, a media center. A masterpiece of world architecture must be seen with your own eyes, because to describe in words its beauty is quite difficult.
Mud Volcanoes
The natural attractions of Azerbaijan are diverse. Few people know that the country has a huge number of mud volcanoes erupting to a height of up to a thousand meters. They formed 25 million years ago and are considered the oldest on earth. Traces of their activity can be found in Gobustan.
The fantastic landscape of volcanoes, which are natural formations in the form of a cone-shaped hill, very much resembles the surface of the Moon or Mars, and travelers who love to be photographed among gray sleeping monsters boast that they visited another planet.
Fiery mountain
Another amazing natural attraction of Azerbaijan, whose photo captivates thousands of travelers, is located in the country. Mount Yanardag, located on the Absheron Peninsula, delights even many tourists who have seen it. Survived by fire, it is considered a sacred place where people come to bow to a blazing hill and meditate on a hot slope.
The fantastic landscape is explained very simply: the natural gas released from the upper layers comes into contact with oxygen and immediately turns into a flame. As an old legend says, Yanardag, burning regardless of the weather, has the gift to treat patients. And hundreds of thousands of pilgrims dreaming of health are asking the mountain to help them recover. In the dark, the flames surrounded by a hill is an unforgettable sight.
In a sunny country, there are thousands of places worth seeing. I want to return to hospitable Azerbaijan again and again. Everyone will discover something new, even strolling through long familiar places. And a fascinating journey into a real fairy tale leaves an indelible mark on the soul.