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Baku Old City view by Postwork by Interface-

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Baku Old City

Baku Old City is one of the few surviving medieval towns in Azerbaijan. Located in the south, it is the historical core of Baku, which is the capital of Azerbaijan. It is cited to date back to the 7^th or 12^th centuries.

Picture historic stone structures, narrow streets and lanes, hammams (bath houses), markets, and small courtyards, enclosed within towering walls, all steeped in this medieval neighborhood.

Baku is also home to the iconic Maiden Tower, the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. Baku is divided into two sections; the Ichari Shahar (inner city) and the Bayir Shahar (outer city).  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and receives tourists all year.

Walking through the streets of the Old City is like walking back in time, through the civilizations culminating into what the town looks like today. Here are the top 10 interesting facts about Baku Old City.

1. The Old City’s establishment history is contested

Entrance to the Baku Old City. Photo by Fransisco Anzola-

It’s no doubt that Baku Old City is a medieval gem, ancient in every inch of its walls. It has been widely accepted to date back to the 12^th century.

However, some historians contend that the city’s earliest constructions date back to as early as the 7^th century. It is a contention that has not been conclusively settled.

2. Numerous monuments were built during its medieval period

Part of the compound at the Palace of the Shirvanshahs by Frokor-

The Old town of Baku is located on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Some of the historic monuments built during the medieval period include the town’s fortress walls, towers, the Maiden Tower, Multani Caravanserai, and the Palace of the Shirvanshas.

 The Maiden Tower is estimated to have been built in the 12^th century, while the Palace of the Shirvanshas dates back to the 15^th and 16^th centuries.  These three are still standing, attracting visitors touring Baku. The Multani is an inn, first built to house merchants from the medieval town of Multan (now in Pakistan).

3. It was divided into two major sections

Street signs in Inner City, Baku. Photo by Gulustan-

By the time Baku was occupied by the Russian Empire in 1806, it had a population of about 7,000, mostly ethnic Tats. There were about 500 households and the old city was the only neighborhood in Baku.

As the city port was re-opened for trade, Baku started to extend beyond the city walls. New neighborhoods emerged with time, thus the terms ‘inner city’ and ‘outer city’ came into use.

The inner city (Ichari Shahar) was the main neighborhood, mainly occupied by those considered natives of Baku. There were mosques, bazaars, craftsmen workshops, and military barracks built during the Roman occupation.

According to memoirs by Huseyngulu Sarabski, an Azerbaijan opera singer, residents of the inner city considered themselves superior. They referred to those living in the outer neighborhood as the ‘barefooted people of the Outer City.’

4. The first ‘madrasa’ was opened in the 12^th century

Children learning by Anil Sharma-

A ‘madrasa’ is the Arabic word referring to an educational institution. The first known madrasa in Baku Old City dates back to the 12^th century. 

Four hundred years later, Seyid Yahya Bakuvi, a 15^th-century Azerbaijani renowned scholar, established a ‘Darulfunun; equivalent of a university in the modern day.

It was located at the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. Education in Baku gradually diminished with the fall of the Shirvanshahs’ rule. Only three schools survived into the 20^th century. These have been closed and replaced with modern schools.

5. The architectural elements of the city are diverse

House of Hajinsky, Baku Old City by Ludvig 14-

Most of the architecture in its medieval constructions was traditional and local. However, when the Russians arrived in the early 19^th century, many European buildings were constructed during the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Baroque and Gothic styles were used. Some of these can still be seen in some of the surviving buildings.

6. The Old City houses major historic monuments

Maiden Tower, Baku, Azerbaijan by Maksym Niezhentsev-

Perhaps the most popular ones are the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. The 12^th-century Maiden Tower is one of the major landmarks of Azerbaijan and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is approximately 29 meters high.

 The Palace of the Shirvanshahs is located in the inner city and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well.

It was the royal estate of the Shirvanshah dynasty, whose capital was Baku in the 15^th century. It has been described as one of the pearls of Azerbaijan’s architecture by UNESCO.

7. The Maiden Tower has been described as the most mysterious monument in Baku

 The design and purpose of the tower are shrouded in mystery. The tower has been termed the epitome of Zoroastrianism (an Iranian religion) and pre-Islamic architecture in Iran and Azerbaijan.

Several Zoroastrian legends have been associated with the tower, including that of the fiery-haired girl. The popular tale recounts that in ancient times, the people of Baku were encircled by the enemy, and they hid in the fortress but refused to surrender.

 Their priests prayed to the Holy Fire in the fortress’ fire temple tower and a fiery-haired girl was sent to defend them. Having defeated the enemy, the people named the fortress the ‘Maiden Tower in honor of the fiery-haired girl.

8. An ancient underpass was discovered in 2008

Place of Bayil Castle in Baku Bay by Interfase-

In 2008, workers reconstructing Vahid Park discovered an ancient tunnel in the Old City. The tunnel was thoroughly built, and its walls, ceiling, and floor were paved with white sawn stone. Some coins from the Soviet Period were also found in the tunnel.

 It is considered likely that this tunnel is one of the several passages that led to the ancient Sabayil Castle, a submerged fortress on the Caspian Sea.

According to scholar Vitaly Antonov, the underpass was built to save the governor in instances of mass riots since Baku was the Caucasian center of the revolutionary movement.

9. The Old City of Baku has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Walls of the fortress of the Baku Old City by Самый древний –

The Old City became the first location in Azerbaijan to be listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2000. This was alongside its monuments; the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs.

In 2003, it was placed on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger, citing damage from the November 2000 earthquake and poor conservation. However, after much effort by Azerbaijan to preserve it, the World Heritage Committee removed Old City from the list in 2009.

10. Several films have been shot on site

A street in Baku Old City by Maksym Niezhentsev-

Some of the famous Azerbaijani movies such as ‘Amphibian man (1961)’, ‘Teheran-43 (1981)’ and ‘Diamond Arm (1968)’ were shot in Old City.

 The old streets of this medieval city, its towering mosques, walls, and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs are some of the features in film scenes shot in the city. The place makes a perfect historic feel.

Baku Old City has also been featured in documentaries by several directors, showcasing the city’s history and present-day development. These include ‘Old City (film, 1964) by director Alibala Alakberov and ‘A walk in the Old City (2003) by film director Javid Imamverdiyev.