SEE & DO
OLD CITY: Known locally as İçri Şhr,
the Old City is Baku’s well-preserved medieval
quarter. Mount the narrow steps of the former
fortress, Maiden Tower, for sweeping views
of the city and its crescent-shaped harbour.
Wander further inside the ancient city walls
to Shirvanshah Palace — the sprawling
religious complex that was home to northern
Azerbaijan’s ruling dynasty in the Middle
Ages — to explore its main courtyard, bath
house, burial vaults and mosque.
BOULEVARD: Baku’s beloved Boulevard, or
Dnizknarı Bulvar, has been a local haunt
for more than a century, and it’s where you’ll
ind city-dwellers strolling, rollerblading and
chatting come evenings and weekends. The
leafy promenade has grown over the years
to approximately two miles long, stretching
from National Flag Square to Freedom Square.
It features everything from a multistorey
shopping centre to a Ferris wheel.
AZERBAIJAN CARPET MUSEUM: The country
has an enduring love afair with carpets. This
three-storey seafront museum is the work of
Austrian architect Franz Janz and is shaped,
quite impressively, like a giant roll of carpet.
Get lost among thousands of Azeri carpets,
national garments and traditional ceramics,
and catch one of the regular exhibitions by
local artists. azcarpetmuseum.az
CONTEMPORARY ART: Inside a converted
1960s naval building, YARAT Contemporary
Art Space is a not-for-proit hub founded in
2011 by artist Aida Mahmudova. In the Old
City, check out YAY Gallery and Kichik Galart
for local designs, then head to Heydar Aliyev
Center — even if only to admire the jaw-
dropping exterior. yarat.az yaygallery.com
NIZAMI STREET: This pedestrianised street is
a two-mile stretch of boutiques, restaurants
and souvenir shops housed in baroque and
art nouveau-style architecture. The grand
Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and BalletTheatre regularly stages performances like
Leyli and Majnun, a heart-breaking story
of two lovers penned by 12th-century poet,
Nizami Ganjavi. The ornate facade of the
Nizami Museum of Azerbaijan Literature is
best admired at night. nizamimuseum.az
LAND OF FIRE: Don’t miss Atşgah (Fire
Temple), once a site of Zoroastrian, Hindu
and Sikh worship. Yanar Dağ is a laming
gem, too: the hillside ire is said to have
been burning for 4,000 years — a sight so
entrancing that Marco Polo wrote about
it when he visited in the 13th century.
yanardag.az/en
GOBUSTAN NATIONAL PARK: Dancing
stickmen, a headless pregnant woman and
a rampant goat are among the freakish
prehistoric petroglyphic sketches in
Gobustan, an hour’s drive from central Baku.
This rocky, arid expanse is also home to
400 mud volcanoes — more than any other
country. gobustan-rockart.az/enAzerbaijan Carpet Museum
RIGHT FROM TOP: YAR AT
Contemporary Art Space;
Yaşil Bazar (Green Market)
PREVIOUS PAGES: Flower shop
near Khagani Park, central BakuIMAGES: AWL IMAGES; SITARA IBRAHIMOVA152 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
BAKU