The Old City, including Maiden Tower, dates back to the 12th century, at least.
Researchers estimate the construction dates to the 7th century. Baku’s Maiden
Tower was a landmark, and its origins remained a mystery. No one knew when it
was constructed, its use, or how the tower derived its name.
No written sources survived recording its construction or original function. Legend
has it that a king fell in love with his beautiful daughter and wished to marry her.
Horrified, the princess tried to delay the process by asking her father to build the
biggest tower she’d ever seen. Once completed, she went up to admire the view
from where she threw herself into the Caspian Sea. Today, the old city is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site offering plenty to investigate.
During the week in Baku, I only achieved a “Letter of Invitation” to Uzbekistan.
Receiving the visa was a procedure that took an additional 10–12 days. Only once
one has the Uzbek visa could you apply for the Turkmenistan one.
As was our restless nature, we could no longer linger. So, as an alternative to
taking the ferry across the Caspian Sea, a decision was made to cycle via Iran, to
pass the time. We, hence, arranged for the Uzbekistan visa to be sent, NOT to the
consulate in Baku, but Iran.
The Iranian visa only took a day to organise, but we were nearly flattened in the
process. The staff operated from behind a window, and the lack of an orderly
queue made shoving and pushing your way to the front. Once in front, one needed
to stand your ground firmly, not to be driven away from the window. Being a well-
mannered and polite South African gentleman, Ernest gave way, allowing the
elderly ladies to go ahead. However, he soon changed his behaviour after being
elbowed out of the way by a tiny and immensely wrinkly old lady. Unfortunately,
good manners weren’t the way to go when seeking an Iranian visa.