Icherisheher Tour

Your Tour itinerary: Maiden Tower; Palace of Shirvanshahs; Caravanserais

The old city hides a long history in its buildings and ruins. Archaeological excavations carried out here, found the tombs of the Bronze Age. During Icherisheher tour you will find old buildings dating back to the 11th century: the Synyg-Gala minaret, the mosque, the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, the Maiden’s Tower, the Juma mosque, also peacefully adjacent to history, modern shops where you can buy handmade souvenirs. In Icherisheher many films were shot, but those who love the old Soviet cinema immediately recognize the places where the films “The Diamond Hand” and “Amphibian Man” were shot.

1. Caravanserais

The oldest caravanserai you will visit in  Icherisheher tour in Baku is dated to the 12th century and is called Khansky or Maly. In addition to Khansky, on the territory of the old city of Baku, three more caravanserais have remained: Multani, Bukhara, and Kasum-bek, but they were all built several centuries later. Today, the Khan caravanserai is a quadrangle courtyard surrounded by a balcony, behind which are small living rooms where traders and travelers used to stay. In the Middle Ages, the main entrance to the Small Caravanserai was from the sea, and along with the shopping street ranks of stalls connected to the courtyard.

2. Maiden’s Tower or Gyz Galasy

It is one of the most famous and most mysterious sights of Baku that you will see in Icherisheher tour. The tower is unique in its kind, as it has no analogs in the East. Its unique form still causes many guesses and disputes. Erected on the ledge of the coastal cliff, the tower is a cylinder, whose height is twenty-eight meters, and the diameter is sixteen and a half. On the east side, a ledge is attached to the tower; its purpose in various sources is interpreted differently. Someone thinks this place was meant for signal lights, someone calls the tower “lighthouse”, someone suggests that the protrusion was created as feed on the ship, to cut the wave. Indeed, in ancient times the tower was in the sea. The tower is divided into eight tiers, each of which is covered by a stone dome with a small round opening. The date of construction of the tower also remains a controversial issue. It is known that in the XII century the tower entered the defensive system of Baku, and in the XVIII-XIX centuries, it was used as a lighthouse. In 1964, the tower became a museum. In 2000, the Maiden’s Tower was included in the UNESCO list of monuments.

3. Palace of Shirvanshahs

– The Shirvanshahs Palace is one of the largest monuments of Azerbaijani architecture, built by the rulers of Shirvan during the transfer of the capital from Shemakha to Baku. Today, the territory of the palace complex is under the protection and is recognized as a historical and architectural museum-reserve. Since 2000, the palace has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The palace complex of the XV century in the western part of Icherisheher is now a museum-reserve. The ensemble of the palace includes the main building, a mosque with a minaret, a tomb, the mausoleum of Seyid Yahya Bakuvi, Divankhana, the remains of the Keigubad mosque and baths. Despite the fact that in the 16th century the palace was plundered and the treasures of the shahs were taken from its halls, this complex is one of the most visited sights of Baku.Some palace buildings are still surrounded by secrets. For example, scientists are still unable to establish the purpose of Divankhana, a structure that is attributed to both the role of a court and the storage of the Shah’s treasury. Baths – Bath Kasum-bek – The monument created during the Middle Ages near the Salyan gate. At first, people called her “Sweet Bath” for sweets that were served to tea in this place. Bath can rightly be called the wealth of Baku. This place is even under state protection, as one of the most remarkable architectural monuments of Azerbaijan. Bath created with all the traditions of local architecture.  Inside there is a lobby, next are the changing rooms and baths, covered with a dome in the shape of a cross, and there are cameras around the edges. During Icherisheher tour you will see also a swimming pool and a sink. Ceramic pipes were used to heat the building and to supply the bath with water, which passes inside the walls and the floor. In 1970, Banja Kasum-bek was restored and renewed. In addition to traditional premises, a Green Pharmacy for visitors appeared here. For all connoisseurs of traditional architecture, as well as fans of rest in the bath with the use of body and soul, this place will be a real find.

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