The Maiden Tower is a 12th-century monument in the Old City, Baku, Azerbaijan. Along with the Shirvanshahs' Palace, dated to the 15th century, it forms a group of historic monuments listed in 2001 under the UNESCO World Heritage List of Historical Monuments as cultural property, Category III. It is one of Azerbaijan's most distinctive national emblems, and is thus featured on Azerbaijani currency notes and official letterheads.
The Palace of the Shirvanshahs is a 15th-century palace built by the Shirvanshahs and described by UNESCO as "one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture". It is located in the Inner City of Baku, Azerbaijan and, together with the Maiden Tower, forms an ensemble of historic monuments inscribed under the UNESCO World Heritage List of Historical Monuments. The complex contains the main building of the palace, Divanhane, the burial-vaults, the shah's mosque with a minaret, Seyid Yahya Bakuvi's mausoleum, south of the palace, a portal in the east, Murad's gate, a reservoir and the remnants of a bath house. Earlier, there was an ancient mosque, next to the mausoleum. There are still ruins of the bath to the west of the tomb.
Old City or Inner City is the historical core of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The Old City is the most ancient part of Baku, which is surrounded by walls. In 2007, the Old City had a population of about 3,000 people. In December 2000, the Old City of Baku, including the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower, became the first location in Azerbaijan to be classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tourism in Azerbaijan has been an important sector of the Azerbaijani economy since the 1990s. According to Azerbaijan's Center for Economic and Social Development, the country is in 39th place among 148 countries in tourism competitiveness indicators. The World Travel and Tourism Council reported that Azerbaijan is among the top ten countries with the greatest increase in visitor exports from 2010 to 2016. The country had the world's fastest-developing travel and tourism economy in 2017. To promote tourism, Azerbaijan sponsored Atlético Madrid jerseys reading "Azerbaijan – Land of Fire". In 2018, a new tourism brand and a slogan "take another look" were introduced.
Muhammad Mosque or Siniggala Mosque is the mosque built in the 11th century in Old City, Baku, Azerbaijan. The mosque is also known as Siniggala, after the name of its minaret – Siniggala. The mosque acquired its second name in 1723, when military squadron of Russian Army, consisting of 15 warships and led by Admiral Matyushkin, approached the city from seaside and demanded its surrender during the Russo-Persian War (1722-1723). Russian warships began to bomb the city after the refusal to surrender. One of the Russian shells hit the minaret of Muhammad Mosque and damaged it. A stormy wind then blew the Russian ships further out to sea. The population of the city interpreted the wind as a divine scourge sent to the occupants. From that time until the middle of the 19th century, the minaret of the mosque wasn't reconstructed. It remained a symbol of the persistence and courage of the defendants of the tower.
Istiglaliyyat Street is an arterial road in the central uptown part of Baku, Azerbaijan. It begins at Gulustan Palace, located on the southern hillside part of Baku, and continues north, then northeast, terminating at the intersection of Aziz Aliyev and Mammad Amin Rasulzade Streets at the edge of Fountains Square.
The Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan Republic is a governmental agency within the Cabinet of Azerbaijan in charge of regulation of the activities and promotion of Azerbaijani culture. The ministry is headed by Anar Karimov.
Sabayil Castle is a submerged medieval fortress on the coast of the Caspian Sea near Baku, Azerbaijan.
Gulnara Mehmandarova is an architect, researcher and Corresponding Member of the International Academy of Architecture of Oriental Countries. Gulnara Kamal Mehmandarova has a PhD in theory and history of architecture and restoration of architectural monuments. She has published more than 70 scientific publications.
Mikayil Chingiz oghlu Jabbarov is an Azerbaijani politician who is the current Minister of Economу of Azerbaijan
Baku Khans' Palace is a complex of several houses that belonged to the members of the ruling family of the Baku Khanate.
The Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography is a museum in Baku, Azerbaijan, that was established in 1976. It bears the name of the Azerbaijani architect-Mikayil Huseynov. The museum has two parts. The ethnography section displays materials related to the 19th century and early 20th century, as well as the life of Azerbaijani people.
Baku Fortress is a medieval building in Baku, Azerbaijan, the largest of Absheron fortresses. The fortress consists of the Icheri Sheher and the walls and towers surrounding it and it was included by UNESCO into the World Cultural Heritage List in 2000. It was built in about 1138–1139 on the order of the Shirvanshah Manuchohr III (1120–1149).
Agabala Guliyev's house is the former home of Azerbaijani monarch Agabala Gulyev, designed by the Polish architect Eugeniusz Skibinski. It impacted the national-romantic movement of architecture in Baku. The architecture of the building has many advantages thanks to its three-dimensional facade, despite the fact that the building was built in narrow streets. Figarov-Fatullayev notes that under the influence of this house, in 1898-1901, Nikolayevskaya street. The building of the Girls School of H.Z.Taghiyev was built on the basis of V. Qoslavsky's project. The building is considered to be of the best examples of Azerbaijan's national architecture, with the importance of Skibinsky's creativity.
Chin mosque is a historical mosque of the XIV century. It is a part of Old City and located on Kichik Gala street, near Palace of the Shirvanshahs, in the city of Baku, in Azerbaijan. The building was also registered as a national architectural monument by the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated August 2, 2001, No. 132.
The Beyler Mosque is a historical and architectural monument which is located in the city of Baku, in a historical part of Icherisheher, opposite the “Murad” Gate of the Shirvanshah Palace Complex. According to the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan on historical and cultural monuments, the Beyler Mosque has been included to the list of historical and cultural monument of national importance.
The Maiden Tower Art Festival is an annual festival made to promote one of the ancient buildings of Baku, Maiden Tower, which is located in Icheri Sheher.
Old City Museum Center or Icherisheher Museum Center is a museum in Azerbaijan. The Museum Center is a part of the State Department of the Historical and Architectural Reserve of Old City. The museum explores the architecture, life and culture of the ancient Shirvanshahs' Palace, Maiden Tower, ancient mosques, baths, Baku Khans' Palace, and the Gala village. The Center collects, preserves and propagates material about the cultural monuments of the period, and holds international conferences, symposiums, themed parties, theatrical museum events at the Monuments Complex.
The Khan's Garden is a historical garden located in Icherisheher, being part of the Baku Khans Palace's complex. The Khan's Garden is located in the first courtyard of the palace in front of the house that belonged to the Khan's family. There is a small pool in the center of the garden. Also, on the territory of the garden, there is an ovdan and a tandir.
