Days 67-69 (1-3 August)

We're really enjoying exploring Baku. Our investigations have proceeded at a leisurely pace, because it's hot -- although there's generally a cooling breeze, and in the evenings the temperatures drop quite significantly, so all in all it's not nearly as stifling as Yerevan.

The city's many contrasts have been very apparent.


Baku's Old City has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 2000.

Their description is quite lyrical:

"Rising from the south shore of the Apsheron Peninsular at the western edge of the Caspian Sea, the Walled City of Baku was founded on a site inhabited since the Palaeolithic period. The city reveals, along with the dominant Azerbaijani element, evidence of Zoroastrian, Sassanian, Arabic, Persian, Shirvani, Ottoman, and Russian presence in cultural continuity. The inner city (Icherisheher) has preserved much of its 12th-century defensive walls, which define the character of the property. The most ancient monument of Icherisheher is the Maiden Tower -- symbol of the city of Baku. Some evidence suggests that the construction of the Tower might have been as early as the 7th-6th centuries BC. Another monument of universal value, one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture, is the 12th- to 15th-century Shirvanshahs' Palace, located at the highest point of Icherisheher... Earlier monuments of Icherisheher include the Mohammed Mosque, together with the adjacent minaret built in 1078, and remains of the 9th- to 10th-century mosque near the Maiden Tower."

Of course, a listing does not solve all the problems of conservation, and indeed may well introduce more.

Baku, like many other historic cities, has struggled with management issues -- and still does.

It's hard to break the cycle: A listing attracts tourists; tourists attract facility-providers; these providers do not always voluntarily take a holistic view of the sites, their environment, and their future.

Be that as it may, this is still a very rewarding area to wander through:







The Palace of the Shirvanshahs, the dynasty that ruled what is now northeastern Azerbaijan back in medieval times, includes a reception hall, various tombs and mosques, and a bath-house. Knocked about and looted on a regular basis, the complex now houses buildings that mostly date from the 15th century (and have been restored, of course), and artefacts mostly from the 19th century.











At completely the other end of the architectural spectrum is the Heydar Aliyev Center, designed by the phenomenal Zaha Hadid.

It's incredibly photogenic:








Outside there's an exhibition of works by Reza Deghati:


On the other side of town, a funicular ride takes you up the hill to the Flame Towers and the War Memorial. Among those commemorated are those who died in the Soviet crackdown on 20 January 1990.






The walk down takes you past other attractive buildings:



The Flame Towers really come into their own in the evening, when they are the canvas for various light designs:



Meanwhile, the joys of Azerbaijan's cuisine, which really deserves to be much better known, continue to be very palpable in Baku.

Sehrli Tandir, right up against the walls of the old city, is a great place for lunch. There's a big tandir oven right at the entrance, and the bread that comes out of it -- hot, fluffy, crispy, and sesame-flecked -- is just delicious.

They do nice kebabs, but we especially liked their "qutab" (stuffed thin flatbread). Over the course of two visits we checked out the lamb, the pumpkin, and the cheese varieties. All excellent.


Firuze, near Fountains Square (and thus near our apartment), is another nice bet for something traditional but not too expensive, and the basement decor is very pleasant. We tried the traditional plov. This is a Central Asian staple that we'd already come across in Kazakhstan, but here the plov features not only lamb and onions, but also chestnuts, and dried fruit such as plums, raisins, and apricots. It's served in two cute clay pots.



Baku is proving a very relaxing place to enjoy the feeling of journey's end. Highly recommendable.