Walking Through Baku's Historic Icherisheher
Meet your tour guide and begin the tour in front of the Maiden Tower entrance, a symbol of Baku. Your professional guide will share the history and purpose of this tower, along with several scientific versions and countless legends connected to it.
Explore the Maiden Tower, the ruins of the Church of Saint Bartholomew, and Haji Baani Hammam, the largest and oldest surviving bath in the Old City. Until 1960, nobody knew about it because it was covered with earth. On the surface stood numerous shacks and houses whose inhabitants, for hundreds of years, had no idea that an ancient monument was buried beneath their feet.
Have a look at the Caravanserai Multani, created in the 14th century. It was built for Indian merchants - fire worshipers who came from the city of Multan in India.
Visit the exquisite Bukhara Caravanserai, built at the end of the 15th century on the trade route passing through the Shamakhi Gate. Merchants and travellers from Central Asia stayed here, especially those from Bukhara, from which it got its name. The narrow street between these two caravansaries was part of the Great Silk Way.
Continue to the Museum of Archaeology. This house once belonged to a sailor, which is why the building resembles the deck of a ship. It is now a carpet shop. The "house with chains" belonged to the local merchant Haji Mamed Huseyn before Soviet rule, and more recently, this building served as the office of oil companies such as BP and Statoil.
Head to the house of the Baku Khans, which dates back to the 18th century. From 1747 to 1806, the rulers of the Baku Khanate lived here, the last of whom was Huseyngulu Khan.
Pay a visit to one of the most important architectural masterpieces of the Old City - the Palace of Shirvanshahs, also called the pearl of Baku. The tour includes entrance to the palace, where you will gain unforgettable impressions from the combination of bright walls and dark stories.
Then your guide will take you to the bust of Aliaga Vahid, the famous Azerbaijani poet and close friend of the great Russian poet Sergei Yesenin. Sculptures in his hair elegantly depict scenes from his works, reflecting the life of society.
See the places in the Old Town where famous Azerbaijani and Soviet films were shot. Among them are "Diamond Hand," "Amphibian Man," "Aibolit-66," "Tehran-43," "Do not be afraid, I'm with you," and "A Day has passed." Your guide will also take you to the spot where Nikulin fell, broke his arm, and shouted loudly, "Damn it!"
The last sight on this tour will be the Juma Mosque, located near the Maiden Tower. During its existence, the mosque was repeatedly and radically updated and rebuilt. In 1437, during the reign of Shirvanshah Khalil-Ullah I from the Derbendi dynasty, a minaret was built near the mosque, and it has survived to this day.
