Baku is Azerbaijan’s largest city and commercial center. Baku is also the capital of Azerbaijan.. While we were on our way, we had taken Baku off the route because it was too far and we decided not to go.. At that time it was necessary to obtain a visa. It would be a shame not to go while we had a visa.. With a sudden decision, we found ourselves in Baku.. So, where are the places to visit in Baku? What to do in Baku? we were caught off guard. What did we do in Baku without any route? What did we expect? What did we find?
In this article you will find information about Places to visit in Baku.
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You can click here to read our story of unplanned crossing to Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan visa, how we went to Baku.
We three friends were on a very long trip then. We crossed the whole Black Sea, went to Georgia and now we were in Azerbaijan. As I said, we suddenly find ourselves in Azerbaijan, and even in Baku by driving all night.. We enter the city without knowing where to go in Baku, where we came a little sleepless, quite tired, without internet and navigation.. I was sleeping when we first entered Baku. When I open my eyes, I see very wide streets, wonderful buildings. This is a sight I didn’t really expect.. I never thought of such modern and beautiful buildings, such wide roads (4-5 lanes per lane).. They used to call Baku “the city beaten by the wind”. Azeris, on the other hand, said “it would be very hot in summer if there weren’t an ashtray here”. Ash=wind. Azerbaijani lesson one
We find ourselves in a park while wandering the streets without knowing where to go first. With a view of the Caspian Sea. Network is Dawn Boulevard. Our table, chair and breakfast boxes are coming out of the car right away.. We start breakfast in the park against the view of the Caspian Sea.. Then comes the security of the park. We think he will say “forbidden”. He came to ask if we needed anything. We don’t have a stove for tea. “I’ll bring hot water,” he says.. This is our first memory in Baku.
Baku
The capital of Azerbaijan is Baku. Located on the west coast of the Caspian Sea. It is the largest city of the Caucasus, the most important cultural and commercial center.. In addition to being the easternmost and most important industrial, commercial and cultural center of the country, it is also important as a port city.. Area: 2,140 km² Altitude: -28 m Currency: Manat
1. Icheri Sheher (Icheri Sheher)
When we got back in the car without knowing where we were going, we came to a place very close to Icheri Sheher by pure coincidence.. As in every foreign trip I ask people, “Where is the Old Town?” I ask. Nobody knows. It turns out that the Old Town was called Icheri Sheher. The castle, Quz Qalasi (Maiden’s Castle), Shirvanshahs Palace and many historical sites are in this region.. It’s like Istanbul’s Sultanahmet.. Under UNESCO World Heritage protection. It’s like an open air museum. You can walk around its streets, eat and drink in its restaurants, and visit its museums.. It is at the top of Places to visit in Baku.
We asked a tour company here about places to visit and they made a list for us.. We went to a hotel and got a map for free.. Hotels always give free maps to their customers. keep in mind. The map we have is arranged in English and written Inner City Ichari Shahar.
2. Quz Qala (Maiden’s Tower)
The Qiz Qala is the symbol of Baku. It is at the top of Places to visit in Baku. The Maiden’s Castle is at a distance that you can see the moment you enter the Icheri City.. Already a huge 30 meter tower. impossible not to see. The map we have is edited in English and written as Quz Qala, Maiden Tower. made in the 12th century. It looks like our Galata Tower. The entrance to the Maiden’s Castle is paid. I paid 12 manats for the entrance.. I think it’s very expensive, but you can’t go and see it while you’re here.. I just screwed myself to see when I’ll come again. If there are those who go to the White Tower in Thessaloniki, I can say that this tower is almost in the same style.. You can see historical artifacts in different galleries as you go round and round.. When you get to the top, the panoramic view of Baku awaits you, but behind glass screens. Why? ‘Cause people were jumping out here. I guess it has to do with her legend.
There are several stories from where the Maiden’s Castle got its name.. Legend has it that while the king is expecting a boy, he becomes a girl.. wants to kill. Babysitter kidnaps. Years later, he sees and falls in love without knowing that he has a daughter.. She wants to get married. The girl doesn’t want. This tower is closed. She runs to the tower to kill the king she loves and save the girl.. From the footsteps of the king, the girl jumps into the Caspian Sea.. I have to say that the sea is far ahead, but in the old times, maybe it came to the bottom of the tower.. Second story the castle was never conquered by its enemies. That’s why it’s called the virgin, the maiden’s castle.. The last one, originally called the Eye Castle, turned into a Maiden’s Castle over time.. For example, choose, like, buy.
3. Palace of the Shirvanshahs
The Palace of the Shirvanshahs, which you will come across as you walk through the narrow streets of Icheri Shah. This palace was built in the 15th century.. The palace belonging to the State of Shirvanshah is architecturally quite magnificent. Shirvanshahs Palace entrance fee. I think it cost 6 Manat. My friends didn’t come here either.. Towards the end, my friend Gul, who was on duty at the door, let her in for free.. We traveled the last places together. The interior of the palace is really worth seeing. Be sure to enter. It is at the top of Places to visit in Baku. The map we have is in English and written as Shirvanshahs Palace, Shirvanshahs Palace.
It is possible to see Ottoman traces in the palace.. I think my most memorable moment in Baku was here.. There is always an attendant in certain halls.. In one of the halls I visited, a middle-aged aunt was sitting and waiting in the hall.. The moment he realized that I was Turkish, he hugged me, cupped my face with both hands and cried to me.. If it happens, I swear I won’t be on my back again. (It hasn’t happened yet.) He sent all his love to the motherland.
4. Targovi Street
The most famous street of Baku is Targovi Street. The street with very luxurious shops, cafes and restaurants is closed to traffic.. The street we walk on in the evening is quite crowded.. Think like our Istiklal Street. It is at the top of Places to visit in Baku.
5. Fevvaleler Square
We can also say that it is the starting point of Targovi Street.. This was the meeting point of the people of Baku.. We can say that this place is like our Taksim Square.
6. Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center
The center, whose architecture depicts the rise of the Caspian Sea in mythology, includes a concert hall, conference hall, library, museum, and art galleries.. Those who have plenty of time can also visit this place.. We are content with looking from the outside.. It looks very majestic from the outside.
7. Martyrs’ Lament
The place where Turkish soldiers and Azerbaijani Turks who were martyred in the Baku battle in 1918 are buried. It was the special request of my fellow traveler Gul to come here.. He wanted to visit Elchibey’s grave.. Elçibey’s grave was covered with flowers. glad we went. You will see a giant monument that is constantly kept alive with waving flags, a burning torch, based on the promise of one nation, two states.. It is at the top of Places to visit in Baku. During the Azerbaijani War of Independence, the Ottomans send 1000 soldiers.. In order to avoid problems with Russia, these 1000 soldiers resign from the army and fight for Azerbaijan.. All is posible. Azerbaijan will never forget this.
There is a funicular to ascend to Martyrs’ Veil. we went by car. We found a parking space easily.
8. Flame Towers
I think everyone remembers these buildings when Azerbaijan and Baku are mentioned.. Figures made to represent oil and gas flames. The skyscrapers, which were completed in 2012, have offices, residences and hotel services.. Even though it is 190 meters high, it is visible from all over the city.. You should definitely watch the light show in the evening.. I literally lost myself taking pictures on the grass.
9. Flag Square
Flag Square is the place where the giant Azerbaijan Flag of 70×35 meters flies on its 162-meter-long pole.. After a pleasant walk along the beach, you can reach this square and see the flag, which was once the tallest flagpole in the world, and now flies on the third tallest mast in the world.
10. Green Bazaar (Green Bazaar)
I’m talking about the shops that are always open in Baku and the peasant market set up in the middle of it.. From here, tourists shop as well as locals.. You can find the freshest products here. From meat to fish to vegetables. The world’s most expensive caviar, extracted from sturgeon living in the Caspian Sea, is sold in Beluga. It’s cheapest available here.. We did not.
11. Crystal Hall
The crystal-like thing right next to the Flag Square is the Crystal Hall I mentioned. Built for the Erovision Song Contest in Baku in 2012. Here you can watch concerts, sports events and a wide variety of events.. You should see its reflection on the Caspian Sea. We didn’t get into it.
12. Gobustan National Park
Qobustan is an hour away from Baku, a place full of paintings drawn on rocks by people living in the Paleotic period. You spend 5 manats and first visit the museum.. This place is open until 18. You can stay as long as you want in the land section.. You are guided by a walking path. You can watch the Caspian Sea from the hills. The snake is coming out. There are signs to be careful. As I learned later, it has a cave, secret parts.. I think they are not open to visitors.. From what I’ve read, a lot of things were lost here when it was under Russian rule.. There are more than 6000 pictures, 20 unexplored ancient cities here.. It was a very different place.
I think we visited the museum at the last minute and then threw ourselves into the field.. I will always remember this place with my broken phone. You can come to Gobustan, which is on the World Heritage List, with tours departing from Baku. It would be nice to visit this place with a guide, but this was not possible because we caught up at the last minute after spending the whole day at sea.. You should take a few hours. Do not coincide with noon in summer. It’s an open-air museum after all.. It is at the top of Places to visit in Baku.
13. Volkan (Mud Vokanos) Mud Volcanoes
Everyone, including the guards in Gobustan, tells us we have to go to the volcano, we cannot go there with our own vehicle.. There’s always men asking for money around us.. That’s when my phone fell and broke.. I may have had a minor crisis. Then we said “we won’t let anything go wrong” and found the man who was hanging around us, agreed on 10 manats and went to the volcano.. Indeed the roads are the field you know. empty land. Can’t find where to go. We had opened navigation on the way, but even he found it difficult to find Qobustan.. They call it Balçık Volcano.
They are always listening to our songs. We’re bouncing like a disco ball to the volcano in a car. We are in an old Soviet vehicle.. When our driver says that mud is very useful, we say “let’s take it with us” but we have nothing to put with us.. The driver is trying to sell us the empty plastic bottle for 10 Manat.. In Azerbaijan, the poor are completely poor, and the rich are completely rich.. It’s like there’s no middle. He is ashamed of what he did when we were angry. We are gifting him a headlamp.. He’s so happy.
Really mud keeps bouncing around like a loudspeaker’s belly. Our driver is digging a break and flashing his lighter. The ground suddenly starts to burn. Natural gas is gushing out from everywhere.. Then it took a lot of stomping on it to put it out. I still laugh when I think of it. In the evening, as it starts to get dark, we turn back.. Everything is like being inside a documentary. One third of these mud volcanoes in the world are located in Azerbaijan. Each one is a miniature volcano.
When you take a day tour to Gobustan National Park, you can visit Gobustan and Mud Volcanoes.. It would be very difficult with public transport. It is at the top of Places to visit in Baku.
14. Yanardag
Yanardag, half an hour away from Baku, serves as a museum. If you are wondering why Azerbaijan is called the “Land of Fire”, you can visit here.. This is a natural wonder formed by the burning of natural gas leaking from underground for centuries.. A place where the flames never go out, almost like a constantly burning stove.. It’s like our Olympos Yanartaş.
15. Ateşgah
One of the 3 Zoroastrian Magi (fire-worshipping, Zoroastrian religious) temples in Baku. This place of worship, which dates back about 4000 years, is half an hour away from Baku.. You can see a constantly burning fire in the middle and the cells surrounding it, which were used by Zoroastrians for worship.. You can get a lot of information about Zoroastrianism during the visit to Atesgah, and you can shop at the souvenir shops around.
Our time was not enough to go here.. When I went to Iran a few months later, I didn’t know that I would visit the Zoroastrian Temples a lot.. I couldn’t see it here, but everything in Iran is ok.
16. Museums
Baku is almost a museum paradise. Baku will be a paradise for those who like to visit museums. There are 33 museums in the city, each with beautiful architecture and containing countless works of art.. The most famous of them are; Azerbaijan State Art Museum, Miniature Book Museum, Azerbaijan National History Museum, Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, Azerbaijan National Museum of Fine Arts, Nizami Museum of Azerbaijan Literature, Azerbaijan State History Museum
Unfortunately, we could not visit all of them…
17. Petrol Pumps
The oil, which Azeris call Black Gold, is continuously extracted with giant pumps.. When you dig a place in Azerbaijan, oil is more likely to come out than water.. You can see these oil refineries even when you enter the sea.
18. Mini Venice ( Tiny Venice)
If you want to feel yourself in Venice without going to Venice, you should definitely go to Mini Venice in Baku.. This is a miniature park created from canals, where you can take a gondola ride on these canals.. You can relax and take great photos on this gondola ride, which is one of the cutest structures in the city.
19. Bibiheybet Mosque
Bibiheybet Mosque was built during the time of the Shirvanshah Giants. It was demolished by the Bolsheviks in 1936. made into its current state in 1997.. Although it looks like an ordinary mosque from the outside, the decorations inside reveal its difference.. It is considered among the “most beautiful examples of mosques” belonging to Islam.
20. Highland Park (Mountain Hill Park)
Highland Park, the most beautiful viewpoint where you can panoramically watch Baku. Highland Park within walking distance of Martyrs’ Veil and Flame Towers. You can take a walk in the park and watch Baku’s night and day to its fullest.
21. Baths
As we have a common culture with Azerbaijan, our bath culture is very similar.. You can see countless baths in Baku. However, we cannot help saying that the baths here are different and more comprehensive than ours.. You can even eat in them.. The museum-like baths are really worth a visit. The main baths in Baku; Tazebey Hamam, Number 8 Hamam, Xan Hamam, Hamambath.
Since we don’t have that much time and money, we save our hammam pleasure for Turkey.. There is nothing to do.
22. Baku Atatürk Park
Atatürk Park in Baku should not be returned without seeing it. Located in the center of Baku, the park allows you to spend time proudly and gratefully, so many kilometers away.
23. Baku Beach
No one thought that I would go to Baku and return without swimming in the Caspian Sea.. There are many paid beaches on the Caspian Sea coast.. We do not want to pay for Baku Beaches as we will spend a few hours. ask him ask him. Finally they call a place called Mardakan. Finally got a line. Therefore, navigation takes us where we want.. Many people like us are swimming in the view of the Oil Refinery with their cars pulled to the bottom of the sea.. Unless it’s called the Caspian Sea, it’s definitely not a sea I would normally swim in.. After my posts, I get dozens of comments that it is not healthy to go to the sea where oil is extracted.. Despite everything, Baku Beach gave us a lot of rest that day.
If you come this way, do your swimming in Sumqayit. Sumqayit is half an hour away from Baku.. I loved it there. A perfect holiday destination. They built a boulevard. They do not allow swimming from there, but there are very nice quiet places 5 km downstream.. We did not see an oil refinery on this side.. It is at the top of Places to visit in Baku.
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With my love to Metehan and Gül who accompanied me on this trip… We had a lot of fun and laughed a lot.. The narration does not end. It was one of my most beautiful trips.
Thank you…