The square keep
About 22 metres.
Rəcəb Yaxşı — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rhajizada — CC BY-SA 4.0 · En Merker — CC0 · Rəcəb Yaxşı — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rəcəb Yaxşı — CC BY-SA 4.0
A fourteenth-century stone fortress in the town of Mardakan on the Absheron peninsula, one of a chain of castles the Shirvan rulers built to protect villages and orchards from raids. The best known is the quadrangular castle, with a tall square keep about twenty-two metres high ringed by a low wall with round corner towers; the town also has a second, smaller round castle. A gate in the wall leads into an inner court, and a narrow stair inside the keep climbs to the top, with views over the town, fig and olive orchards and the Caspian on the horizon. Restored, it now houses a small museum on the history of the Absheron castles and sometimes hosts cultural events. A small entry fee is charged and it usually opens by day. The stair inside the keep is narrow and steep, so it does not suit small children or anyone afraid of heights. Mardakan also has botanical gardens and old summer villas of early twentieth-century oil barons. It is about three quarters of an hour by car from central Baku and pairs with Ramana castle and the Ateshgah fire temple in a day on Absheron.
About 22 metres.
Fourteenth century.
From the top of the keep.
Mardakan town, Absheron peninsula, about 35 km north-east of central Baku
It has two: the large quadrangular one with its tall keep, and a smaller round one; the quadrangular is the best known, restored as a museum.