Old City of Baku (Icherisheher)

About this place

Baku's historic heart, a walled town on a hill above the Caspian bay, known in Azerbaijani as «Icherisheher», the Inner City. It is the oldest part of the capital and, together with the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower, became the first place in Azerbaijan inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, in 2000. Many of its landmarks are medieval: the eleventh-century minaret of the Synyg Gala mosque, walls and towers from the eleventh and twelfth centuries, caravanserais such as the Multani and Bukhara caravanserais, and old bathhouses. The walls were repaired and the fortifications extended in the early nineteenth century, when the town had two main gates, the Salyan and Shamakhi gates. Today most visitors enter through the Double Fortress Gates near Fountains Square, then wander winding stone lanes between houses with enclosed wooden balconies, small mosques, carpet and antique shops, and cafés and restaurants tucked into hidden courtyards. The walls look out towards the Flame Towers and the boulevard. Wandering the Old City is free, while the Maiden Tower, the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and some museums charge separately. Early mornings and evenings, when the walls are lit, are the best times; the lanes are sloping and cobbled, so wear comfortable shoes.