The Oriental Hall
Gilded Moorish ornament.
Urek Meniashvili — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sefer azeri — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Xayala Mammadli — CC0 · Sefer azeri — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Xayala Mammadli — CC0
A grand palace in central Baku built in the 1890s by Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, one of Azerbaijan's richest oil barons and best-known philanthropists, who funded the Muslim world's first girls' school in Baku. Since 1920 it has housed the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan. Its stone façade carries European ornament, and inside are halls decorated in different styles, the best known the Oriental Hall clad in gilded Moorish-style decoration, along with rooms with carved ceilings and old tiled stoves. The museum's galleries trace Azerbaijan's history from the Stone Age to the twentieth century, with tools, jewellery, weapons, carpets, coins and manuscripts, alongside Taghiyev's rooms with their original furniture. A small entry fee is charged, and it usually opens from ten until six, mostly closing on Sundays, so check before going. Photography may cost extra. It is a few minutes' walk from Fountains Square and Nizami Street, so make it part of a day in central Baku.
Gilded Moorish ornament.
Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev.
From the Stone Age.
Tahir Ismayilov Street, central Baku near Fountains Square
Baku BoulevardA long promenade along Baku's waterfront, running parallel to the Caspian shore 4 minutes walk4.8
Fountains Square and Nizami StreetThe liveliest square in central Baku, stretching from the Old City walls to Niza4 minutes walk4.5
Old City of Baku (Icherisheher)Baku's historic heart, a walled town on a hill above the Caspian bay, known in A4 minutes walk4.6
Nizami StreetBaku's best-known shopping and strolling street, running about three and a half 5 minutes walk
Maiden TowerA massive twelfth-century stone tower in Baku's Old City, known in Azerbaijani a6 minutes walk4.5Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, one of Baku's richest oil barons, who funded the Muslim world's first girls' school.