Icherisheher: the Capital of Baku

If you have never heard of a capital city with its own capital city, then you should definitely visit the capital city of Azerbaijan – Baku to see its capital Icherisheher (Old city or Inner City). It is a historical core of Baku, which is situated right in the center of Baku and surrounded by castle walls. Narrow, crooked streets and squares of Icherisheher within these walls, make you travel in time.

There are variety of historical buildings situated in the Old city such as Maiden Tower, Shirvanshahs’ Palace and Juma Mosque.

Maiden Tower is a historical monument that was built in 12th century in the Old City. It houses a museum, which presents the story of historic evolution of the Baku city. The Tower is covered by the cloud of mysteries and legends, rooted in the history and national culture of Azerbaijan.

The Palace of Shirvanshahs was built in 15th century and it was described as "one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture" by UNESCO. The complex contains main building of palace, Divanhane, the shah’s mosque, a reservoir and the remnants of a bathhouse.

In December 2000, the Old City of Baku, including the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower, became the first location in Azerbaijan to be classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Juma Mosque or Friday Mosque is a Cathedral Mosque in Icherisheher, which was built in 12th century on the site of a temple of fire-worshipers. There are traces of Zoroastrian temple at the site.

Besides all historical places, there are a lot of shops that sell traditional souvenirs, scarves and carpets, which are mainly handmade by local people.

Icherisheher will let you enjoy a culture different from what you saw in Europe. Don’t go far to experience Asian culture, it is just near you :)