Along Neftchilar Avenue, Baku, Azerbaijan
Icherisheher (lit. Inner City) is the historical core of the capital city of Azerbaijan that's surrounded by fortress walls. Along with Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower that can be found within the complex, Icherisheher became the first location in the country to be classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
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AZE: Icherisheher <YOU ARE HERE!>
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Gosha Gala Qapisi, commonly known as the Double Gates, are among the main entrances to Icherisheher. Located on the northern end, they had been the only entry point until the end of the 19th century.
While it's generally said that the walled city predates the 12th century, some scholars believe that its construction was done all the way back in the 7th century.
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| There's a tourist information centre near the Double Gates. |
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| Quite an interesting sculpture in front of Shah Palace Hotel (4*)! |
As expected, there are plenty of souvenir shops scattered throughout Icherisheher. One building near the Double Gates houses a number of them, offering quite a lovely ambience.
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| That's a nice place to hide from the glaring sun. |
Inside the old city, there's an underground bathhouse dating back to the early 17th century. Interestingly, it was discovered not long ago in 2016 during a round of archaeological excavation.
Nearby is a 17th century water treatment system that was mainly used to purify water from the southwestern reservoir.
Baku has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, which was around 2,000 B.C. to 700 B.C. Its development, however, started taking off only after it became the capital of the Shirvanshahs in 1385.
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| For many centuries, Baku didn't extend beyond Icherisheher with an area of approximately 22 hectares. |
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| That's the entrance to a caravanserai, a roadside inn set up along trade routes. |
The Maiden Tower stands on the southeastern plaza. It's mentioned that the design and purpose of the tower remains a mystery.
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| The painting on the ground depicts a bird's-eye view of the tower and the surroundings. |
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| My BFF always makes it a point to buy a fridge magnet from each country visited. |
Have a look at the model of the walled city.
To the north of the Maiden Tower is Bazar Square, a religious complex with a structure resembling that of the Great Mosque of Mecca.
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| A total of 52 graves were discovered there during an excavation project in 1964. |
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| Such a sweet-looking pair! |
On one of the afternoons, my BFF and I had a satisfying lunch at a renowned teahouse that goes by the name Cay Bagi 145.
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| We didn't make a reservation, but thankfully the uppermost floor wasn't fully occupied. |
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| Breakfast set for lunch - why not? |
Baku was occupied by the Russian Empire in 1806. The city then started to extend beyond the fortifications, thus the terms Icherisheher and Bayirsheher (lit. Outer City) came into use.
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The walled city had a population count of about 7,000 in 1806.
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Juma Mosque (lit. Friday Mosque) has been rebuilt several times, with the present day erected building in 1899.
On another day, we entered Icherisheher through a smaller gate.
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| There are 10 main neighbourhoods within Icherisheher. |
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| They don't really seem like permanent exhibits, do they? |
There were originally two fortress walls surronding Icherisheher, but the outer wall has been destroyed.
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| Check out the guns! Oh no, I mean the cannon! |
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| That's one rather fancy police post. |
Time for Pikachu to pose for a photo!
Here's a head sculpture of Aliagha Vahid, an honorable Azerbaijani poet.
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| Are those cats, tigers or the likes playing with balls? |
It was so fun getting ourselves lost in the labyrinthine neighbourhoods.
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| If you ask me now, actually I'm not sure why I chose that spot. |
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The walled city is home to approximately 3,000 people at the point of writing.
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Azerbaijan and Turkey enjoy very strong relationship, often described as "one nation, two states" by Heydar Aliyev, a former president of the former. Turkey was among the first few countries to recognise the independence of Azerbaijan on 4 June 1918.
The majestic Palace of the Shirvanshahs was built in the 15th century. More details will be in the upcoming post.
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| It's described as "one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture" by UNESCO. |
In 2015, Baku Museum of Miniature Books was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest private museum of miniature books. Too bad it was closed as we were there on Monday, the day before we departed from the country.
The last few photos I've got to share were taken at night when we decided to cut across Icherisheher to go back to
Center City Hotel Baku.
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| In your opinion, what kind of souvenir is the best to give to your loved ones? |
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| Did I mention that Cay Bagi 145 is open 24/7? |
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| Icherisheher is featured on AZN 10.00 (~S$7.95) banknote issued since 2006. |
Even though Icherisheher has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, it was placed in the List of World Heritage in Danger three years later due to damages from an earthquake in late 2000, as well as poor conservation and restoration efforts. Thankfully, the country has since stepped up its game, resulting in the site being removed from the endangered list in 2009.
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