Baku

💡 About Baku

Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan on the shores of the Caspian Sea, is a city of astonishing contrasts where a medieval walled old town sits beneath a skyline of futuristic, oil-funded skyscrapers. Known as the "Land of Fire" for its ancient burning gas vents, this dynamic city is where East meets West on the edge of Central Asia.

The heart of the city is the Icherisheher, a UNESCO-listed old town encircled by fortress walls, home to the mysterious Maiden Tower and the ornate Palace of the Shirvanshahs, a labyrinth of narrow stone lanes little changed in centuries. It stands in dramatic juxtaposition to the modern city around it.

Baku's oil wealth has fuelled a spectacular building boom, symbolised by the Flame Towers — three sail-shaped skyscrapers that light up the night sky — and the sweeping, wave-like Heydar Aliyev Center designed by Zaha Hadid. A grand seaside boulevard sweeps along the Caspian shore.

Blending grand European-style boulevards from its first oil boom a century ago with cutting-edge modern architecture and ancient heritage, Baku is one of the most surprising and glamorous cities of the Caucasus.

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