Monuments

MONUMENTS

AZERBAIJAN

MAIDEN TOWER

Click icon to add pictureThe "Maiden Tower" is situated in the south-east part of "Icheri Shahar". This unique monument of Azerbaijanian architecture was built in two periods. Most of Azerbaijanian scientists supposed the lower part of the monument till 13,7 meters to be dated from VII-VI centuries B.C.

ICHERI SHAHAR

Click icon to add pictureIchari Shahar, though very small and compact, has many kilometers of winding lanes and alleys, which can best be enjoyed on foot. There's really quite a significant slope from sea level up to the its highest point up to the inner walls of the Academy of Science Presideum. Guides usually start at Gosha Gala Gapisi (Double Tower Gate) and show various streets until tourists reach the Shirvanshah Palace.

SHIRVANSHAKH PALACE

Click icon to add pictureThe Ensemble of Shirvanshahs` Palace built in the XV century, is one of the pearls of Azerbaijanian architecture.

The constructions of the palace are situated on the highest point of one of the hills of "Icheri Sheher" - Baku fortThe ensemble contains dwelling-house, "Divankhane", Shirvanshahs` tomb, Palace mosque with a minaret, bath-house, Mausoleum of court scientist Seyid Yahya Bakuvi and Portal of Eastern Gate set up later. ress.

NARDARAN SETTLEMENT

It is politically part of the Baku city-subdivision and treated as a suburb. Unlike the rest of the country, which is considered religiously progressive, Nardaran is a center of conservative Islam in Azerbaijan. Nardaran's name come from Persian: Nar (Pomegranate) + Daran (trees) "Place with Pomegranatetrees".

MARDAKAN SETTLEMENT

The majestic lock-fortress in height of 22 meters was kept in Mardakan settlement. It has 5 circles and is surrounded by the powerful trunk. The lock incorporated to other fortresses a underground course. Nearby there is a tower erected in 1203. It is round unlike terrible quadrangular "neighbor". And the district received its name from lived there the tribe of "mardaks", the courageous soldiers.

ATESHGAKH

Atashgah, the Fire Worshippers' temple originally had four flames burning from the roof of the temple as well as a main altar inside. Being built according to the local architectural traditions, "Ateshgyakh" is a combination of the fire-temples features. The earliest building of the temple is a stable (1713). The latest ones are the central temple-altar, built due to the means of mechant Kanchagar in 1866 of Vieramaditya century (Indian system of chronology), i.e. in 1810, written at the inscriptions.

GOBUSTAN STATE RESERVE

Gobustan, in translation, means "ravine land". The spurs of the Great Caucasus Range descend to the sea here along the river Djeiran-kechmez (in translation-"where the djeiran (saiga deer) will not pass"). The soft clay soil led to the formation of numerous ravines. The local rock surface has the following remarkable qualities: it lends itself to carving, while at the same time being extraordinarily weather-resistant. These factors were to play a role in primitive man's choice of this site for his open-air "pictThe rock carvings were first discovered in 1939 by the Azerbaijan archaeologist and ethnographer I. M. Djaffar zade. During the 25 years he spent exploring the area, the scholar found about 4,000 petroglyphs on 700 rock faces of the Beyukdash and Kichikdash ("Big Rock", "Small Rock") mountains. He took in rubbings and catalogued each of them.ure gallery".

TOMB TOWER AT BARDA

The tomb tower is located in the village of Barda, which was a town of importance in the tenth century and that later became a favored resort of the Il-Khanid rulers, who held their provincial capital at Maragha. Arabic inscriptions above its two portals announce that the tomb was erected in 1323 (722 A.H.) by builder Ahmad bin Ayyub al-Hafiz of Nakhichevan. Locally, it is also known as the Mausoleum of Ahmad Zocheybana.

CHIRAG CASTLE

Gala Alti area is dominated by a mountain, topped by the Chirag castle (meaning lantern). This first fortress was built there in the 5th century, and finished it career in the 18th century as an outpost of the Quba khanate. Built at an altitude of 1232 metres above sea level, Chirag is one of the few 'European' looking castles in Azerbaijan, although large parts of it have collapsed during the last 200 years.

SHABRAN

Shabran is a very old historical site located near Quba in Azerbaijan.

The excavations at Shabran are not visually exciting. The few half-collapsed domes and the subterranean remnants of a small 16th-to 17th-century castle give little impression of the town's great historical significance. Still, the site is easy to visit while 'driving by' and worth a five-minute detour if you are heading for Nabran or Quba.

DESIGNED BY: MAHBUBA ISLAMOVA ANTIQA VAZIROVA SIMAYA JUMSHUDOVA

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