Maiden Tower
Maiden Tower is the most ancient monument of Icherisheher (Inner City) and is a symbol of the city of Baku. Some evidence suggests that the construction of the Tower might have been as early as the 7th-6th centuries BC.
Maiden Tower was included into the list of World Cultural Heratage of UNESCO in December of 2000. The Tower, which was included into the fortification system of Baku, was called “Maiden Tower” for its inaccessibility.
The height of the tower is 31 meters from the north and 28 meters from the south. It should be noted that there are some versions concerning the figure “28”. The facts that Caspian Sea is below the world sea level by 28 meters, there are 28 blocks in Icherisheher, the Fortress walls connect 28 semicircular towers, indicate the symbolic character of this figure.
There is a tale about the Maiden tower which is subject of many Azerbaijani poems and plays.
The king came home from a war to find that his wife had borne him a daughter and not a son. He ordered that his daughter be killed but her nanny managed to escape with her. Seventeen years later she was a beautiful maiden, already betrothed, when she caught the eye of the king. He wanted to marry her and took her off to the Tower. Her enraged fiance killed the king and raced to the Tower to rescue his beloved. But hearing footsteps on the stairs, she thought that the king was coming and in fright cast herself off the top of the Tower.
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Travel in time where Baku Inner City whispers ancient secrets, the Palace of Shirvanshah echoes with history, and Highland Park offers a modern panorama
Old vs New Baku
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