I've never lived in a city with a medieval wall. Baku has a walled Old City that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Old City is surrounded by a 12th-century defensive wall in beautifully preserved condition.
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| Interior portion of the wall, with a catapult! |
Once inside the walls, the Old City is a maze of narrow streets. Although the streets are lined with houses, stores, and restaurants, it's a haven of quiet from the bustle of downtown Baku. Many buildings have elegant second-story balconies overhanging the streets.
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| Streets of the Old City |
The Old City also provides an interesting viewing point of one of Baku's newest buildings - the Flame Towers. I've already started creating a series of photos I call "Old and New" - juxtapositions of medieval Old City with the modern Flame Towers. I won't bore you with all of them.
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| The gleaming Flame Towers overlook the stone Old City |
An important monument in the Old City is Maiden Tower. The origins of the Tower are shrouded in mystery. It may have been built as a temple by Zoroastrian worshippers, or as a celestial observatory, or as a defensive watch tower. Today, it remains an important landmark of the city and an interesting tourist sight.
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| Erica in front of Maiden Tower |
I've strolled through the Old City several times now, but feel I've only scratched the surface of what it contains...which is actually how I still feel about most of Baku. I plan to continue learning more about what the city - both old and new - has to offer.
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| Erica and Jeremy at an Old City entrance gate |
