Flame Towers (Baku)
Three flame-shaped skyscrapers whose LED facades light up at night, visible from almost anywhere in Baku.
About
The Flame Towers are three curved skyscrapers on a hill above the bay, shaped like tongues of fire. By day their glass surfaces reflect the sky; at night thousands of LED lights turn them into giant screens that play flames, waving flags and shifting colours.
The towers house apartments, offices and a hotel, and are not open as a sightseeing attraction in themselves. The best way to enjoy them is from below: from the seafront boulevard, from a roof terrace or from the Highland Park viewpoint next to them.
History
The towers were designed by the American firm HOK and built between roughly 2007 and 2012, as part of a wave of construction that transformed Baku’s skyline during an oil-fuelled boom. Their form refers to Azerbaijan’s nickname, the Land of Fire, a name that comes from the natural gas flames that have long burned on the Absheron peninsula and from the fire worship that once took place there. The tallest tower is about 190 metres high, with the other two slightly shorter. The hill on which they stand was once part of an area dominated by Soviet-era buildings and a monument, and its redevelopment became a symbol of the new Baku. The towers appear in countless photographs of the city and were used as a backdrop for large events such as the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, which Baku hosted that year.