Maiden Tower (Baku)
A mysterious stone tower from the twelfth century or earlier, the national symbol of Azerbaijan, rising above Baku’s Old City.
About
The Maiden Tower is a thick, round stone tower about 30 metres high, built into the old city wall near the Caspian shore. Its odd shape, with a rounded buttress on one side, has puzzled visitors for centuries, and nobody agrees on what it was for: a watchtower, a temple or a fortress have all been suggested.
Inside, narrow stairs wind up through the floors, which now hold a small museum. From the top terrace you see the maze of the Old City, the Flame Towers and the bay. It is one of the most photographed places in Baku, especially at sunset.
History
The tower is usually dated to the twelfth century, but parts of the masonry may be older, and some scholars have argued for a much earlier origin. Its name is tied to several legends, the best known telling of a young woman who climbed to the top and threw herself into the sea rather than marry against her will. The tower stands within the walls of the old city, which were rebuilt and extended under the Shirvanshahs in the Middle Ages. In the nineteenth century it served as a lighthouse, and in the Soviet era it was opened as a museum. Together with the Palace of the Shirvanshahs it was inscribed by UNESCO in 2000 as the Walled City of Baku. In 2003 the site was listed as endangered after an earthquake and poor repair work, and in 2009 it was removed from that list once restoration had improved matters.
UNESCO World Heritage: Inscribed 2000.