Shirvan Shahs | rama toshi arya's blog

Baku is often described as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is a description that is not off the mark. The city’s rich heritage spanning three millennia can be invariably seen in a single line of vision. Now where else would you have such a splendid view!

But Baku is not only about pretty buildings. A world city in every respect, it abounds with museums and galleries wherein local meets international. Literature, art, and music thrive here, both at the esoteric and popular levels. Can the culinary be far behind in all this? With one-fourth of Azerbaijan’s population, Baku buzzes with life. Literally. Not in a chaotic haphazard way. But as a celebration.

Travellers have only recently started noticing this city on the shores of the Caspian Sea which comes with the moniker ‘Windy City.’ On its part, the Azerbaijan government is making every effort to ensure it is a memorable visit. The visa department sends out surveys to its tourists to find out what worked, what did not, and how Azerbaijan could be a better travel destination.

Here is a three day/ 72-hour itinerary with context, tips, and links to help you make the most of your stay. To go straight to the itinerary for a specific day, use the table of contents below. Wishing you happy travels, this time to Baku. 🙂

Table of Contents:

Day 1: Explore Old and New Baku
Day 2: Baku’s Mosques and Heydar Aliyev Center
Day 3: Museum-hopping across Baku

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This is the tale of two cities in the land of fire, oil, and gas: Shamakhi where Azerbaijan’s rich medieval heritage took birth. And Sheki, which witnessed this same heritage’s closing chapter before the country was enveloped, first into the Russian empire and soon after, into the Soviet Union.

One specific dynasty’s rule had dominated Azerbaijan’s windswept plains and highlands in the Middle Ages. They were the Shirvan Shahs who ruled the Shirvan region, and whose capital Shamakhi was a trading post on the famed Silk Road.

Such was the glory and power of the Shirvan Shahs that their capital Shamakhi flourished for seven hundred years, from the 9th to 15th Centuries. When it did end its role as their capital, it was only because of nature’s unpredictable jostles. Shamakhi was prone to earthquakes. In the 15th Century, after one of the worst earthquakes the city had seen till then, its rulers felt it was wiser to move their capital lock-stock-and-barrel to Baku.

Most of Shamakhi was razed to the ground in this earthquake. Except for Juma Mosque, Caucasus’ second oldest mosque dating to 743. Juma or Friday Mosque has consistently, and lovingly, always been restored over the centuries. Its most recent face-lift was in 2013. Continue reading →