Baku Old and New - Architecture and Art

What to Expect

Architectural Contrasts of Baku
Over its 2500 years of existence, thousands of architects have left their mark on Baku's appearance. You will get to know their creations from the Parthenon's tower-like structure to ultramodern glass buildings. The Shirvan School of Architecture with its medieval caravanserais, mosques, and stone carvings; French and Italian Baroque; Baku eclectic style of the 19th century, constructivism of the 1920s, Stalinist Empire - you will see an incomparable mix of styles and ideas. Here are the key points of our route:

• Heydar Aliyev Center - Zaha Hadid's project: you will learn about the role of this cultural center and admire its stunning architectural lines.
• Seaside Boulevard: we will walk through its new part, where in 2014, old repair shops were transformed into public and cultural spaces, we will visit the carpet museum and the flag square.
• Old City of Baku, where you will walk along the stone streets. Visit the Palace of the Shirvanshahs - the former residence of the rulers of the ancient state; discover the legends of the Maiden Tower and find the locations from the movie 'The Diamond Arm'.
• Buildings from the oil boom era: using examples of the elegant Gadzhinsky house, the elegant Baku Philharmonic, the Tagiyev passage, the houses of Mukhtarovs, Karaevs, Assadullaevs, and the Sadykhov brothers, you will learn when and how palace-like buildings appeared in Baku.

Azerbaijani Painters' Colors and Modern Art
We will also talk about other areas of art. You will visit the workshops of artists Ali Shamsi and Mir Teimur, the Museum of Contemporary Art with works by Azerbaijani artists of the 20th-21st centuries, and several galleries. You will see paintings by Sattar Bahlulzade, Rasim Babayev, Ali Verdiyev, and Tair Salakhov. I will tell you about the lives of artists, the history of creating works, and their meanings.

Chronicles of Baku and poems about the city
Hospitable Baku will share legends and unusual stories. You will learn how the city was influenced by its location at the crossroads of cultures and civilizations, what things appeared here before anywhere else in the world, and how oil extraction started in Baku. You will also follow in the footsteps of the Silver Age poets and hear their lines dedicated to our city - at different times, Sergei Yesenin, Anna Akhmatova, Osip Mandelstam, and Velimir Khlebnikov lived in Baku.

🍲 In the middle of the tour, we will have a break for lunch at a cafe-restaurant in an authentic cellar.