Baku - Absheron

Many of those who happened to see the design of the Heydar Aliyev Center for the first time had hard times to believe that such a project might ever come true.In fact,even in theory ,the erection of the building of a such extraordinary design looked far from being anyhow realistic.

Construction of the Center’s facility was launched in 2007 and completed on May 10, 2012, to celebrate the National Leader’s 89th anniversary. Recognized as one of the world’s masterpieces in architecture, the Heydar Aliyev Center has immediately grown into a signature architectural landmark of modern Baku. Zaha Hadid, the author of the building's design, is a worldwide recognized architect and the winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize.

Not a single straight line was used in the Center’s design.

The overall shape of the building resembles a wave-like ascension from the ground towards the sky followed by gradual descent down to the earth. This is not only a tribute to post-modern architecture, but also a portrayal of an eternal cycle.

Flame Towers (Azerbaijani: Alov qüllələri) is a trio of skyscrapers in Baku, Azerbaijan, including the tallest in the country, with a height of 182 m (597 ft). (There are some taller towers in Baku, but they do not have rooms inside all the way up, so are not considered skyscrapers.).

The Flame Towers consist of three buildings: South, East and West. The facades of the three Flame Towers function as large display screens with the use of more than 10,000 high-power LED luminaires.

On June 2014 Lamborghini opened its first branch in Azerbaijan, located on the ground floor of the East tower of the Flame Towers.

Baku's Upland Park is the highest point in the Azerbaijani capital, opening a panoramic view of the city and its bay.

The city's residents and visitors often come here to see a bird's eye view of Baku, and just have a walk.

The Upland Park can be reached by cable railway (funicular) in 7-8 minutes from the boulevard or by climbing up the endless stone stairs.

But it would be better to enter the park right from the top - from the square, which houses the country's parliament, alley of martyrs, and the world-famous symbol of modern Baku, the Flame Towers. This place can be reached by both public transport and taxis.

This park is a beautiful corner of Baku, and could be very interesting for the city's guests

Full of cafes, fountains and fairground rides, the central sweep of seafront park is eternally popular with families, amateur musicians and courting couples. Striking modernist buildings here include the International Muğam Centre, the Baku Business Centre and the four-storey Park Bulvar Mall. Crossing the main road to reach the promenade area can be awkward but there's a handy underpass in front of the photogenic old Puppet Theatre.

Built on a site inhabited since the Palaeolithic period, the Walled City of Baku reveals evidence of Zoroastrian, Sasanian, Arabic, Persian, Shirvani, Ottoman, and Russian presence in cultural continuity. The Inner City (Icheri Sheher) has preserved much of its 12th-century defensive walls. The 12th-century Maiden Tower (Giz Galasy) is built over earlier structures dating from the 7th to 6th centuries BC, and the 15th-century Shirvanshahs' Palace is one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture.

The street's history could be traced back to Baku's town-planning project of 1864. The street runs through the city's downtown from west to east. It begins from Abdulla Shaig Street, in the mountainous part of the city and ends at railroad bed on Sabit Orujov Street, near a monument to Shah Ismail Khatai in “Black City”. The total length of the street is 3,538 m.

The traffic-free segment, which begins at the Fountains Square and ends at the Rashid Behbudov Street, is commonly known as Torgovaya ("the merchant street" in Russian).

Nizami Street is famous for huge chandeliers on top of the street, various outlets, from banks to fashion stores, from restaurants to cafes and it is one of the most lively tourist spots in the whole region. The street also accommodates the embassies of Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and Austria, as well as the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan. The nearest metro stations are Sahil and 28 May.

The Baku Ateshgah, often called the "Fire Temple of Baku" is a castle-like religious temple in Surakhani town (in Suraxanı raion), a suburb in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Based on Persian inscriptions, the temple was used as a Hindu, Sikh, and Zoroastrian place of worship. "Atash" (آتش) is the Persian word for fire.The pentagonal complex, which has a courtyard surrounded by cells for monks and a tetrapillar-altar in the middle, was built during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was abandoned in the late 19th century, probably due to the dwindling of the Indian population in the area.

The Baku Ateshgah was a pilgrimage and philosophical centre of Zoroastrians from Northwestern Indian Subcontinent, who were involved in trade with the Caspian area via the famous "Grand Trunk Road". The four holy elements of their belief were: ateshi (fire), badi (air), abi (water), and heki (earth). The temple ceased to be a place of worship after 1883 with the installation of petroleum plants (industry) at Surakhany. The complex was turned into a museum in 1975.

A 10m long wall of fire, that never extinguishes, is burning continuously alongside the edge of the hill, which naturally is at its most spectacular at night, when tourists and locals alike view the fire from a nearby teahouse.

The natural flames of Azerbaijan can be attributed to its enormous gas reserves. When exploitation of these reserves began, most of the natural fires burned out, due to a reduction in underground pressure. Of the natural fires that burn today in Azerbaijan, Yanar Dağ is arguably the most impressive.

Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape covers three areas of a plateau of rocky boulders rising out of the semi-desert of central Azerbaijan, with an outstanding collection of more than 6,000 rock engravings bearing testimony to 40,000 years of rock art. The site also features the remains of inhabited caves, settlements and burials, all reflecting an intensive human use by the inhabitants of the area during the wet period that followed the last Ice Age, from the Upper Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. The site, which covers an area of 537 ha, is part of the larger protected Gobustan Reservation.

If one thing you would have to choose to do in Baku, that should probably be visiting TV Tower and its rotating restaurant which gives its visitors a chance to have a bird’s-eye view of Baku city and Caspian Sea from above the clouds. Also, be sure that you will be served amazing Azerbaijani tea set with homemade jams and cookies.

The Baku TV Tower, built in 1996, is a free standing concrete telecommunications tower in Baku, Azerbaijan. With a height of 310 metres (1017 ft), it is the tallest structure in Azerbaijan and the tallest reinforced concrete building in Caucasus.

Occasionally, Baku TV Tower's lighting is changed to specific, unique arrangements for special events. Some annual events are cause for the tower to be specially lit. Such as alternating sections of the tower were lit to blue, red and green like in traditional Azerbaijani flag to help celebrate the national holidays.