A Trip to Baku

It’s astonishing how quickly momentum evaporates, isn’t it? One week of taking a well-deserved breather seamlessly turns into four, and suddenly the cursor blinking on a blank screen feels less like an invitation and more like a high-stakes standoff. I suddenly realized that I haven't posted anything for a month! Part of that was a series of travel, but part of that was also a bit of writer's block. In addition to that, after I came back from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, I was rather sick. I had a fairly bad common cold and fever that I am still recovering from.....anyways, enough excuses!

This was a long work trip. Baku is nice, but I didn't get to see almost any of it. Most of the time I was stuck between the JW Marriott and the National Oil company offices. I did manage to get out a couple of evening briefly that that is all I had time for.

Present-day Baku is a city of staggering architectural whiplash and petroleum-fueled ambition. Stretching along the sweeping crescent of the Caspian Sea, it is a place where different centuries violently collide, creating an urban landscape unlike almost anywhere else in the world. On one side stands the futuristic metropolis: the iconic Flame Towers—three soaring, sail-shaped skyscrapers clad in LED screens that ripple with giant, glowing flames and shifting flags at night—dominate the skyline as a tribute to Azerbaijan's moniker as the "Land of Fire." Just a short distance away, you find sleek, undulating white masterpieces like Zaha Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Center, sitting alongside grand, late-19th-century European-style stone mansions built during the world’s first great oil boom, when Baku rivaled Paris and London in wealth. Yet, drop into the heart of the city, cross the threshold of the stone fortress walls, and you are instantly transported back a thousand years.

During my stay, I had lousy cloudy days and evening with almost no sunlight, so my pictures are rather dull.

I think in the picture below you can appreciate the contrast between the old and the new. It is a 12th century bath house surrounded by modern buildings.

Stepping into Icherisheher, Baku’s medieval walled city and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is like walking onto a film set that happens to be entirely real. The roaring traffic, neon lights, and glass facades vanish, replaced by a dense, labyrinthine maze of narrow, twisting cobblestone alleys hemmed in by honey-colored limestone walls.

The Architecture & History: The Citadel is an architectural mosaic of Persian, Arabic, Ottoman, and Russian influences. You’ll find ancient underground bathhouses, hidden courtyards, and centuries-old caravanserais—the old roadside inns where Silk Road merchants and their camels once rested after crossing the steppe.

The Palace of the Shirvanshahs: Perched at the highest point of the Old Town, this 15th-century royal complex is a masterpiece of austere, elegant stonework, featuring a majestic divanhane, a vaulted burial vault, and a delicate mosque with a tapering minaret.

The Maiden Tower (Giz Galasy): Standing near the edge of the old walls toward the Caspian, this enigmatic, cylindrical stone tower is Baku’s ultimate symbol. Its true original purpose—whether a Zoroastrian fire temple, an astronomical observatory, or a defensive redoubt—remains shrouded in historical mystery.

The Living Atmosphere: Unlike some preserved old towns that feel hollowed out into tourist-only museums, Icherisheher is lived-in. Laundry flutters from second-story wooden balconies, Persian carpets drape over ancient stone walls in open-air artisan shops, old men play backgammon in shaded courtyards over steaming glasses of pear-shaped armudu tea, and legions of lazy, well-fed stray cats lounge on doorsteps.

Yes, Cats are a major thing in the old town Baku!

Yes, even on local wine shops!

While we were having dinner!

What makes Baku and its Old Town so captivating is the sheer juxtaposition. You can stand in the shadow of a medieval fortress archway, look up, and see the hyper-modern, glowing glass curves of the Flame Towers piercing the sky directly behind it—a visual summary of a city hurtling into the future while fiercely guarding its ancient roots.

Food and ambiance at the Xanlıq was absolutely fabulous and I highly recommend, if you are visiting.

That is about it. I did take long walks along the Caspian Sea, but there is no beach, and although the path is paved, pleasant and modern, but there is the whiff of live oil you can smell and even see in the water:), so the walk is not that pleasant.