Old City (Icherisheher) | Baku

The Old City, or Icherisheher, forms the historic heart of Baku and sits behind thick stone walls that have guarded it for centuries. This compact district, wrapped in narrow alleys and sandstone buildings, feels like a living museum where everyday life unfolds beside medieval caravanserais, merchant houses, and ancient mosques. Walking through its gates gives the sense of stepping into an older Baku, one shaped by trade routes, Persian influences, and the rhythm of the Caspian Sea.

Historical Setting

Icherisheher traces its origins to at least the 12th century, though archaeological layers suggest even older foundations beneath the surface. The city walls, strengthened in the medieval period, once protected traders, residents, and visiting caravans moving along the Silk Road. Over time, Persian, Ottoman, and Russian influences left their marks, creating a patchwork of architectural forms-arched doorways, carved stone façades, intricate wooden balconies. The district has earned UNESCO World Heritage status, reflecting its cultural depth and historical continuity.

Landmark Highlights

Inside the walls, two monuments dominate the skyline and the visitor experience. The Maiden Tower, rising like a cylindrical guardian near the seafront, blends legend with architecture; its stone stairways and rough interior walls echo centuries of mystery. Higher in the quarter, the Palace of the Shirvanshahs spreads across courtyards, prayer halls, and carved pavilions. Standing in its stone courtyards at sunset, you catch the warm light settling over domes and terraces-a moment that feels quietly timeless.

Scattered throughout the Old City are caravanserais, now adapted as restaurants or cultural spaces. Their inner courtyards, shaded by trees and surrounded by arched arcades, once sheltered merchants and camels arriving from distant regions. Small mosques, each with its own modest minaret, anchor the district’s spiritual heritage.

Streets, Markets, and Daily Life

Much of Icherisheher’s charm lies in its narrow, winding lanes. Some are lined with stalls selling carpets, copperware, ceramics, and embroidered textiles. Others run past quiet residential houses where carved wooden doors bear patterns passed down through generations. You might hear the sound of a metalworker tapping a new design into a brass tray or catch the aroma of freshly baked tandir bread drifting from a family bakery.

Small teahouses tucked into shaded corners serve strong black tea in pear-shaped glasses. Visitors linger at stone-topped tables, listening to the hum of conversations and the soft echo of footsteps on ancient cobblestones.

Atmosphere

Icherisheher blends the everyday with the historic. The call of vendors, the creak of old wooden shutters, and the warm Caspian breeze moving through alleyways create an atmosphere where the past feels woven into present life. As day shifts into evening, lanterns and soft exterior lights cast honey-colored reflections on the stone walls-one of those scenes that travelers often describe as a moment when time seems to slow down.

The Old City remains the soul of Baku, a layered place where history, culture, and modern life intertwine within the shelter of ancient walls.