Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is a city worth seeing with the cleanliness of the wide avenues and streets where the old and the new compete with each other. Outside of Türkiye, it is perhaps the city where you will feel most at home in the world. While walking around the streets of the city, you may get the impression that you are walking around the streets of an Anatolian city. Baku, the largest city in the Caucasus and located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, is known as the most cosmopolitan city in the region. It is also one of the most rapidly changing cities in the world, blending East and West seamlessly. Its origins date back to ancient times. The city has three parts; The inner city, whose history dates back to ancient times, is the region established during the Soviet Union and the new part built after the Soviet Union. Baku is the best city for those who want to get to know Azerbaijan, which we have always known as our distant sister country, better. Azerbaijan gained independence in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR. After the country gained independence, Heydar Aliyev took office as President in 1993 and maintained very good relations with Türkiye. The country has been ruled by the Aliyev family for 20 years. Heydar Aliyev’s place is of great importance in the history of Azerbaijan and he is remembered as the Great Leader. Baku, which takes its name from the Persian word “Bad-ı Kubra” meaning “Great Wind”, is known as the “City of Winds”. Baku, thought to be founded by Alexander the Great, is located on the shores of the gulf named after him. The Gulf is a natural harbor where ships take shelter against strong northern winds. The city, which was taken over by the Arabs and then by the Turks before the 7th century, was used as a state center during the Shirvan Shahs period. It was annexed to Iranian territory by Safavid Shah Ismail in the early 16th century. The city, which was later captured by Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha, was handed back to the Russians in accordance with the agreement signed between the Ottoman Empire and Russia in 1723. The city, which frequently changed hands between Russians and Iranians between 1723 and 1735, came under Russian rule in 1806. Baku, which became one of the important industrial centers of the USSR by developing rapidly, especially after the 1917 Revolution, with the discovery of oil deposits towards the end of the 19th century, became the largest and most important city of Azerbaijan after independence (1991). Historical and Touristic Buildings There are many historical buildings in the city from the Ottoman and Iranian domination periods. The main ones are the Virgin Mary Tower (12th century), Hilal Mosque (1309), Cuma Mosque (1438), Khan Palace (15th century), Old Mosque (1440). The Inner City part of Baku, which is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, is very rich in historical buildings. You can visit this region on foot in a single day. As a medieval palace, the Palace of the Shirvanshahs is perhaps the most important of Baku’s historical and touristic buildings. The Inner City and the Shirvanshahs’ Palace and Maiden’s Castle located here were added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 2000, and the Shirvanshahs’ Palace, which is on the list, is considered one of the most magnificent examples of Asian stone architecture. The Inner City forms a hill from the Maiden Castle, located on the Caspian coast, towards the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. The palace is located on this hill. According to accepted views, the palace was built at a higher position than all other structures as a symbol of power. It overlooks all other important buildings, including the Divanhane. There is also a bath at the bottom of this work, which was built in stages. In fact, mostly Öztürk words are used in Azerbaijani, which is a kind of dialect of our beautiful Turkish. Many Turkish Restaurants have been opened in Baku, where there are more Turkish figures than in Turkey in terms of both language and architectural features. The restaurant I tried, called “Window”, is tempting with its Azerbaijani Cuisine and specialties. Also, Tike Kebab, Lüle Kebab, Dusbere and Baku baklava are among its famous tastes. I would definitely recommend it to all travelers planning to visit Baku. Baku is a city with many riches. But he hasn’t lost any of his warmth and modesty. Azeri-Turkish-Russian influences can be seen in all streets and places. Azeri people see Türkiye and Azerbaijan as “One Nation, Two States”. What stands out when you first enter the city is that, upon Aliyev’s request, all buildings are covered with yellow natural stones. The liveliest and most crowded point of the city is Baku Boulevard, which includes a part of the Caspian Sea coastline. Fountain Square is the other largest square of the city. There are many restaurants and shopping centers in this square. The largest and most magnificent buildings of the city are the so-called Flame Towers. When viewed from afar, the Flame Towers look like torches. At night, these buildings are illuminated in the shape of the Azerbaijani Flag. I must say that I found the Fairmont Hotel, which is located right next to the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in one of the Alev Towers, to have no alternative. It is located on a boulevard between Niyazi Street (Street) and Zerifa Aliyeva (Haydar Aliyev’s wife) Street, at a point overlooking the panoramic view of the city. The Azerbaijani Flag, registered as the World’s Largest Flag, which is also included in the Guinness Book of Records, in the region located right next to the Turkish and Azerbaijani Martyrs’ Cemetery, waves magnificently against the Caspian Sea. The blue color in the Azerbaijani Flag represents Turkishness, the green color represents Islam, and the red color represents civilization. There are many theaters and opera houses in Baku, and since it is the weekend, they are packed. I think this is one of the best proofs that some levels cannot be reached without art. Wandering around the back streets of Old Baku, known as Icher Sheher, and encountering a surprise at every moment is a truly good feeling for a traveler. The concert of the band, who performed at the Maiden’s Castle in Scottish traditional costumes that we encountered in a way we never expected, was one of the best memories from our trip. Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, Günel Zeynalova, Reşid Behbudov and Röya Ayhan are definitely the most prominent artists of Azerbaijani music that should not be missed without listening. There is a developed classical music culture in Baku dating back to the Soviet period. Phillarmonia (Istiklaliyet Küçesi 2) is a very beautiful hall where you can watch the city’s impressive philharmonic orchestra. The Cultural Center, named after Haydar Aliyev, the most important statesman of the Azerbaijanis and who passed away in 2003, has an architecture shaped like Haydar Aliyev’s signature when viewed from above. There are many halls where the works of new period painters are exhibited. I would also like to share a very important information. Foreigners who do not have a residence permit in Azerbaijan, including us Turks; If they will stay in the country for more than 10 days, they must apply to Miqrasiya (Immigration Office) or Asan Service centers and register their address online, by mail or in person, with a photocopy of their passport and address statement within 10 calendar days after each entry (including weekends). Email may sometimes not be accepted. This period, which was previously 3 days, was increased to 10 days on 14 November 2014. If foreigners coming to Azerbaijan to stay for more than 10 days are not registered at the address, the following penal sanctions are imposed by the State Migration Service. Those who do not register within 10 days will be fined between 301 AZN, 401 AZN Manat for those who have overstayed their visa, and those who do not pay the fine. There is a ban on entry to the country for 5 years. Many shopping malls with the new fashionable name known as “Targovi Sentr” in Russian, which literally means trade center, can be seen in many places in Baku. The arcade type bazaars in Turkey, buildings that we call office buildings in our country, which may also contain shops under offices, shopping malls, mass shops and stores are all called trade centres. The oldest of these trade centers is the three-door MUM “Central Univer Mag” from the Soviet period, on the Azerbaijan Prospekt (Boulevard), opposite the Ministry of Internal Affairs and THY. It is worth seeing as it represents the multi-storey store concept of the Soviet period. There are also those who call it SUM (Sentr Universalni Magazin) according to its Cyrillic-Russian pronunciation. There are stalls on the upper floors. Gold and silver souvenir jewelry, Russian watches and jewelery are sold on the ground floor and lower floors. While looking at the jewelry here, it is necessary to be careful of those who approach the shop assistant with the excuse of asking something, and to have a bag and wallet. While you’re at it, you can visit the handcrafted hobby store “No Limit” for women on the opposite street at the northern exit, Tabriz Halil Rızaoğlu Street. Azerbaijani Turks generally drink tea, in accordance with Turkish culture. The homeland of the samovar, which is over 4000 years old, is Azerbaijan. Some people pour the tea from the cup into the saucer to cool it down and drink it from the saucer, that’s how they got used to it. Azerbaijan has a population of approximately 9 million. Half of them live in Baku. Although Baku is expensive, the fact that it is an old city and has preserved old buildings with interesting architecture makes it attractive in terms of tourism. Official records also confirm that the most frequent visitors to Baku are Turks, Georgians and Iranians. With love from Baku, the City of Winds… Mavimore Tourism is a travel agency registered with TÜRSAB. Document number: A-8307