Maiden's Tower Baku

Maiden's Tower Our historical and cultural monuments A rare example of our national architecture Maiden's Castle - one of the ancient historical symbols of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is a rare example of our national architecture. The monument is located in the territory of "Icherisheher" State Historical-Architectural Reserve. The height of this monument in the form of a huge cylinder made of stone is 28 meters on the north side and 31 meters on the south side. The thickness of the walls of the castle is 5 meters in the base part, and 4 meters above the 8th floor. The castle consists of 8 domes, which divide the castle into 8 floors. Each floor is built with hewn stones and covered with a dome-shaped ceiling. These stone-built ceilings have circular holes in the middle. The holes are in the direction of the vertical line. So, looking through the circular hole in the middle of the ceiling of the VIII floor, it is possible to see the floor of the first floor. The only entrance to the fort is through an arched doorway on its western side, 2 m high and 1.10 m wide above the previous ground surface. The top view of the Maiden's Tower looks like the "buta" sign, which means the sun and fire and is widespread in Azerbaijan. Maiden's Castle is a unique monument not only in Azerbaijan, but also in the Middle East due to its unique constructive structure.


The origin of its name is related to legends The debates about the etymology and purpose of the name of the castle have not subsided until now. The history and nature of its construction are quite mysterious. The origin of the name of Maiden's Castle is connected with numerous legends. According to some authors, the castle was named Maiden's Castle based on the legend about the girl (Baku Khan's daughter). So, according to the legend, the girl who was kept in the castle by her brother (in some sources, the ruler's father), could not bear this pain and threw herself from the top of the castle and drowned in the waters of the Caspian Sea. One of the other legends told is dedicated to a girl whom the king fell in love with and made it a condition for him to build a castle in order to marry her. According to many scholars, it is a watchtower or a part of defensive fortifications, other researchers claim that it is an ancient temple, and others claim that it is a kind of observatory. Each of these hypotheses is supported by a large body of evidence. However, regardless of its purpose, the fact that the building is an unparalleled architectural monument is undeniable. It is for this reason that Maiden Castle is protected by our state as a monument of world importance. In December 2000, the Maiden's Castle was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List together with Isherisheher and Shirvanshahlar Palace.