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Paris has it's Eiffel Tower. In Moscow, St. Basil's Cathedral draws them in. In Rome, it's the Colosseum. Athens, its Acropolis. And in Baku-the distinguishable architectural landmark is none other than the Maiden Tower. Azerbaijanis are incredibly proud of this monument that is shrouded in mystery and legend even though scholars and historians are unable to speak with absolute authority about its origins.

Measuring nearly 30m tall and around 16m in diameter, Maiden Tower was once the largest and most impressive building in Azerbaijan. Its architectural plan, seemingly so simple, consists of walls which at the base are extraordinarily thick, beginning at five meters in depth and gradually narrowing to four meters at the top. Today, dwarfed by the emergence of skyscrappers, it still manages to retain it's status of Azerbaijan's unofficial symbol. It is on the national currency, gracing the back of the 10 Manat bill and the 5 Qapik coin. Not to mention countless seals and coat of arms. It lies at the heart of Baku's Old city and is listed on UNESCO's world heritage list. My "commute" (aka 12 minute walk) to work takes past the tower everyday, a couple of times a day in fact. All the carpet sellers nearby have even stopped trying to sell me stuff. But it has taken me 10 months to finally go up the damn thing. Some tourist i am.

The views from the top are worth the climb, with a sweeping panorama of the old city, the new skyscrappers on the hills and the Caspian Sea. But the question everyone asks is, "why is it called Maiden Tower?" Well, many legends surround the name. Most of them center around the word-"Maiden." According to one of the most popular legends, it was a king who fell in love with a young maiden (actually his daughter) and wanted to marry her. But the princess tried to delay her father's advances by begging him to build the tower and wait until it was completed. When he completed it, he had still not changed his mind. So she climbed to the top and that's when she leaped into the sea. As the level of the Caspian Sea has experienced cycles of fluctuation-rising and falling-over the centuries, there is a strong possibility that at one time, the waves did lap at the Tower although today the sea is about a block away (observations show it is getting closer and closer again). Another story goes the a King used to lock up his virgins in the tower, and would request their "services" when he would visit his Hammam at the base of the tower. Yet another story goes that Baku has never actually been taken in a war, thus it's a "virgin" tower. There are countless other tales and legends, which is part of the allure i'm sure. Whatever the reason for the name, it's still one of the better things to see while visiting Baku. And at only 2 Manat, it's an absolute bargain when compared to other things in the city.

The posted hours for the tower are 11 am to 6 pm, but these times seem to be rather fluid. I couldn't get in on the day i went until 11:20. And i've seen it open until around 7. it closed on Mondays. There are student discounts, but it's unclear if they are willing to take ISIC cards.