A fine statue of Azerbaijan's 12th-century 'Shakespeare' stands proud in the stepped gardens leading up from the Literature Museum that's named in his honour.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.49 MILES
Vast and jaw-droppingly original, this Zaha Hadid building is a majestic statement of fluid 21st-century architecture forming abstract waves and peaks…
0.26 MILES
This tapering 29m stone tower is Baku’s foremost historical icon, with rooftop views surveying Baku Bay and the Old City. Possibly millennia old, its…
2.11 MILES
Yarat means 'create', a spirit that's in ample evidence in this centre's many thought-provoking installations that don't shy away from sociopolitical…
0.85 MILES
Completed in 2012, this trio of sinuous blue-glass skyscrapers forms contemporary Baku's architectural signature. The three towers range from 28 to 33…
0.25 MILES
This splendid confection of sandstone walls and domes was the seat of northeastern Azerbaijan’s ruling dynasty during the Middle Ages. Mostly 15th century…
0.12 MILES
Ever-popular with strollers, this leafy piazza forms Central Baku’s natural focus. The fountains for which it is named include one topped by shiny…
9.69 MILES
The unique Ateşgah is an 18th-century fire temple whose centrepiece is a flaming hearth. Arching above is a four-pillared stone dome with side flues which…
1.66 MILES
This joyous tailor-made gallery uses struts and tubing to create a wide variety of intimate viewing spaces, in many of which you can recline on bean-bag…
Nearby Baku attractions
0.07 MILES
The greatest attraction of this museum for most visitors is the western facade of the building it inhabits: a fine early-20th-century structure with…
0.12 MILES
The minimal remnants of what had once been the palace, bath-house and garden of Baku's 18th-century khans is to be rebuilt as a museum, with interactive…
0.12 MILES
Ever-popular with strollers, this leafy piazza forms Central Baku’s natural focus. The fountains for which it is named include one topped by shiny…
0.15 MILES
Shoes walk across this gallery's fascinatingly off-beat front wall, whose centrepiece is a huge lion's face. Inside are paint splattered shirts and a…
5. İçәri Şәhәr Archaeological Museum
0.16 MILES
Closed for renovation at the time of research, this small museum has an excellent collection of prehistoric and medieval finds that underlines the…
6. Armenian Church of St Gregory the Illuminator
0.16 MILES
The sturdy shell of this 1887 stone church remains disused for lack of Armenians, a reminder of the brutal cultural divide that remains as the fallout of…
0.17 MILES
When active, this excellent commercial minigallery tends to highlight some of the city's more-interesting contemporary artistic trends. Check out their…
0.21 MILES
Tahir Salahov is probably Azerbaijan's greatest living painter, best known for bringing deep emotional intensity into Soviet Realism. The Baku house where…