İçərişəhər — Baku Old City

The fortifications standing today are largely twelfth-century, built under the Shirvanshahs, though the settlement beneath them is far older — archaeological evidence points to occupation running back to at least the Bronze Age.

Inside, the street plan is medieval and deliberately illegible: narrow lanes that bend, narrow further, and open without warning into small squares. This was defensive design. An attacker who breached the walls would lose all sense of direction within a minute.

The whole enclosure covers only about 22 hectares, so it is comfortably walkable in a couple of hours. Getting lost is part of the experience and difficult to avoid.

The two headline monuments are the Maiden Tower at the seaward corner and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs on the high ground, each covered in detail on its own page.

Beyond them the walls contain caravanserais from the Silk Road period — two of which now operate as restaurants around their original courtyards — along with the Juma Mosque, several hammams, and the Museum of Miniature Books, which is free and takes half an hour.

The Multani and Bukhara caravanserais are worth seeking out specifically. Their layout tells you how the trade actually worked: animals and goods secured at ground level, merchants sleeping above, the whole thing lockable at night.

One lane inside the walls is a minor pilgrimage site for Russian-speaking visitors. The 1968 Soviet comedy 'The Diamond Arm' filmed a famous slapstick sequence here, and the spot is marked.

It is a small thing, but it explains why you will occasionally see a group posing enthusiastically at what appears to be an ordinary street corner.

Carpet and souvenir shops cluster around the main entrances. Prices near the Maiden Tower are set for tourists; walking two or three lanes deeper generally improves both quality and price, and bargaining is expected.

For food, the caravanserai restaurants are atmospheric and priced accordingly. Better value is usually found just outside the walls toward Fountains Square.