Photograph of İçərişəhər — Baku Old City — to be added
İçərişəhər — Baku Old City
The walled medieval core of Baku, a UNESCO World Heritage Site enclosing the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs.
Included in 4 tours
Baku
Nizami Museum of Azerbaijani Literature
The national literature museum, behind an ornate facade of poets' statues at the edge of the Old City.
Photograph of Nizami Museum of Azerbaijani Literature — to be added
The Nizami Museum of Azerbaijani Literature occupies a prominent building at the edge of İçərişəhər, immediately recognisable from the row of statues along its upper facade — six major Azerbaijani writers standing in arched niches.
Even if you do not go in, the building is worth stopping for. It sits directly on the walking route between Fountains Square and the Old City.
Nizami Ganjavi
The museum is named for Nizami Ganjavi, the twelfth-century poet from Ganja who is among the most significant figures in Persian-language epic poetry. His Khamsa — five long narrative poems including Layla and Majnun — shaped literary tradition across a vast region for centuries.
Layla and Majnun in particular travelled: it is a direct ancestor of tragic-romance narratives across the Islamic world and beyond, and it was later adapted by the Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov into what is generally considered the first opera in the Muslim world.
The collection
The galleries cover Azerbaijani literary history through manuscripts, early printed editions, portraits, personal effects and illustrations. Fuzuli, Khagani and the twentieth-century writers are all represented.
The interiors are decorated in a style matching the building's exterior ambition, with carved and painted rooms that are attractions in themselves.
Highlights
- The statue facade — six major Azerbaijani writers
- Manuscripts and early printed editions
- Material on Nizami Ganjavi and the Khamsa
- Decorated period interiors
Frequently asked questions
Who was Nizami Ganjavi?
A twelfth-century poet from Ganja and one of the major figures of Persian-language epic poetry. His Khamsa, a set of five narrative poems including Layla and Majnun, influenced literature across the Islamic world for centuries.
More to see in Baku
Photograph of Maiden Tower — to be added
Maiden Tower
The enigmatic stone tower at the edge of the Old City — Baku's oldest and least explained monument.
Included in 3 tours
Photograph of Palace of the Shirvanshahs — to be added
Palace of the Shirvanshahs
The 15th-century seat of the Shirvan rulers, and the largest surviving monument of the Shirvan-Absheron architectural school.
Included in 3 tours
Photograph of Flame Towers — to be added
Flame Towers
Three flame-shaped towers above the city, screened with LEDs that turn the skyline into a fire display after dark.
Included in 3 tours
Photograph of Highland Park & Martyrs' Lane — to be added
Highland Park & Martyrs' Lane
The hilltop terrace with the best panorama over Baku bay, reached by funicular.
Included in 1 tour
Photograph of Baku Boulevard & Mini Venice — to be added
Baku Boulevard & Mini Venice
The Caspian seafront promenade — parkland, canals, Flag Square and the Baku Eye.
Included in 1 tour
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