Cultural Program
Check out our virtual Baku city tours and film screenings to get a glimpse of what you can experience later.
Day 3-4 / Feature Films
“If Not That One, Then This One” (1956)
A classic comedy film made in Baku, based on the “O olmasın, bu olsun” operetta (1910) by the famous Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov.
“The Cloth Peddler” (1945)
A classic Azerbaijani comedy film made in Baku, based on the “Arshin Mal Alan” operetta (1913) by the famous composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov.
Day 3 / Documentary Films
“Heritage” (80 min)
A feature-documentary film dedicated to the activity of Nobel brothers in oil industry Azerbaijan has prepared by Baku Media Center. Watch it online…
“Last session” (58 min)
A documentary film that depicts the last night and the tragic fall of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Watch it online…
“Objective Baku” (52 min)
In this documentary film, the history of the 2nd World War is looked at from completely new standpoint – a battle for oil. Watch it online…
“Sarylar – A journey to the Karabakh horse” (45 min)
A documentary film for wider recognition of a unique breed of horses whose home is the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Watch it online…
Day 1 / Baku City Tour
Government House and Azadlig Square
Government House is one of the most spectacular landmarks of Baku housing various state ministries of Azerbaijan and was completed in 1952. In front of this magnificent building, design of which was inspired by Shirvanshahs’ Palace, is Azadlig (Freedom) Square. This is the biggest square in the country and was formerly named after Lenin, whose statue was later removed during the Azerbaijani independence movement in the aftermath of the Black January tragedy in 1990.
Port Baku Mall
Port Baku Mall opened in 2014 as one of the largest shopping centers in Baku. Here you can find popular international brands and enjoy the gastronomic delights of cafeterias and restaurants, located both in the mall and around it. Port Baku is an upmarket business area which buzzes with life during the week and turns into a lovely relaxing spot at the weekend.
Heydar Aliyev Center
As a globally recognized landmark, the Heydar Aliyev Center is one of the signature architectural structures of modern Baku. The building was designed by Zaha Hadid, a worldwide recognized architect and Pritzker Prize winner. Containing several museums and galleries, both permanent and temporary, The Heydar Aliyev Center’s location in the heart of Baku’s expanding business district, combined with the access it offers from anywhere in the city, makes it the perfect location for any event.
Baku Convention Center
The Baku Convention Center, the largest such center in the Caucasus, is an ultra-modern platform capable of providing events at the highest international level. With a number of adaptable conference rooms and a main hall for up to 3,500 people, the Baku Convention Center offers a wide range of options for congresses, conferences, seminars, business meetings, concerts and other events.
Carpet Museum
The Carpet Museum, situated on the Baku Boulevard, is another of Baku’s modern architectural wonders – it’s shaped like a rolled-up rug! And inside it’s home to the largest collections of carpets in the world (over 6,000!). There’s simply no better place to begin your journey into the world of Azerbaijani carpet weaving.
Ismailiyya Palace
The Ismailiyya Palace is an historical building that currently serves as the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. Constructed in the Venetian Gothic style, the Ismailiyya Palace hosted the First International Congress of Turkology in 1926. Another event held in this building that is worth mentioning is the Congress of Caucasian Muslims in 1927, where dozens of women joined the women’s emancipation movement for the first time in Azerbaijan.
The Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall
The Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall was constructed in 1910–1912 at the request of the city elite and designed in the Italian Renaissance (exterior) and German Rococo (interior) styles. Its design was inspired by the architectural style of buildings within the Monte-Carlo Casino, particularly l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo.
Flame Towers
The trio of skyscrapers named the Flame Towers are one of the top architectural wonders of Baku. You can admire these curved glass towers from almost anywhere in the city. One of them houses the Fairmont Baku hotel, a luxurious urban getaway with spectacular views over the city center and Baku Bay. The other two are fitted with apartments and office blocks. The towers symbolize the eternally burning fires that made Baku an ancient center of fire worshiping and at night their facades bring the flames to life with the help of LED lights.
Highland Park
Highland Park is a marvelous park located in one of the highest points of the city with a spectacular view. Surrounded by the parliament building and Flame Towers, you can take the funicular to get to the top side of the park to see the stunning panoramic view of the city.
Baku Ferris Wheel
Baku Ferris Wheel, also known as the Baku Eye is a Ferris wheel on the Baku Boulevard in the Seaside National Park of Baku. Users of the Baku Eye have a stunning view of the Baku Bay, the Flag Square, the Crystal Hall and a panoramic view of the city.
Alley of Honour – Lotfi Aliasker Zadeh
Lotfi Zadeh was a mathematician, computer scientist, electrical engineer, artificial intelligence researcher and professor emeritus of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He visited Baku, the city where he was born, on multiple occasions, the last being in 2008 for an event regarding telecommunications and information technologies. According to his will, he has been buried here in Baku after his death.
Day 2 / Baku Old City Tour
Ali Shamsi Studio
Having started to explore his talent for painting at a young age, Ali Shamsi has become one of the most prominent artists in Azerbaijan. Known for his pomegranate, mountain peak, sea and women paintings as well as rock carvings, he has had exhibitions in many European countries as well as the USA. His studio is open to everyone, and if it is your lucky day, you can get a portrait painted by him.
House Museum of Vagif Mustafazade
Vagif Mustafazade was an Azerbaijani jazz pianist and composer, acclaimed for fusing jazz and the traditional Azerbaijani folk music known as mugham. According to many world famous jazz musicians, Mustafazade is one of the pioneers and even “the architect” of jazz in Azerbaijan. Established in 1989, his house museum consists of 3 rooms. There are photographs related to Mustafazade’s life and creative work, various papers, personal belongings presented in the exposition, with a total of 1214 items.
Shirvanshahs’ Palace
Old stone domes, pillars, archways and tree-shaded courtyards echo with exotic oriental legends in Baku’s 15th-century royal palace. Built when Baku was the royal capital of the Shirvan kingdom, it has been meticulously restored as a visitor attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Baku Fortress Wall
On a low hill descending to the shore of the Caspian Sea stands the medieval heart of Baku – the Inner City (Icherisheher). The old city is surrounded by a 10-meter high fortress wall, marking the borders of Old Baku. It was from this, the oldest quarter, that Baku once was born.
Maiden Tower
Baku’s medieval core is a UNESCO-protected site surrounded by 12th-century walls, brimming with history and Eastern architecture. Here you’ll find the Maiden Tower, Baku’s most mysterious site. No one knows for sure what it was originally built for – it may have been a fire temple, a fortress or a lighthouse.
Institute of Manuscripts
The Institute of Manuscripts is part of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and is engaged in scientific research, archive and library activities, as well as the collection, systematization, security, study, translation and publication of medieval manuscripts. The institute is located in the former building of the Russian Muslim Boarding School for Girls, first ever of its kind, built by Azerbaijani philanthropist H. Z. Taghiyev back in 1901.
The Market Bazaar
In ancient times, here on this site, located at a strategic checkpoint of the Silk Road, was a huge market bazaar, where all the luxuries of the East, including the finest silk, purest gold, most precious stones and various expensive spices would welcome visitors.
Hammam culture
Hammams in Baku were traditionally places to gather, relax and socialize. When you visit Baku, you should definitely have a classic Azerbaijani hammam experience, which entails completely immersing yourself in warm water, sitting in the steam room and then an all-over body scrub – all of which is particularly relaxing during cooler months. All hammam procedures should be followed by a tea ceremony with friends.
Multani and Bukhara Caravansarais
The Multani Caravansarai, located in the old part of town – Icherisheher, was built in the 14th century for Indian merchants, fire worshiper, who came from the city of Multan in India (in present-day Pakistan). The same goes for the Bukhara Caravansarai, which was built in the late 15th century over a trade route passing through the caravanserai and was used as a hotel, mostly catering to merchants from Central Asia.
Statue of Aliagha Vahid
Aliagha Vahid was an Azerbaijani poet, and he was known for reintroducing the medieval ghazel style into Azerbaijani poetry. Established with the help of voluntary donations from admirers of Aliagha Vahid’s creative work, the figures depicted on his monument are symbols of the cyclical nature of life from birth to other events happening in the fate of any person. And all this is located in a circle – from one cheek to the other.