Icheri Sheher or "Old City"

Icheri Sheher is a national historical monument of great cultural value. This is an old residential quarter, surrounded by a powerful fortress wall more than 3 meters high. Previously, the city was surrounded by two fortress walls separated by ditches, but at the beginning of the 19th century, during the oil boom, the city grew so quickly that the outer wall had to be demolished in order to build residential buildings, and therefore now only the inner wall with 5 gates and 25 towers remains.

They say that back in the 30s. In the 20th century, there were more than 900 buildings in the fortress, and by the beginning of the 21st century, only half remained. Until now, about 1300 families live among the ancient fortress walls along the three main streets. Residential buildings are located in a labyrinth of alleys and dead ends, which are so interesting to walk along, looking at the preserved ancient buildings built by skilled builders of antiquity. Museums, exhibitions, hotels, numerous cafes, and restaurants are located here.

In 1977, Icheri Sheher was declared a historical and architectural reserve, and in 2000, among the first Azerbaijani cultural sites, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.