Hello my friends!
Well, the time has come to show you modern Baku. In previous articles about Azerbaijan, photos of skyscrapers and bizarre buildings flashed, but it seems to me that the overall picture did not work out. In this article, I will try not to move on the topic and stick to the topic of modernity.
The visiting card of the city is the Flame Towers. Three giant buildings really look like flames, and in the evening they are also illuminated in an interesting way.
In the evening, on the day of arrival, I decided to take a walk along Baku Boulevard. Flaming towers are impossible to miss)). The picture is constantly changing - either flames are projected, or the flag of Azerbaijan. So why not make a little video?
The illumination of the towers has been recognized as one of the best in the world.
The buildings themselves are located on a hill and can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. The next day I climbed to the foot of the Flame Towers. By the way, can the word “foot” be used in relation to skyscrapers at all? 🙂
Do you see an unusual building with smooth lines below, and next to it is a staircase? This is a funicular. Guess from one time how Aunt Oksana got upstairs to the towers? Of course on foot! And it’s not at all that I’m so mega-sporty. The funicular was just not working 😛
The observation deck offers a great view of Baku.
And here are the Flaming Towers in person - 190, 160 and 140 meters. I wonder if the different heights of the towers are the architect's idea or the harsh reality of the area?
The next "exhibit" - carpet museum. The original appearance of the building leaves no doubt about the exposition of the museum.
The opening of the museum took place in 1972, but of course the building was completely different. The old carpet museum was located in the historical part of the city -.
In 2008, the laying of the stone for a new, modern museum took place. Architects Frans Jans and Walter Marie did their best. After 6 years, in 2014, the trendy carpet museum opened its doors to visitors.
I never visited the exposition of the museum, I decided that there would be a reason to return to Baku :). The ticket is not cheap - 7 manats. But a walk through the museum can be downloaded in the izi.travel application and listened to absolutely free. By the way, I highly recommend the app. It has helped out more than once.
The Baku Carpet Museum is located right on the embankment, not far from the funicular. For convenience, at the very end of the article, I attached a map indicating the sights.
Venice is located not far from the Carpet Museum. Yes, yes, you heard right. It's Venice. Well, what else can you call a park with beautiful bridges, canals and gondolas?
Back in the 50s, the chairman of the Baku City Executive Committee, Alish Lemberansky, was so captivated by the beauties of Italian Venice that he decided to create a piece of Italy in his city. No sooner said than done. In 1960, the Little Venice park became almost the main decoration of the Baku boulevard.
You and I see the modern version of “Venice”. In 2012, at the direction of the country's President Ilham Aliyev, the park was completely reconstructed. They tried to preserve the general structure, but at the same time additional bridges were built, channels were expanded and motorized gondolas were brought in.
Great place. A ride on a boat costs only 3 manats (about 150 rubles).
Oh, and severe gondoliers in Baku))). We should teach them Italian. I just wanted to ask them to perform something, even in their native language.
By the way, the locals are capricious. They liked the old "Little Venice" much more. They say that it was more sincere than now.
Baku is being built with terrible force. I don’t know whether the new skyscrapers will surpass the “flaming towers” or not, but very soon absolutely unique buildings will grow on the embankment. For example, the “flower” under construction is nothing more than a huge shopping center. Work is in full swing day and night.
The face of modern Baku is especially well seen from the sea.
I am already silent about the Formula 1 stage, which the capital of Azerbaijan accepted in June 2016. I visited Baku in early May, when everything was still under construction. So, especially for the “Formula”, they removed all the historical cobblestone encircling the old city and filled it with smooth asphalt. I wonder if the cobblestone will then be returned to its place?
The center of Heydar Aliyev fits perfectly into the concept of an article about modern Baku. This is something incredible, I have never seen anything like it before.
The cultural center includes exhibition halls, a congress centre, a museum and offices. The unique building was designed by Zaha Hadid, a British architect with Iraqi roots. Space Zaha loved to break the rules, and her designs, like alien ships, are now permanently parked on Earth. She passed away quite recently, on March 31, 2016. It's sad when stars like this go...
Previously, there was a factory on the site of the center of Heydar Aliyev, and the district itself was called the “black city”. And now it's "White City" with a spotless lawn and a family of brightly colored snails.
A funny incident happened to me near the cultural center. I planned not only to take a picture of the Heydar Aliyev Center from the outside, but also to visit an exhibition or a museum. In short, I wanted to “cultivate”, but it was not there. For some reason, I chose May 9 to visit and did not even think that the cultural center might not work on that day.
I'm going, so I don't touch anyone. Out of the corner of my eye I see that all the entrances to the awesome building are cordoned off and the police are turning their cars around. Well, okay, I think it's not enough .... Still a cultural center. Apparently uncivilized drivers are not allowed. I turn onto the track. Near the entrance is a group of cultured men in jackets (in hot weather). “So the center is working,” I thought then. I am all so light and almost cultured heading towards them and then I see that a huge fellow in a black suit and black glasses is rushing towards me. Neo, is that you? A young and generally handsome man shouts at me in a bad voice: “Girl, we will all be fired now because of you!”. This is followed by inconsistent explanations that the Heydar Aliyev Center is closed for special maintenance (see the president himself granted). I was so confused by this whole situation that I only found myself asking why they then let outsiders in, if everything is so serious. The answer killed me on the spot: “They will recruit all sorts of ads” 🙂
That's why I didn't visit the cultural center. I can’t see culture now, like my own ears.
They say that if you look at the center from a bird's eye view, then its outlines are very reminiscent of the signature of Heydar Aliyev himself. Let's try to compare.
I don't think it looks like it at all 🙂
While walking around Baku, you need to carefully look around. It is not necessary to go somewhere specifically to see unusual objects.
Soaring crane-fountain on the embankment of Baku. I've seen these before, but every time I'm surprised by the idea again.
Shopping center "Boulevard", all on the same embankment. Opposite this shopping center there is a pier, if you have time, then be sure to make and ride on a modern boat along the Baku Bay.
Crystal Hall is a huge concert and sports complex for 23 thousand people. In 2012, the Eurovision Song Contest was held here.
You won’t see anyone with a Ferris wheel, but it fits perfectly into the concept of modern Baku.
But I was surprised at the escalators in the usual underground passage. Convenient, damn it.
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A walk around the "new city" began immediately after I left the fortress walls of the ancient Icheri Sheher. There are several parks around the Old City, modern Baku is a very, very well-groomed and pleasant city. Here and the dirt on the streets can not be seen often.
All parks are no longer "Soviet", "renovated" to the standards of the 21st century, there are even such futuristic lanterns.
In Baku, Azerbaijan
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
In Baku, there are a lot of sculptures of residents who are engaged in "modern" affairs. Here, for example, is a girl who looks in the mirror and puts on makeup. This is Fountain Square - the main pedestrian area and the largest park complex in the city center.
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
Very cool little men that are used to mark the boundaries of repair work. Probably, all the tourists who come to Baku take pictures with them.
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A girl with an umbrella and a mobile phone is also a sculpture of modern Baku.
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
The streets are mostly very clean, and there are shops everywhere, Azerbaijan, like it, is striving for the development of the tourism industry.
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
Azerbaijani violinist.
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
When I photograph people on the streets, I always ask their permission if time permits. When they agree, they usually start to pose, which is not very good, and I always ask them to continue doing what they were doing before, and then I think interesting pictures come out.
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
Fountains can be safely called an adornment of the modern capital of Azerbaijan.
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
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A very beautiful embankment with a coastal park stretches along the entire Neftchilar Avenue, walking along it you can enjoy a magnificent view of the same Flame Towers, which are visible from everywhere in the city.
Flame Towers in Baku, Azerbaijan // mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
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Alley of cacti in the coastal park.
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My Four Seasons hotel was located right on the waterfront near the park. At first it seems that this is some kind of old building from the times of the USSR, "remodeled" in a modern way, but no, this is a completely new building. The former "Soviet" building on this site was completely destroyed. And the current Four Seasons, in my opinion, blended very harmoniously into the modern landscape.
Four Seasons Hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan // mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
I don't really like visiting cemeteries, but sometimes I want to see the most important and significant cemetery in the country. The alley of honorable burial is something like Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. The most famous people of the country are buried here. It is located in the Upper part of the city. Some graves are designed as real works of art. Monument to the poet Samad Vurgun.
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
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And finally, "Flame Towers" - without a doubt, today it is the main symbol of modern Baku.
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
There are only three buildings. In one building there will be office centers for privileged office plankton, in the second - elite apartments for those who kept their eyes open in the 90s and managed to steal profitably purchase state property, and in the third there will be perhaps the best hotel in the city - the hotel of the Canadian chain Fairmont . Just the entrance to the aforementioned hotel, which is still only preparing to receive the first guests.
Hotel of the Canadian chain Fairmont in Baku, Azerbaijan // mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
The hotel is not yet open, but from its upper floors, through fully glass facade windows, such a view of the center of the capital of Azerbaijan will open.
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
At night, these three towers are lit up like flames, according to a survey by the site www.scyscrapercercity.com, the illumination of these towers was recognized as the best in the world. The exterior of the towers is completely covered with modern LED panels that depict the movement of fire at night. The towers themselves may symbolize the coat of arms of the capital of Azerbaijan, which depicts 3 flames.
// mikeseryakov.livejournal.com
There are a lot of "English cabs" in Baku, which are used here as taxis.
After wandering around the old part of Baku - Icheri Sheher, it was the turn of the inspection of the modern city with its long embankment and futuristic architecture of modern buildings. Modern Baku is a unique combination of East and West, old and new, traditions and innovations.
Like all tourists, the first thing we do is go to the promenade along the Baku Seaside Boulevard, which, after a large-scale reconstruction, has increased from 16 to 25 kilometers.
The new part of the embankment is called "Baku - White City", which was opened in 2015.
For now, it's still deserted.
Closer to the old part of the city, the boulevard is more lively.
There is a sports field
And some playing fields
Due to the large-scale construction, part of the way to the old embankment had to go along Neftchilar Avenue, a road that stretches along the coastline of Baku. But we met a local London-Taxi. The idea to bring British cabs, which are called "eggplants" here, to Baku belongs to a state-owned company.
One of the sights of the city is the Government House of Baku, built back in Soviet times, the prototype of some elements of which was the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. The view of the building was partially blocked by structures for visual rows and service boxes, because in the summer of 2017 a Formula 1 stage was held here, and part of the track ran through Neftchilar Avenue, where I also managed to ride my car.
And in the city it is mentioned everywhere in the form of a hashtag.
There are dozens of times more people on the old embankment.
On the central alley is a modern shopping center with a glass entrance in the form of a cucumber.
If this fountain worked, then the hanging crane in the air would look impressive.
Baku is beautiful with its embankment. This is a great place for recreation of citizens and visiting tourists.
Everywhere in the city there are cranes and construction is underway, and it is already noticeable that the buildings will look futuristic. Two skyscrapers on the left are almost completed, these are Crescent City (it will have a business center) and Crescent Place (it will be a residential building).
The future shopping center Caspian Waterfront Mall, which is very similar to the Sydney Opera House.
The largest flag of Azerbaijan, which for several years held the title of the largest flag in the world, until competitors from Dushanbe broke the record.
Flame Towers are the tallest buildings in Azerbaijan, which are visible from almost anywhere in the city. It is advisable to look at them in the evening: their facades are completely covered with LED screens, on which a grandiose show unfolds, when the towers turn into giant flaming torches or into a huge flag of the country. You will also see this below. Local residents have an opinion that the appearance of the Flame Towers is associated with the coat of arms of the city of Baku, which depicts three flames. The towers house office space and residential apartments, and on the right is the luxurious hotel Fairmont Baku at the Flame Towers. The construction of the complex was carried out for almost five years, from 2007 to 2012. Despite the fact that the buildings seem to be the same, they have different heights - each one is 20-30 m higher than the previous one - their height is 140, 160 and 190 m.
And this is the very reason why it is best to go swimming in Sumgayit. Almost all the water here is covered with an oil film, and the smell of fuel and lubricants is in the air.
Baku constantly hosts sports events. In 2015, the European Games were held here, and in 2017, from May 12 to May 22, the IV Islamic Solidarity Games (Azerbaijan 4-cü İslam Həmrəylik Oyunları), also known as Islamiada-2017, were held. The sports program of the Games includes 20 sports: athletics (including competitions among paraathletes), diving, swimming, water polo, 3x3 basketball, football, artistic and artistic gymnastics, wushu, table tennis, handball, judo, Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, shooting, tennis, volleyball, boxing, zorkhana, karate, taekwondo and weightlifting.
The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum in the form of the carpet itself is the first museum in the world dedicated to the collection, preservation and study of the carpet.
The Baku funicular connects Seaside Park (Neftchilar Avenue; below) and Nagorny Park (above) - one of the highest observation points in Baku, from the observation deck of which the entire city is visible.
You can also climb up the stairs along the funicular tracks. Here you can see the junction, in which two trailers can pass each other.
Old and modern architecture. What is closer to you?
On the hill itself stands the building of the Azerbaijani Parliament. In another way, this building is called "Milli Majlis".
From the parliament there is a memorial complex "Alley of Martyrs", where the victims of the events in Baku on January 20, 1990 are buried, and behind them in the park - those who died in the Armenian-Azerbaijani war for Nagorno-Karabakh, at the end of the alley there is a Memorial with an eternal flame.
From here you can see the panorama of the city. The city is actively growing up.
National Flag Square (Azerb. Dövlət Bayrağı Meydanı). To his left is the sports and concert complex Baku Crystal Hall, In 2012, Eurovision was held here
It was almost dark and we finally waited for the Flame Tower light show.
And this is the main modern building of Baku - the snow-white Cultural Center named after Heydar Aliyev. The facade, in which there is not a single straight line, repeats the personal signature of Heydar Aliyev, and the snow-white color symbolizes the bright future of Azerbaijan. Inside is the Heydar Aliyev Museum, as well as exhibition projects representing the history and culture of Azerbaijan from national costumes and musical instruments to mini-models of Baku's most iconic buildings.
Have you already fallen in love with Baku? :)
All parks are no longer "Soviet", "renovated" to the standards of the 21st century, there are even such futuristic lanterns.
Baku has a lot of sculptures of residents who are engaged in "modern" affairs. For example, a girl who looks in the mirror and puts on makeup. This is Fountain Square - the main pedestrian area and the largest park complex in the city center.
Very cool little men that are used to mark the boundaries of repair work. Probably everyone who comes to Baku and tourists take pictures with them.
A girl with an umbrella and a mobile phone is also a sculpture of modern Baku.
The streets are mostly very clean and there are shops everywhere, Azerbaijan, like it, is striving for the development of the tourism industry.
Azerbaijani violinist.
When I photograph people on the streets, I always ask their permission if time permits. When they agree, they usually start to pose, which is not very good, and I always ask them to continue doing what they were doing before, and then I think interesting pictures come out.
Fountains can be safely called an adornment of the modern capital of Azerbaijan.
A very beautiful embankment with a coastal park stretches along the entire Neftchilar Avenue, walking along it you can enjoy a magnificent view of the same Flame Towers, which are visible from everywhere in the city.
Alley of cacti in the coastal park.
There are several piers on the embankment, going to which you can take off your "bow" against the backdrop of the Flame Towers and the TV tower.
Waving Azerbaijani flag in the park against the backdrop of FlameTowers.
My hotel “Four Seasons” was located right on the embankment near the park, at first it seems that this is some kind of old building from the times of the USSR, “remodeled” in a modern way, but no, this is a completely new building. The former "Soviet" building on this site was completely destroyed. And the current "Four Seasons" in my opinion very harmoniously fit into the modern landscape.
I don't really like to watch cemeteries, but sometimes I want to see the most important and significant cemetery in the country. Alley of honorary burial - it's like in Moscow Novodevichy Cemetery. The most famous people of the country are buried here. It is located in the Upper part of the city. Some graves are designed as real works of art.
Monument to the poet Samad Vurgun.
And finally, "Flame Towers" - without a doubt today - is the main symbol of modern Baku.
There are only three buildings. In one building there will be office centers for the privileged office plankton, in the second - elite apartments for those who kept their ears sharp in the 90s and managed to steal profitably purchase state property, and in the third there will be perhaps the best hotel in the city - the hotel of the Canadian chain " Fairmont. Just the entrance to the aforementioned hotel, which is still only preparing to receive the first guests.
The hotel is not yet open, but from its upper floors in full glass windows - the facades will open like this view of the center of the capital of Azerbaijan.
At night, these three towers are lit up like flames, according to a survey by the site www.scyscrapercercity.com, the illumination of these towers was recognized as the best in the world. The towers outside are completely covered with modern LED panels that depict the movement of fire at night. The towers themselves may symbolize the coat of arms of the capital of Azerbaijan, which depicts 3 flames.
There are a lot of "English cabs" in Baku, which are used here as taxis.
Baku, and Azerbaijan as a whole, are rapidly developing in the tourism industry. Previously, the eastern regions of Baku, where oil industry enterprises were concentrated, were called the Black City. From black from soot and smoke of urban buildings, the area got its name. Since 2007, a new Baku White City project has been implemented in Azerbaijan, within the framework of which 10 completely new high-tech districts will be built on the territory of the Black City. According to the project, this should really be a real city of the future.
Yes, even now, walking along Neftchilar Avenue along the Caspian Sea, you can enjoy the magnificent panoramas of the city.
The building of the new hotel "Hilton" on the embankment.
Palace of the Government of Azerbaijan.
I was in Baku for the "Second of May" and just caught the birthday of Heydar Aliyev - this holiday was celebrated "on a grand scale" in the country. In the evening, we managed to catch a festive fireworks display in the Coastal Park.
This is how I saw modern Baku, and I decided to devote my remaining time in the country to the final excursion - a trip to the mud springs of Azerbaijan ...
