Oil Boom & Seaside · 1Grand Baku Tour · 1

Fountains Square

City centre · 19th–21st century · Fountains Square, Baku

Bernard Gagnon · CC BY 4.0 · Resized; cropped for display

Fountains Square is the meeting point of Baku – just outside the Old City walls, with dozens of fountains, cafés and street musicians.

From here the pedestrian Nizami Street, Baku's best-known shopping street, leads past buildings from the oil boom around 1900.

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Fountains Square is a good place to find your bearings in central Baku. It lies just outside the Old City, where pedestrian streets, cafes and fountains meet. Nizami Street and the Nizami Museum of Azerbaijani Literature are nearby, so several different walks can begin here.

The fountains give the square its name, but the buildings around its edges deserve attention as well. As you move around, compare the facades rather than keeping your eyes only on the water. The character of the square comes from that combination of architecture and everyday city life. If you are meeting friends, agree on one particular fountain: the name alone can leave room for confusion.

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The facades of the oil-boom era around the square.

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