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Palace of the Shirvanshahs

Old City Route · 2Grand Baku Tour · 3

Palace of the Shirvanshahs

Royal residence · 15th century · Qala St 76, Icherisheher, Baku

Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized; cropped for display

The Palace of the Shirvanshahs was built in the 15th century, when the rulers of Shirvan made Baku their residence. It is the largest monument of the Old City.

The complex includes the palace, a mosque with a minaret, a mausoleum, a bath house and the Divankhana – a small courtyard building whose purpose is still discussed.

Audio guide

0:41

Narrated with a synthetic voice.

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The Palace of the Shirvanshahs takes us back to the fifteenth century, when the rulers of Shirvan made Baku their residence. Rather than a single grand building, it is a whole complex: the palace, a mosque, mausoleums, bathhouse remains and the small courtyard structure known as the Divankhana.

The limestone walls can seem quite restrained at first. Then the carved details begin to stand out. The portal of the Divankhana is a good example of that contrast. Following the courtyards helps make sense of how the separate buildings fit together. This royal complex is part of the same UNESCO-listed ensemble as the Old City and the Maiden Tower.

Look for

The carved stone portal of the Divankhana.

Riddle

In which century was the Palace of the Shirvanshahs built?

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