Description of the attraction
The palace complex of the Shirvanshahs in Baku is one of the most famous, mysterious and majestic architectural monuments of Azerbaijan. The palace ensemble is located in the most ancient part of the city - Icheri Sheher, on the top of a Baku hill.
The construction of the palace ensemble was carried out from the XIII to the XVI century. The complex was built with one purpose - to move the capital of the state from Shemakha to Baku, where the residence of the rulers was previously located. The complex was not built according to a specific architectural concept, therefore it includes several buildings that are located on three levels: the main building of the palace (1420s), the tomb (1435), Divan-khan (1450s)., the Shah's mosque with a minaret (1441), the mausoleum of Sayyid Bakuvi (1450s) and the ruins of the Keigubad mosque. Also, the palace buildings include the Murad gate (1585) on the eastern side of the palace, the remains of a bath and an ovdan. According to some historical information, the shah's stables used to be located to the north-east of the palace building, but now there are dwelling houses on this place.
The main building of the complex - the palace - has been under construction for almost a decade. Its construction began in 1411 under the leadership of Shirvanshah Sheikh Ibrahim I, an ally of Tamerlane. This is the largest building in this ensemble. Apsheron limestone was used for its construction. After processing, the limestone acquired a golden ocher hue, making the palace look very elegant. There was a large hall, covered with an octagonal dome, as well as chambers.
The upper level was occupied by the Divan Khan, which served as the court - this is a beautiful pavilion with an octahedral hall covered with a stone dome. On the second level, in the southern part of the complex, there is the mausoleum of the court scholar Seyid Yahya Bakuvi, or "Mausoleum of the Dervish". It was an octagonal building covered with a tent of the same shape. A little lower on the slope was the tomb of the Shirvanshahs, erected at the beginning of the second half of the 15th century. It has a rectangular shape with a hexagonal dome. Members of the Shirvanshahs' family were buried here. In the lower courtyard of the complex, there is a palace mosque with a 22-meter minaret.
In 1964, the palace complex received the status of a museum-reserve, and since 2000 it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
