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Maiden TowerQız Qalası · Baku
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The riddle of age

History

A tower whose age science has been unable to pin down for more than a century.

The riddle of age

When was the tower built?

The exact date the Maiden Tower was built is unknown — and that is the monument's chief scholarly riddle. Different researchers place it in different eras, diverging by whole millennia. The reason is that the tower seems to have been built and rebuilt in several stages, and its lower part is far older than the upper.

On the tower, at a height of about 14 metres, an Arabic inscription survives: 'Qubbe Masud ibn Davud'. It is dated to the 12th century, though whether Masud was the builder of the tower itself is disputed. Meanwhile the foundations run 15 metres underground, and the lower storeys may be considerably older.

Theories and milestones

Across the millennia

8th–7th c. BC
A fire temple?
According to Davud Akhundov and Hassan Hassanov, a Zoroastrian fire sanctuary stood on the site; seven 'fire' openings are noted at the top.
4th–6th c.
Sasanian foundations
Sara Ashurbeyli dated the foundations and the lower three storeys to the 4th–6th centuries: the base goes 15 metres underground.
12th century
The Masud inscription
The Arabic inscription 'Qubbe Masud ibn Davud' at 14 metres traditionally dates the upper part to the 12th century — the age of the Shirvanshahs.
9th–15th c.
The Old City grows
As the Caspian retreated, land emerged around the tower, on which the city walls and the Shirvanshahs' Palace rose.
19th century
Lighthouse
In the 19th century a lighthouse was set up on the tower; later the city lights made it hard for ships to distinguish its beam, and it was moved.
1964
Excavations
Archaeologists excavate at the foot: a medieval bazaar square and the ruins of the Church of St. Bartholomew have been uncovered.
2000
UNESCO
The Old City, with the Shirvanshahs' Palace and the Maiden Tower, is inscribed on the World Heritage List.
In sum

A monument without a firm date

Modern research increasingly suggests the tower was built in one go rather than in different eras — yet there is still no consensus. The debates over its age only add to its allure.

One thing is beyond dispute: the Maiden Tower has stood here for many centuries, outliving empires, wars and the very retreat of the sea, and remains the chief symbol of Baku.