Icherisheher · UNESCO

Maiden Tower

Qız Qalası — a giant of stone on the Caspian shore, Baku's most ancient riddle, whose secret remains unsolved.

History of the tower Legends and mysteries

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Symbol of Baku

The tower no one could decipher

The Maiden Tower (Azerbaijani: Qız Qalası) is a massive stone tower in Icherisheher, the Old City of Baku, right on the shore of the Caspian Sea. It is the city's most recognisable monument and part of the Old City inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It stands about 29.5 metres tall, 16.5 metres across at the base, with walls up to five metres thick at the foot.

Despite its fame, the tower remains a mystery: scholars still argue about when and why it was built. Fire temple, observatory, fortress, lighthouse, Zoroastrian sanctuary — every theory has its supporters. This site brings together its history, legends, its bond with the Caspian and all that surrounds it.

In brief

The tower in numbers

29.5 mheight of the tower

16.5 mdiameter at the base

8storeys inside

2000year on the UNESCO list

Sections

Facets of one mystery

History

Debates over its age: from the 8th century BC to the 12th century.

Legends

The maiden who leapt into the sea and the riddle of the name Qız Qalası.

Caspian

The sea right at its foot and its influence on the tower.

Nearby

The bazaar square, the baths and the Church of St. Bartholomew.

Here the stone remembers more than people know.

On the Maiden Tower

Heritage

Part of the World Heritage

In 2000 the Old City of Baku, together with the Shirvanshahs' Palace and the Maiden Tower, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. From 2003 to 2009 the site was on the List of World Heritage in Danger, but after restoration work it was removed from it.