For other uses, see Old City (disambiguation)
Old City or Inner City (Azerbaijani: İçəri Şəhər) is the ancient historical core of Baku. In December 2000, the Old City of Baku with the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower became the first location in Azerbaijan classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
History
It is widely believed that that the Old City as well as the Maiden's Tower inside it were already built in the XII century, however, according to some researchers, construction may date back as early as the 7th century. The question has not been completely settled. [1]
During this mediaeval period of Baku, such monuments as the Synyg Gala Minaret (XI century), the fortress walls and towers (XI – XII centuries), the Maiden Tower (XII century), the Multani Caravanserai and Hajji Gayyib bathhouse (XV century), the Shirvanshahs’ Palace (XV-XVI century), the Bukhara Caravanserai and Gasimbey bathhouse (XVI century) were built.
In 1806, when Baku was annexed to Russian Empire, there were 500 households and 707 shops, and a population of 7000 in the Old City (then the only neighbourhood of Baku). Between 1807-1811, the city walls were repaired and the fortifications extended. The city had two gates; (the Salyan Gates and the Shemakha Gates), and it was protected by dozens of cannons set on the walls. The port was re-opened for trade, and in 1809 a customs office was established.[2]
Baku's Old City in 1796 (engraving by Sergeyev)
It was during this period that Baku started to extend beyond the city walls, and new neighbourhoods emerged. Thus the terms Inner City (Azerbaijani: İçəri Şəhər) and Outer City (Azerbaijani: Bayır Şəhər) emerged. Referring to the early Russian rule, Bakuvian actor Huseyngulu Sarabski wrote in his memoirs:[3]
Baku was divided into two sections: Ichari Shahar and Bayir Shahar. The Inner City was the main part. Those who lived in the Inner City were considered natives of Baku. They were in close proximity to everything: the bazaar, craftsmen's workshops and mosques. There was even a church there, as well as a military barracks built during the Russian occupation. Residents who lived inside the walls considered themselves to be superior to those outside and often referred to them as the "barefooted people of the Outer City
With the arrival of Russians the traditional architectural look of the Old City changed. Many European buildings were constructed during the 19th century and early 20th century, using styles such as Baroque and Gothic.
In 1865, a part of the city walls overlooking to the sea was demolished, and the stones were sold and used in the building of the Outer city. The money obtained from this sale (44 000 rubles) went into the construction of the Baku Boulevard. In 1867, the first fountains of Baku appeared in the Boulevard.
In this period two more gates were opened, one of them being famous Taghiyev Gate (1877). The opening of new gates and passes continued well into the soviet period.
Neighborhoods
The Old City was divided into several quarters, which also served as social divisions. Sometimes, the divisions of the Old City were named after theirs mosque: for example, Juma Mosque quarter, Shal Mosque quarter, Mahammadyar Mosque quarter, etc.[4]
List of main neighbourhoods
A Photo of Baku's Old City (1900s)
- Seyyids, a quarter of clergymen
- Aghshalvarlilar, a quarter of city nobles
- Bozbashyemeyenler, a quarter of "those who do not eat meat"
- Gemichiler, a quarter of shipbuilders and sailors
- Hamamchilar, a quarter of public bath workers
- Arabachilar, a quarter of wagoners and cart-drivers
- Noyutchuler, a quarter of oil workers
- Juhud Zeynallilar, a Jewish quarter
- Lezgiler, a quarter of Dagestani armourers and blacksmiths
- Gilaklar, a quarter of merchants from Gilan
Education
The first known madrasa in the Old City was opened in the XII century, and amongst its popular lectors was Baba Kuhi Bakuvi. Four hundred years later, another distinguished scholar named Seyid Yahya Bakuvi (died in 1403) founded a Darulfunun (the House of Arts and Sciences, a prototype of a modern university) at the Shirvanshahs’ Palace. But with the fall of the Shirvanshahs’ state, the education in Baku gradually diminished. By 1806 there remained only twelve mollakhanas (primary and secondary schools, kept by mosques) in the Old City, and only three of them survived into 1900s. Later, all such schools were closed and replaced with modern kindergartens and state secular schools.
World Heritage site
One of the gates to the Old City
In December 2000, the Old City of Baku with the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower became the first location in Azerbaijan classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. But three years later, in 2003, UNESCO placed the Old City on the List of World Heritage in Danger, citing damage from a November 2000 earthquake, poor conservation as well as "dubious" restoration efforts [5].
Trivia
For a long period of time, an explicit symbol of the Old City was a mulberry tree located behind the Djuma Mosque. It was believed that the tree was several hundred years old. The tree made its way into many sayings and songs popular in the Old City, and became a local landmark. The place where that tree located was referred as the Mulberry Tree Square. However, in 1970s the mulberry tree was cut down, because of the nearby construction works.
Another popular landmark of the Old City is the local bookstore that sells mostly second-hand, but also new books. Situated amongst the Bukhara and the Multani Caravanserais, the Maiden Tower, and Hajinsky’s Palace (otherwise known as Charles de Gaulle House, because he stayed there during World War II), it is a popular destination of Bakuvian students and bibliophiles, mostly because of its low prices.
References
- ^ Mir Teymur. Ichari Shahar - The Heart of Baku: A Living Monument from the Middle Ages. Azerbaijan International, Summer 2000
- ^ Фатуллаев, Шамиль. Градостроительство Баку XIX - Начала XX Веков. Баку, Институт архитектуры и искусства Академии наук АзССР, 1978
- ^ Sarabski, Hüseynqulu. Köhnə Bakı. Bakı, 1958
- ^ Alakbarov, Farid. Baku's Old City: Memories of How It Used to Be. Azerbaijan International, Autumn 2002.
- ^ UNESCO World Heritage site: Walled City of Baku with the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower
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