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Maiden Tower (Baku)

Buildings and structures in BakuCastles and fortresses in AzerbaijanIcherisheherMonuments and memorials in AzerbaijanNational symbols of Azerbaijan
Tourist attractions in BakuTowers in AzerbaijanWorld Heritage Sites in Azerbaijan
Torre de la Doncella, Baku, Azerbaiyán, 2016 09 26, DD 08
Torre de la Doncella, Baku, Azerbaiyán, 2016 09 26, DD 08

The Maiden Tower (Azerbaijani: Qız qalası; Persian: قلعه دختر) is a 12th-century monument in the Old City, Baku, Azerbaijan. Along with the Shirvanshahs' Palace, dated to the 15th century, it forms a group of historic monuments listed in 2001 under the UNESCO World Heritage List of Historical Monuments as cultural property, Category III. It is one of Azerbaijan's most distinctive national emblems, and is thus featured on Azerbaijani currency notes and official letterheads.The Maiden Tower houses a museum, which presents the story of the historic evolution of Baku city. It also has a gift shop. The view from the roof takes in the alleys and minarets of the Old City, the Baku Boulevard, the house of Isa bek Hajinski and a wide vista of the Baku Bay. The Tower is covered by cloud of mysteries and legends which are rooted to the history and culture of Azerbaijan. Indeed, some epics became a subject for scenario for ballets and theatre's plays. The Maiden Tower (ballet) is a world-class Azerbaijani ballet created by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli in 1940 and ballet's remake was performed in 1999. Consequent to the receding of the sea shoreline of the Caspian Sea, a strip of land emerged. This land was developed between the 9th and 15th centuries, when the walls of the old city, the palace including the huge bastion of the Maiden Tower were built.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Maiden Tower (Baku) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Maiden Tower (Baku)
Aziz Aliyev street, Baku City

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N 40.3661 ° E 49.8372 °
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İçəri şəhər

Aziz Aliyev street
1095 Baku City (Sabail Raion)
Baku, Azerbaijan
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Torre de la Doncella, Baku, Azerbaiyán, 2016 09 26, DD 08
Torre de la Doncella, Baku, Azerbaiyán, 2016 09 26, DD 08
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Church of the Holy Virgin (Baku)
Church of the Holy Virgin (Baku)

Church of the Holy Virgin or Holy Mother of God Church (Armenian: Սուրբ Աստվածածին եկեղեցի, Russian: Церковь Святой Богоматери, церковь Аствацацин, Azerbaijani: Surp Astvatsatsin Erməni Kilsəsi) was an Armenian Apostolic church in the Old City (İçərişəhər) of Baku, Azerbaijan, built in the 18th century and demolished in 1992. It was on the southern side of the Maiden Tower at the turn of Neftchilar (Neftyanikov) Avenue between the caravanserai (today Mugam Club Baku, until 1996 Music Museum), Barbara Street (now Hagigat Rzayeva Street, Həqiqət Rzayeva küçəsi) and Great Minaret Street (now Asaf Zeynally Street, Asəf Zeynallı küçəsi). Since there were not many Armenians in the Old City compared to the rest of Baku, the church did not have a large parish. Therefore and because it has been erased from public memory in Baku, little information has remained about it, and some statements about it are contradictory. According to Leonid Bretanitsky, the church was built near an Armenian caravansary beneath the Maiden Tower. Benjamin Arustamyan states that perhaps already Hamdallah Mustawfi Qazwini (ca. 1281–1344) mentioned an Armenian church and that the Armenian church of Holy Mother of God (Surp Astvatsatsin) was built in 1799 (i.e. under Persian rule of the Qajars) at the foot of the Maiden Tower inside Baku fortress, and demolished in the 1930s. However, the church stood until the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as can also be seen on several photographs. It was the Armenian Saint Thaddeus and Bartholomew Cathedral in Baku that was really destroyed under Joseph Stalin.At the end of the 19th century, the Armenian priest Markar Barkhudaryants noted that the Armenians of Baku had two stone churches: a large one named after Saint Gregory the Illuminator and a smaller one named Surb Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God). He characterized Surb Astvatsatsin as very old, as evidenced by the internal and external forms of architectural construction.Thomas de Waal mentions that according to the diplomat who worked in Baku in 1992, at the height of the Karabakh conflict, the church was destroyed, and now instead there is an empty space at its former site near the Maiden Tower.

Azerbaijan State Theatre
Azerbaijan State Theatre "Yuğ"

The theatre YUĞ was established in 1989 under the auspices of the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre by Vagif Ibrahimoglu and Hasanaga Turabov. In 1992, the theatre got the status of ‘a state theatre’. According to its creators, the name of the theatre carries a meaning: YUĞ means ‘an old rite’. Everything, however, is more complicated as it seems because this burial ritual during which were played the scenes from the life of the deceased, symbolizes a return to the memory. The actors try reminding the spectators of what they knew, maybe even in their past lives, but just forgot. The main principle of this avant-garde theatre is the relevance of chosen topics, non-standard interpretation of familiar stories and experimenting with new forms. During its history, the Azerbaijan State Theatre YUĞ has staged more than 90 plays. The theatre's troupe participated in many international festivals. Today, the theatre YUĞ occupies a place in the theatre art of the country. It regularly stages plays by William Shakespeare, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Giovanni Boccaccio, Nikolai Gogol, Kōbō Abe, as well as Azerbaijani classical and contemporary authors. Going beyond its space, the theatre YUĞ often collaborates with theatres of different countries, while enriching its skills and influencing the culture of others. The repertoire of the theatre includes the following performances: “Unforgettable Efendi” based on the play by the national writer Ilyas Efendiyev, “Hello from Kafka” based on the novel “The Verdict” by F.Kafka, “The first act” based on the Chekhov's play “The Cherry Orchard”, “The Shadow” based on the works Y.Nil “Love Under the Elm-tress”, “Come all who….” and others. In 2014, the theatre hosted the premiere of the play “Unknown Akhundzade” staged based on the comedies of the Azerbaijani playwright and enlightener Mirza Fatali Akhundov and his philosophical treatise “The three letters of the Indian Prince Kemakud-Dowle to the Persian Prince Jalal-ud-Dowle”. Each season, the theatre offers new plays, tells us about new theatre personalities, some of whom determine the image of contemporary Azerbaijani theatre.