Palace of the Shirvanshahs

The Palace of the Shirvanshahs stands on the highest ground of Icheri Sheher in Baku, Azerbaijan, and is the finest surviving example of Shirvan-Absheron architecture. The Shirvanshahs, a long-lived dynasty that ruled a state in what is now northern Azerbaijan, moved their capital from Shamakhi to Baku in the 15th century after repeated earthquakes, and most of the ensemble dates from the 15th and 16th centuries, with some elements earlier. Built in pale local limestone, the complex is arranged on three terraces around courtyards and includes the main palace building, the Divankhana (a pavilion used for state and judicial gatherings), the dynasty's mausoleum, the Palace Mosque with its minaret, the Seyid Yahya Bakuvi mausoleum, a bathhouse (hammam) and the remains of a shrine, as well as the Murad Gate, built in 1585 for an Ottoman governor. The palace was damaged during the Russian bombardment of Baku in 1806 and again in the 19th and 20th centuries, and parts were used as military premises. Large-scale restoration took place in the 1960s, and later stages followed, during which the building was opened as a museum and in 2000 was included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing with the Old City and the Maiden Tower. The rooms contain carved stone portals, ornamented niches, domed chambers and stone inscriptions; the Divankhana has a distinctive octagonal portal and a domed roof, and the mausoleum carries inscriptions that record the dynasty's rulers. Exhibits show ceramics, coins, metalwork, tombstones and architectural fragments, with the interior largely unfurnished so that the proportions and stonework speak for themselves. A small archaeological section displays finds from the site. The visit is organised as a walk through the courtyards and chambers rather than a chronological gallery, with captions in Azerbaijani, Russian and English. Careful attention to the carved calligraphy and the geometric relief on the portals rewards a slower pace.