Martyr's Alley

Martyr's Alley was originally a park during communist days. Around 1991, the park was dedicated to the Baku residents massacred by the Red Army on January 20, 1990. Every year on this date, the park is filled with mourners and television stations run day long recaps of that time in history. Aside from the victims of January 20, there are also monuments for the heroes of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict and the Turkish soldiers who died during W.W.I defending Baku from the British. There is a small but rather attractive mosque. In addition, there is a tower that is lit every night. It sits on a sweeping view of the Caspian and can easily be seen from the Baku Soviet Metro area of the city. Further towards the Caspian is a large open-area teahouse that is usually very busy. From here, there are some incredible views of Baku as it lines the Caspian.

The first time I went there was at 10:30pm a few weeks ago. The area that overlooks the city and the sea was crowded and trying to find a place to set up a tripod and camera was difficult. I moved to the tower whic was less crowded before eventually returning home.

Suffering from insomnia last night, I decided to go up again at 1:30am. It was perfect as the last people were leaving the teahouse. I felt like I had the run of the place. I ventured to the mosque and met some friendly local residents.

So far during my first month in Baku, Martyr's Alley has the best views of the city and the best thing is it is free. I am hoping to either stay up long enough or to wake up early enough to go there for the sunrise over the Caspian. My only regret is that I do not have a wide angle lens for my camera. If you are in Baku, it is well worth the trip just for the view.