Shirvanshah's Palace

Shirvanshah's Palace is one place that everyone should see when in Baku. I would rank it up there with the Maiden Tower, Martyr's Alley, Fountain Square, Old City, and all of the various underground discos as things everyone's "must see" list.

The palace dates back to 15th century and contains several buildings. My favorite section was the Harem/Divankhana. It is surrounded by stones recovered from Bandar Gala, what some experts called Azerbaijan's Alcatraz, which was built in 1235. The Bandar Gala is currently underwater, but there are several additional stones surrounding the Mausoleum of Seyd Yahya, which is also in the palace.

The main building of the palace is nice, but many of the areas are currently closed off. There is one room in the main building that houses a private collection of metal-ware from ancient times. The cost of admission into this section is 10 manats. I believe that this is a little too high and you can see similar items at the National Museum at a fraction of the cost.

In a small courtyard, there are some steps that lead down to the rest of the palace. Here, there are two mausoleums, a mosque and the ruins of the royal bath. Be warned, the royal bath smells really bad and I believe that some homeless individuals squat there.

Overall, the history contained here is interesting and will give visitors an insight into old Baku. And at a price of 2 Manats, it is not going to break the bank to visit...the surrounding hotels will do that for you.