Tours around Icherisheher (1)

1. Gosha Gala Gapisi or Double Gates of the Fortress

The starting point of our tour of icherisheher will be at the Gosha Gala Gapisi (translated from Azerbaijani as the Double Gates of the Fortress) which is the main entrance into the Old City. The fortress walls were constructed by the order of Shirvanshah Manuchohr III who reigned from the years 1120-1160AD. This information was found on an inscription on one of the sub-towers of the fortress.

2. Having entered through the Double Gates, you will find yourself in a wide open square known as Meydan. The Old Customs building was situated just beside the Double Gates and in the old days, travelers and animal caravans were allowed to enter the city through these gates only after going through the sanitary and hygienic procedure of washing: people were required to take a bath, while animal legs were treated with goudron(tar oil).

3. Next to the customs building there was the St. Nicholas Church (presently the office of "Baku Power Network"). Constructed and completed in 1858 by the Tbilisi architect Below as a Christian church, the St. Nicholas Church was made of surface-tooled stone in an Eastern architectural style. The basement was constructed in the form of a cross and the altar faced to the north. The church was built by Greek craftsmen from Trabzon, Turkey and was painted red upon its completion.

4. The Mansion of the khans of Baku were constructed during the period of 1747 through 1806. This complex of dwellings was owned by the khans (heads of state) of Baku and their relatives.

5. House with chains or "Iron House"
This is an architectural building and residential house owned by a Baku merchant. Nowadays, the building serves as the Museum of Archeological and Ethnography Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

6.Market Square (Khanegah)
This is a place where Sufisheikhs lived and preached. Khanegahs were typically situated on caravan trade routes and included a complex of monuments such as mosques, tombs bathhouses, caravanserais and other religious and public buildings. After their death, sheikhs were usually buried here and their folowers were often buried around them. After time, these places were perceived to be sacred and became the subject of pilgrimage. During archeological digs conducted on this site in 1964, more than 50 graves were discovered here.