19223_ATB_EA Season Guides_22_V_PREVIEW

1. Icherisheher
3. The Marionette Theatre
Icherisheher
(Old City)
Museum of
Miniature Books
Marionette
Theatre
Heydar Aliyev
Centre
The UNESCO-listed Old City, the historical
core of Baku, has enough to keep you interested
for days. The maze of narrow streets
is home to countless cafes, restaurants,
museums, monuments and galleries. The
two major attractions are the Maiden Tower
and Shirvanshahs’ Palace, but don’t miss
hidden gems like the Marionette Theatre
and Vagif Mustafazade House Museum.
Hidden within the narrow alleys of the
Old City (Icherisheher) is a small museum
containing the largest collection of miniature
books in the world. Driven by a huge
passion for tiny books, the museum’s
creator, Zarifa Salahova, has spent over
30 years amassing her unique collection
of over 5,600 books published in 66 countries.
Among them is the world’s smallest
book, measuring just 2x2mm!
Baku’s beloved Marionette Theatre has its
roots in the 1980s, when it was established
by the stage director Tarlan Gorchu. The
theatre moved to its location, a 19th-century
building in the Old City, in 2016. Since
then it has been putting on two marionette
performances – Leyli and Majnun and
Arshin mal alan (The Cloth Peddlar), both
by the great Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir
Hajibeyli – and become a favourite place
for locals and visitors.
An icon of Baku’s 21st-century skyline, this
stunningly flowing and futuristic structure
was designed by the world-famous architect
Zaha Hadid. The wonderful curves of
the building’s exterior blend seamlessly
with the spacious interior to represent an
eternal cycle and a place of shared ideas
open to everyone, regardless of gender,
race or origin. Inside you’ll find several
excellent exhibitions and museums.
20 | EXPERIENCE AZERBAIJAN
EXPERIENCE AZERBAIJAN | 21
2. The Museum of Miniature Books
4. The Heydar Aliyev Centre