No, it's not Lenin. This truly gigantic Soviet-era statue actually honours Nәriman Nәrimanov, Azerbaijan's first communist-era leader.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.95 MILES
Vast and jaw-droppingly original, this Zaha Hadid building is a majestic statement of fluid 21st-century architecture forming abstract waves and peaks…
0.69 MILES
This tapering 29m stone tower is Baku’s foremost historical icon, with rooftop views surveying Baku Bay and the Old City. Possibly millennia old, its…
2.21 MILES
Yarat means 'create', a spirit that's in ample evidence in this centre's many thought-provoking installations that don't shy away from sociopolitical…
0.65 MILES
Completed in 2012, this trio of sinuous blue-glass skyscrapers forms contemporary Baku's architectural signature. The three towers range from 28 to 33…
0.5 MILES
This splendid confection of sandstone walls and domes was the seat of northeastern Azerbaijan’s ruling dynasty during the Middle Ages. Mostly 15th century…
0.68 MILES
Ever-popular with strollers, this leafy piazza forms Central Baku’s natural focus. The fountains for which it is named include one topped by shiny…
29.9 MILES
The Unesco-listed Qobustan Petroglyph Reserve protects thousands of stick-figure stone engravings dating back up to 12,000 years. Themes include livestock…
10.26 MILES
The unique Ateşgah is an 18th-century fire temple whose centrepiece is a flaming hearth. Arching above is a four-pillared stone dome with side flues which…
Nearby Baku attractions
0.12 MILES
Overshadowed by vast new apartment towers, the fine İmam Hüseyn Mosque features some attractive Moorish and art nouveau stone-design elements. Opening…
0.32 MILES
The grandest historic mosque in central Baku, Təzə Pir was built between 1903 and 1914, funded by a female philanthropist. More-recent renovations added…
0.46 MILES
Private gallery with changing modern-art exhibitions. It's tucked between a pretty shaded garden and a section of city wall that features a medieval-style…
0.46 MILES
An arched gateway in the Old City wall leads from İçerişəhər metro station to a pretty handkerchief of garden. It's dominated by the superbly imaginative…
0.46 MILES
Changing exhibitions are necessarily a little hit-and-miss at this experimental art space, which gives a platform to young or emerging new Azerbaijani…
0.46 MILES
One of Baku's charming oddities, this small museum presents books that are so small you'd need a magnifying glass to read the print. The fact that so many…
0.49 MILES
Shoes walk across this gallery's fascinatingly off-beat front wall, whose centrepiece is a huge lion's face. Inside are paint splattered shirts and a…
0.5 MILES
Housed in two century-old oil-boom mansions, Baku’s foremost collection of classical art ranges from 17th-century French landscapes to Meiji-era Japanese…