Almost every old city has its walled inner center from which everything grew and expanded over time – Chiang Mai in Thailand; Tbilisi in Georgia; Marrakesh in Morocco, and of course, Manila’s Intramuros.
Adding to this long list is Baku’s Icheri Sheher in Azerbaijan. Icheri Sheher is Azerbaijani for “inner city,” and is believed to have been constructed in the 7th century with completion around the 12th.
Icheri Sheher is Azaerbaijan’s major attraction, having been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.
A walk inside the walled city easily brings you back to medieval times, with its cobble stone streets, alleyways, minarets and watch towers.
Azerbaijan is about three hours away from UAE by plane. The local currency, the Azerbaijan manat is equal to Dh2.16 dirhams, not to worry because the place is not pricey – except, of course, at high-end fine dining restaurants, duh!
And it doesn’t snow there – just a breezy chill averaging at 5 Celsius at nighttime.
Azerbaijan is some three hours away from the UAE by plane. Visa on arrival fee is the equivalent of almost Dh100. Taxi fare from airport to the city center is approximately Dh45.
