There is a city on our planet that is developing at cosmic speed. From the depths of the earth new buildings are growing, striking in their beauty and designs, and its appearance changes every year. No, this is not Dubai. I'll tell you more, it is located on the territory of the post-Soviet space. When you watch its development, you ask yourself just one question. Will it work?
2. In some places Baku looks like one big construction site, you can see from all sides tower cranes, work is in full swing. Everything about him changes at a speed that is difficult to keep track of. Yesterday you saw some pictures, today you woke up and saw different ones.
3. Just a few years ago there was neither the Heydar Aliyev Center, nor the flame towers, nor the carpet museum. There was nothing than .
4. And no one could imagine that a “black” city would suddenly become “white”, huh.
5. So what will the future of modern Baku be like? What lies ahead?
6. But before moving on to this issue, I would like to note one strange feature. I met her more than once. People in Baku love to move into unfinished houses! This is very noticeable. Look, the house has not yet been completed, work is underway, workers are walking on the upper floors, and on the lower floors they have already installed glazing, air conditioning and people are living. How is this possible?
7. According to some data, about 60% of new buildings in Baku are inhabited, which have not even gone through the acceptance procedure, many of them have not even been completed yet. Some are not approached gas pipes, others have some shortcomings, which, according to all the laws of the construction genre, should become a valid reason for not moving into the house. However, few people attach importance to these points and unfinished houses are occupied by residents, contrary to common sense! I could not figure out this feature of the Baku people. The only thing that makes sense is to live in your own home in order to save on renting someone else’s. And what do you think?
8. But let's return to the Baku city of the future. The priority task is to arrange the main entrance to the city from the airport. The city should surprise you right away, without preparation. So that every guest who goes to the city says “Wow! How beautiful!”
photo from the site http://s020.radikal.ru/
9. Some of this “wow effect” plan has already been built, others are on the way. I have already shown and told that there is a ready-made Olympic stadium, a gymnastics arena, and they exist not only on models. The National Health Center is already on the way, and one can only applaud it. Buildings are being built not only for sports or “show-off”, but also for the benefit of the population.
photo from the site http://ceh.hu/
10. Socar Tower, Azersu Tower will soon surprise tourists, guests of the capital and prove at the entrance that the oil here is as rich as tomatoes.
photo from http://legacy.skyscrapercenter.com/
11. AzerEnerji HQ is also being built for the same purposes.
photo from http://img.photobucket.com
12. And CBA Tower.
13. But is this the city of the future? No. The city of the future implies extraordinary projects, buildings that can surprise, hotels in which you want to live. This is what The Crescent Hotel Baku should become. You can say, well, when else will this happen! But soon. Do you see two semicircular skyscrapers under construction in the fifth photo? This is exactly this hotel.
Photo from the site https://static1.squarespace.com/
14. Let's take it from another angle.
15. Soon this crescent may become a new landmark of the world, and those who want to spend time here will line up. Does the hotel have a chance to stand on a par with Marina Bay Sand, Burj al Arab and others?
photo from http://i.dailymail.co.uk
16. Maybe. If it is not surpassed by Full Moon Hotel. Moreover, it will be almost the opposite. Oh, how symbolic it is, a crescent moon and a full month on the same bank. Are there any sleepwalkers among you?))
photo from http://img.photobucket.com/
17. Or maybe the highlight of the future of Baku will be Sky Park? The future complex will consist of 4 skyscrapers (a business center and three residential buildings) plus a shopping center. The entire complex will be next to the Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex. You ask, when? But now construction is being carried out jointly by the Azerbaijani-Korean company Azkor.
photo from http://img.photobucket.com/
18. If nothing is suitable for you so far, then I suggest you look at the Zira Island project. Maybe you'll want to stay here in the future?
photo from the site http://www.e-architect.co.uk
19. You can get acquainted with this project right now on video.
20. If this is not enough for you, then I suggest you take a look at the Azerbaijan Tower. The tower should become the tallest skyscraper in the world and surpass everything that exists now.
photo from the site http://archiloverz.org/
21. Azerbaijan Tower will become only the central part of the Caspian Islands project. A diamond in his crown.
Photo from the site https://i.ytimg.com/
22. According to the project, an entire city with a population of about a million inhabitants will be created there. There will be 150 schools and children's centers, parks, cultural centers, and a race track for them. It will contain residential buildings, hotels, business centers, entertainment and shopping centers, parks, restaurants, a hippodrome, sports grounds. In addition, the longest boulevard in the world will be laid out in the “Caspian Islands” - its length will be 150 kilometers. What am I telling you here, see for yourself!
23. And if this is not enough for you, then Baku will try to surprise you with a new area of the future, not like everyone else. True, it will not be located exactly in Baku, but nearby, in the village of Govsany. But you won’t be able to call it a village anymore.
photo from the site http://www.buro247.az/
24. It’s still better to watch the video.
25. Many people liked the Caspian Waterfront Mall shopping center under construction in my photos. But after everything he has seen, can he really impress?
26. The second of the grandest shopping centers will be in “white” Baku, we have already talked about it when washing the “black” city.
photo from the site http://1news.az/
27. But it is no longer so impressive, construction has been going on for a long time and its appearance is expected very soon.
photo from the site http://1news.az/
28. This is the Baku of the future. Many skeptics will say, when will this happen? How long will it take to wait? I think not that long. Previously, the flame towers, the Heydar Aliyev Center, the new airport and the “white” city were looked at with suspicion and skepticism, but they have already been built and delight many residents and tourists. So here we have to wait a little. I even regret that I visited Baku too early?
No, it's not too early. In ten years there will be a new reason to return and there will be something to compare with!
Old city
The ancient residential area inside the fortress wall is often called “a nut in a shell.” It seems that the local residents (and only those whose families have lived here for 7 generations are considered such) have some amazing energy and charm, just like the Old Town itself. Narrow streets, low buildings made of cream-colored limestone, balconies entwined with grapes, Arabic script on the walls, mosques and souvenir shops - you can walk here for hours. Icheri Sheher ("Inner City") is listed World Heritage UNESCO: there are more than 50 historical and architectural monuments, For example, Palace of the Shirvanshahs,Maiden's Tower or Khan's caravanserai XII century. For overzealous tourists, excursions are offered by electric car, during which you can learn about the city's cinematic past ("The Diamond Arm", "Tehran 43", "Amphibian Man", etc.).
During your walk, be sure to stop by one of the caravanserais. In a cozy restaurant with homemade Azerbaijani cuisine Jiz Biz, which is located in the northern part of the Old Town, the hospitable hosts taught us how to prepare a dessert in the shape of a crescent with elegant patterns Shakerbura(a traditional sweet for Nowruz), treated with kutabs with chestnuts and lamb and “Three Sisters” dolma (stuffed tomato, pepper and eggplant), served with feijoa compote and tea.
The area outside the walls of the Old City was developed at the beginning of the 20th century, when a separate caste of Baku oil nouveau riche emerged. They hired architects from Europe and came up with houses in the Baroque and Empire styles, but with a natural Asian accent. Eclectic, lush architecture, carousels on the boulevards and squares with fountains made the central part of the city look like Paris. For example, castle millionaire Murtuza Mukhtarova, built in 1912 after his trip to Europe with his wife, is still one of the main architectural structures of Baku. Inspired by Venetian architecture, Mukhtarov decided to surprise his wife and asked the architect to build a building in the French Gothic style. Today this house is located Wedding Palace.
Modern Baku
Stunning building Heydar Aliyev Center, built according to the design of the world famous architect Zaha Hadid, Baku residents compare it with spaceship, then with Marilyn Monroe's skirt lifted by the wind, and someone claims that from above the building resembles the autograph of President Aliyev himself. Be that as it may, this building was recognized as the best in the world in 2014! On an area of about 58 thousand square meters there is a congress center, the Heydar Aliyev Museum, exhibition halls, administrative offices.
On the most high point A complex appeared in Baku several years ago Flame Towers(“Flame Towers”), which is a kind of 3-D embodiment of the three golden torches depicted on the city’s coat of arms. Three gigantic buildings, shaped like tongues of fire, turn into a real bonfire at night, thanks to the lighting. There are residential apartments, shops, offices, a hotel, a cinema, restaurants and bars here. They say that at parties in the lounge bar by the pool “H 2 O” all the main party people of the city gather.
The main pedestrian artery of the city is, of course, Primorsky Boulevard. It was founded more than 100 years ago, and today it stretches as much as 16 kilometers along the Caspian Sea! What is there: musical fountains, a Ferris wheel, attractions, a yacht club, a summer theater and even a parachute tower. The Primorsky Park was given national status because... here you can see the rarest ornamental plants, shrubs and trees, such as baobabs and cacti. A must visit in the modern building Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, where a unique collection of not only carpets is collected, but also traditional clothing, weapons, jewelry and dishes. Baku Copacabana is also famous for its cafes and restaurants for every taste and budget: from teahouses, where local old-timers play backgammon, to expensive restaurants with original cuisine. To one of them, a modern Caspian restaurant Sahil, worth a look for the fantastic saja - lamb or sturgeon dishes, which are cooked and served in a special frying pan. The saj frying pan is used in Azerbaijan on both sides: lavash is baked on the convex side, and meat, fish and vegetables are fried on the reverse side. Here you can also try traditional Azerbaijani dishes in the author’s interpretation: dushbara, mangal salad, dovga, chihyrtma, ovrishta and several types of pilaf.
Until recently, the eastern part of Baku was called Black city, since large oil refineries have been located here since the late 19th century. In 2007, the city authorities, for aesthetic and environmental reasons, decided to clear the areas and, according to tradition, invited European architects to implement the project Baku White City("White City"). Today the only thing that reminds us of the neighborhood’s “dark” past is Villa Petrolea - Nobel Brothers Museum(yes, those same ones), which is the first museum of the Nobel family outside of Sweden. The fact is that in 1873, one of the brothers, Robert Nobel, was passing through Baku and got the idea of an oil field here. Almost immediately he bought a large oil refinery and soon the world's first (!) oil tanker, Zoroaster, was launched into the waters of the Caspian Sea.
Also in the White City there is one of the most modern and fashionable hotels Boulevard Hotel Baku, whose motto is “From the black gold of the past to the sparkling white future.” The hotel is largest conference hotel in Azerbaijan, there are more than 800 standard and luxury rooms with panoramic windows overlooking the Caspian Sea! There is a 24-hour cafe for guests here. Black City and restaurant Green House Kitchen.
What to bring
Armudu
The perfect pear-shaped glass self made can be purchased at any souvenir shop. Its uniqueness is that in the upper part of the glass the tea cools down faster, and the lower part retains heat longer due to the narrow neck. Armudu is important element Azerbaijani tea culture, because any feast here begins and ends with tea drinking.
Backgammon
Backgammon is also an integral part of Baku feasts: playing before, during breaks and after meals is a sacred thing! Backgammon made of expensive wood, handmade, with ornaments or engravings is an excellent gift.
Carpet
Carpet making in Azerbaijan is one of the ancient types of decorative and applied art. Each city has its own “school” of carpet, differing in patterns, colors and techniques. Baku carpets are usually made in blue and beige color scheme, and in the drawings you can distinguish images of a running dog, an eagle’s beak, stems and leaves. You don’t have to bring a whole carpet: you can buy a puzzle with a picture of a carpet (which, of course, is very difficult to assemble) or a computer mouse pad.
What to try
Porcupine and camel kebab
Because Azerbaijani cuisine is a kind of gastronomic jazz, where each housewife has her own interpretations and improvisations; surprising our dear guests is the main task! Both familiar and not so familiar ingredients are used: for example, dockfish or camel meat. By the way, the taste is practically no different from beef, especially if consumed with sour or spicy sauces.
Fermented cheese "Motal"
Literally, “motal” translates as a wineskin (a leather bag made from animal skin). First, the ayran is heated until it curdles, then the resulting curd is filled into a sheepskin, filled with brine and kept for 1 to 3 months. Cheese has a specific smell and taste, so it is pure form They practically don’t eat. Perfect option- in pita bread with cilantro, tarragon and basil, washed down with red wine.
Azerbaijani wines
Although the history of winemaking in Azerbaijan goes back several thousand years, high-quality wines began to be produced here relatively recently. According to statistics, about 50% of the country’s residents do not drink for religious reasons, 40% prefer strong alcohol, and only 10% is wine, so the bulk is exported. One of the main wineries of Absheron - Fireland Vineyards, famous for its local wines Madrasa, Ilkin and Yalli.
Other dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine
Flame Towers, Baku, Azerbaijan.
Incredible construction boom in Baku during recent years- new hotels, office buildings, skyscrapers, museums contemporary art...all this is amazing! This report is about how contemporary art and architecture can be organically integrated into a centuries-old layer rich history. Flame Towers are a new symbol of the capital. And also a story about the world's most famous female architect, Zaha Hadid, and her ambitious project in Baku.
Moving around Baku you always see cranes and scaffolding. In the city, I noted three areas of construction: firstly, the repair and improvement of old rear and facades of buildings Soviet era. Everything looks in the same style in one eye-pleasing color. All the facades of the building along the central highways are ideal, very beautifully illuminated at night. There will be a separate report on this.
Secondly - I saw an excellent example of what Old city it needs to be protected, and not built up, like in my city. In Kyiv, in fact, in the city center over the past 20 years, an incredible number of absolutely tasteless buildings have been built, which have erased the authenticity of the old city. In Baku, the old city was preserved and put in order, entry into it was limited, the buildings were repaired, they even overdid it a little with the repairs, this will also be a separate article. Modern buildings in the center are trying to be stylized while maintaining the general concept of the street or block.
Thirdly - this modern construction. The scale is amazing! Probably in the post-Soviet space only Moscow can be compared in terms of the number of objects under construction, but these are cities that are absolutely incommensurable in scale!
Shopping centers and hotels
The victory in the Eurovision Song Contest became a significant catalyst for construction in Baku; almost all new facilities should be commissioned by the spring of 2012. Local residents say that the city is changing literally before our eyes; within a month the same building may not be recognizable.
Modern shopping center in the city center and Hilton hotel. IN mall- side elements - dazhavu towers in London, in my opinion they look very good, especially at night :)
The new building of the Carpet Museum, reminiscent of an unrolling carpet. And here's an interesting detail - in the middle ground there is a small tower that shows the time "15:10", this is a Soviet-era design, previously used as a parachute attraction. Now they have decided to preserve it as one of the favorite symbols of the old city, even the old electronic scoreboard has been left the same! Although there is a modern embankment nearby.
Notice in this frame - the building on the left is in the old style, although it is a modern building. In general, there are very few buildings that would not fit into the appearance of the city with their novelty.
Parks and squares
It was very nice to see that absolutely everything, even very small parks and squares in the city, looked perfect. Well-groomed lawns, benches, fountains, lighting... Everything is very nice and attractive. Everywhere is perfectly clean!
The night illumination of buildings in the center looks very beautiful, but a report on “Baku at night” will definitely be in the near future:
"Flame Towers"
They have definitely already become a symbol of the new Baku. Flame is a flame, and one of the slogans of Azerbaijan is the phrase “Land of Fire”. 3 flames have been part of the coat of arms of Baku since 1883!
The towers are already fascinating, one can only imagine what it will look like after the opening. The construction budget is $350 million. These are three towers, 34, 37 and 39 floors respectively, which will house a hotel, offices, and residential premises. Total area - 350,000 sq.m. The opening is scheduled for early 2012.
The buildings are located on a hill and are visible from almost anywhere in the city and from the sea. The project takes into account the fact that Baku is located in a zone of constant winds and increased seismic activity.
The towers fit perfectly into the urban landscape and are visible from anywhere in the city.
What it looks like now:
How it will be in the project:
"Heydar Aliyev Center"
But the most incredible project, the implementation of which is already close to completion, is the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center.
The complex was designed by the world's most famous female architect of Arab origin, Zaha Hadid, and will have an area of 52,000 square meters (premises) and 111,000 square meters total area park, a 22m high conference hall, a museum, a library and a sculpture park. The Cultural Center will house a conference hall, 3 auditoriums, a library and a museum. This ambitious project will play an important role in the intellectual life of the city.
The architectural concept is a synthesis of waves-liquid-folds of skin, each element is unique in its own way and can be used for various purposes.
Zaha Hadid was born in 1950 in Baghdad. From 1972 to 1977 she studied at the Architectural Association in London. In 1980, Zaha Hadid founded her own architectural firm, Zaha Hadid Architects. She proposes designs for a habitable bridge over the Thames (1966), an inverted skyscraper for the English city of Leicester (1994), and a club on a mountaintop in Hong Kong (1983). Designs the Opera House in Cardiff (1994), Contemporary Art Centers in Ohio (1988) and Rome (1999) ... These and other projects brought her victory in prestigious architectural competitions (the first was won in 1983 in Hong Kong), interest, and then popularity among professionals, but remain on paper. Largely due to the unwillingness of customers to accept its non-standard and original design. Gradually, recognition comes to Zaha Hadid. One of the first completed developments was the fire station of the furniture company Vitra, reminiscent of the Stealth bomber (1993).
According to Hadid herself, a surge of interest in her work began after the building of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao was built in 1997, designed by Frank Gehry. The museum in Bilbao has defiantly bold forms and this is where the success of such buildings begins.
Here are some of her projects:
Bridge pavilion in Zaragoza, Spain:
Springboard in the ski capital of Austria - Innsbruck:
On the left is the art center in Abu Dhabi (under construction), on the top right is the transport museum in Glasgow, on the bottom right is the cable car station in Innsbruck:
She is not only an architect, but also a designer of many other things, for example, a lamp of her design:
The objects she designs are automatically included in the booklets of the main attractions of cities!
But her most ambitious project is now being built in Baku - the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center:
In September 2011, the frames of the buildings were almost completed, the opening of the complex is planned in the spring of 2012.
And a small postscript... This is a nice sign indicating renovation work on one of the central squares, I really liked this figurine:
But not everyone understands this, kids play with a toy builder :)
I always have an involuntary comparison between Baku and Dubai, where an ultra-metropolis was built in the desert. With one very significant “but”: in Dubai everything is artificial, bright, but not alive. In Baku, everything is built on a powerful historical layer, where there is culture and history, where the old and the new live very organically with each other. There's even modern forms already have their own soul. It may be difficult to put into words, but you can feel it.
Also read my other reports from Azerbaijan:
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The walk through the “new city” began immediately after I left the ancient fortress walls. There are several parks around the old city; modern Baku is a very, very well-groomed and pleasant city. You don’t often see dirt on the streets here.
All the parks are no longer “soviet”, “renovated” to the standards of the 21st century, and there are even such futuristic lanterns.
In Baku there are a lot of sculptures of residents who are engaged in “modern” affairs. For example, a girl who looks in the mirror and puts on makeup. This is Fountain Square - the main pedestrian area and the largest park complex in the city center.
Very cool little people that are used to mark borders repair work. Probably everyone who comes to Baku, tourists, takes pictures with them.
Girl with an umbrella and mobile phone– also a sculpture of modern Baku.
The streets are generally very clean and there are benches everywhere. Azerbaijan, like Azerbaijan, is striving to develop the tourism industry.
Azerbaijani violinist.
When I photograph people on the streets, I always ask their permission, if time permits of course. When they agree, they usually start posing, which is not very good, and I always ask them to continue doing what they were doing before, and then, I think, interesting pictures come out.
Fountains can easily be called a decoration of the modern capital of Azerbaijan.
A very beautiful embankment with a coastal park stretches along the entire Neftyanikov Avenue, you can enjoy walking along it magnificent view to the same Flame Towers, which are visible from everywhere in the city.
Alley of cacti in a coastal park.
There are several piers on the embankment, by going to which you can take off your “look” against the backdrop of Flame Towers and the TV tower.
The waving Azerbaijani flag in the park with Flame Towers in the background.
My hotel “Four Seasons” was located right on the embankment near the park; at first it seems that this is some kind of old building from the times of the USSR, “converted” to modern style, but no it's absolutely new building. The former "Soviet" building on this site was completely destroyed. And the current “Four Seasons”, in my opinion, fits very harmoniously into the modern landscape.
I don’t really like to look at cemeteries, but sometimes I want to see the most important and significant cemetery in the country. The Alley of Honorary Burial is something like the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. The most are buried here famous people countries. It is located in the Upland part of the city. Some graves are decorated like real works of art.
Monument to the poet Samed Vurgun.
And finally, “Flame Towers” - without a doubt today - is the main symbol of modern Baku.
There are only three buildings. In one building there will be office centers for the privileged office plankton, in the second there will be elite apartments for those who kept their ears to the ground in the 90s and managed to profitably acquire state property, and in the third there will be perhaps the best hotel in the city - a hotel of the Canadian chain " Fairmont." Just the entrance to the above-mentioned hotel, which is still just getting ready to welcome its first guests.
The hotel is not yet open, but with its upper floors The fully glass windows on the facades will offer such a view of the center of the capital of Azerbaijan.
At night, these three towers are illuminated like flames, according to a survey by the website www.scyscrapercercity.com, the illumination of these towers was recognized as the best in the world. The outside of the towers is completely covered modern LED panels that depict the movement of fire at night. The towers themselves possibly symbolize the coat of arms of the capital of Azerbaijan, which depicts 3 flames.
There are a lot of “English cabs” in Baku, which are used here as taxis.
Baku, and Azerbaijan as a whole, are rapidly developing in the tourism industry. Previously, the eastern regions of Baku, where oil industry enterprises were concentrated, were called “Black City”. The area got its name from the city buildings, black from soot and smoke. Since 2007, Azerbaijan has been implementing new project Baku White City, within the framework of which 10 completely new districts in the “High-Tech” style will be built on the territory of the Black City. According to the project, this should really be a real city of the future.
Even now, walking along Neftchinikov Avenue along the Caspian Sea, you can enjoy magnificent panoramas of the city.
The building of the new Hilton hotel on the embankment.
Palace of the Government of Azerbaijan.
I was in Baku for the “Second May Day” and just caught Heydar Aliyev’s birthday - this holiday was celebrated “in a big way” in the country. In the evening we managed to catch the festive fireworks in the Coastal Park.
This is how I saw modern Baku, and I decided to devote my remaining time in the country to the final excursion - a trip to the mud springs of Azerbaijan...
