# Maiden Tower, Baku > The Maiden Tower (Qız qalası) is a round stone tower about 28 m tall on the south-east edge of Baku’s Old City — the city’s emblem and part of a UNESCO site. Inside is a museum on eight levels; on top, an open roof over the bay. It is open **daily 10:00–19:00** and foreign visitors pay **19 AZN**. Allow 45 minutes. Its age is disputed: an inscription dates to the 12th century, but the lower part may be far older. Web page: https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-maiden-tower - City: [Baku](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku), Azerbaijan - YesGo score: 52/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 45 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Ticket (foreign visitors): Adult 19 AZN, child 5–17 9 AZN - Azerbaijani citizens: Adult 5 AZN, student 2.50 AZN, child 5–17 2 AZN - Opening hours: Every day, 10:00–19:00 - Under 5s: Not on the price list — unofficially free - Address: 99 Neftchilar Avenue, Icherisheher - Nearest metro: İçərişəhər, then ≈ 10 minutes’ walk through the Old City - Access: Stone stairs only — no lift - Payment: Visa and Mastercard widely accepted in Baku; carry some manat cash - Coordinates: 40.36617, 49.83725 - Facts checked: 02.11.2026 ## Key facts - **≈ 28 m** — tall — 28 m on one side and 31 m on the other, as it stands on a rock ledge (source: Icherisheher Reserve Administration; Russian Wikipedia (English Wikipedia gives 29.5 m)) - **12th century** — date of the Kufic inscription “Tower of Masud, son of Davud”, 14 m up the wall (source: Icherisheher Reserve Administration; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **2000** — listed by UNESCO with the Walled City and the Shirvanshahs’ Palace (source: Icherisheher Reserve Administration; English Wikipedia) - **8 levels** — each under a stone dome, linked by a stair inside the wall (source: Icherisheher Reserve Administration; Russian Wikipedia) - **16.5 m** — diameter at the base (source: Icherisheher Reserve Administration; English Wikipedia) - **5 m** — thick walls at the bottom, about 4 m near the top (source: Icherisheher Reserve Administration; Russian Wikipedia) - **1964** — the year it opened as a museum (source: Icherisheher Reserve Administration; Russian Wikipedia) - **21 m** — deep well inside the tower, reached from the second level (source: English Wikipedia; WhichMuseum) - **8th–7th c. BC** — the earliest date one hypothesis gives for the lower part (source: Icherisheher Reserve Administration; English Wikipedia) - **15th century** — Khoja Gayib bathhouse at the tower’s foot, its domes now excavated (source: Icherisheher Reserve Administration; AZERTAC) ## Maiden Tower tickets and opening hours Foreign adults pay **19 AZN** and children aged 5–17 pay **9 AZN**; Azerbaijani citizens have a separate, lower rate. The tower is open **every day from 10:00 to 19:00**, with no weekly closing day. Prices and hours are from the Icherisheher Reserve’s official museum price list. Tickets are sold at the desk by the entrance — there is no need to book. Online resellers offer timed tickets, but their terms usually rule out cancellation. The [Shirvanshahs’ Palace](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/shirvanshahs-palace) is a separate ticket (24 AZN for foreign visitors), while walking around the Old City itself is free. Paying: Visa and Mastercard work widely in Baku, in shops, restaurants and ATMs. Carry a little manat cash anyway in case a card terminal is down, and get a BakıKart for the metro. ## Is the Maiden Tower worth it? Yes — for the roof. It is the best close-up view of the Old City you can get: minarets and flat roofs below you, the bay and the Boulevard in front, and the [Flame Towers](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/flame-towers) on the hill behind. The climb and the roof take about 45 minutes. The exhibition on the way up is modest — a few panels and objects on each level. If museums bore you and the price feels steep, enjoy the tower from outside and from the Boulevard, which costs nothing. If you only pay for one Old City sight, choose between the view here and the carved stone of the Shirvanshahs’ Palace. > **Go at opening time** The stair inside the wall is narrow, and when tour groups arrive around midday it jams. At 10:00 you climb almost alone and get the glass at the top to yourself. Late afternoon is quieter too — just be in before 19:00. ## How to get to the Maiden Tower 1. Take the metro to **İçərişəhər** station, paying with a BakıKart. 2. Cross to the Old City walls and go in through the **Double Gates (Qoşa Qala)**, with the Shirvanshahs’ lions above the arch. 3. Walk downhill through the lanes towards the sea, heading south-east — about 10 minutes; the tower is easy to spot. 4. The entrance faces 99 Neftchilar Avenue, beside the excavated bathhouse at the tower’s foot. 5. Coming from the [Baku Boulevard](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-boulevard)? Cross Neftchilar Avenue — the tower stands right opposite, behind the city wall. ## What’s inside the Maiden Tower - **Eight levels** under shallow stone domes, each with a small display on the tower, the Old City and its excavations. - **The well** — 21 m deep, opening from the second level; it let the tower hold out without going outside for water. - **Slit windows** that widen inwards, showing just how thick the walls are. - **The stair** — stone, steep and narrow in places, so you will wait for people coming down. - **The roof** — an open deck behind glass panels, with the bay, the Boulevard, the Old City’s minarets and the Flame Towers all around. - **A gift shop** with books and miniature towers. ## How old is the Maiden Tower, and who built it? Nobody knows for certain. A Kufic inscription 14 m up the wall reads “Tower of Masud, son of Davud”, and its lettering points to the **12th century**. Whether Masud built the tower or only repaired it is disputed. The upper part looks like the central tower of the 6th-century Chirag Gala fortress, so many scholars think the tower went up in two stages: a smooth lower section about 12 m high, possibly very ancient, and a later top above the stone belt. The boldest theory puts the lower part in the 8th–7th centuries BC. The Icherisheher Reserve presents both views, and so do we. What it was for is just as unclear: fortress, fire temple, observatory, lighthouse or a Zoroastrian “tower of silence”. The 5 m walls and the internal well suggest defence; the awkward layout and the few, upward-facing windows do not. It has been a museum since **1964** and part of the UNESCO-listed Walled City since **2000**. ## Why is it called the Maiden Tower? The legend The most likely explanation is plain: “maiden” (qız) was used for a fortress that had never been taken — untouched, impregnable. This is an unofficial explanation, but the most widely repeated one. The legend everyone tells is more dramatic. A shah wanted to marry his daughter off to a man she did not love; she asked him first to build her a tower, and when it was finished and he would not relent, she climbed to the top and threw herself into the sea. The reserve also records versions about a girl with a fiery sword who saved the besieged city, and a shah’s daughter in love with a fisherman who walked across the waves to her. All the stories put the sea at the foot of the tower, and the roof is still the best place in the Old City to look out over the Caspian. None of them can be proved — pick your favourite. ## Best photo spots For the whole tower, stand on the square at its foot, by the fence around the excavated domes of the Khoja Gayib bathhouse and the old arches — tower and domes fit in one frame. From the Boulevard across the avenue you get the tower rising above the city wall. At blue hour it is floodlit — the most striking shot of the day. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] A card or some manat cash - [ ] BakıKart for the metro - [ ] I’ll be in before 19:00 - [ ] Comfortable shoes for steep stone stairs - [ ] A jacket — the wind off the Caspian is strong on the roof - [ ] 45 minutes in the plan ## Maiden Tower vs Shirvanshahs’ Palace vs an Old City walk | | Maiden Tower | Shirvanshahs’ Palace | Old City walk | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Tower museum of disputed age | 15th-century palace complex | Walled town with lanes and mosques | | Foreign visitor ticket | 19 AZN | 24 AZN | Free | | Hours | 10:00–19:00 daily | 10:00–19:00 daily | Always open | | Best for | The rooftop view | Stone carving, mausoleum, bathhouse | Atmosphere, gates, caravanserais | | Time needed | ≈ 45 min | 1–1.5 h | 2 h or more | Paying for just one? Pick the tower for the view, the palace for history and architecture. You will walk through the [Old City](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-old-town) either way — both are inside it. ## Baku’s historic sights compared Every historic sight in Baku rated by YesGo. - [Maiden Tower](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-maiden-tower) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · 19 AZN for foreign visitors - [Old City (Icherisheher)](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-old-town) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h · Free entry, museums from 10 ₼ - [Palace of the Shirvanshahs](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/shirvanshahs-palace) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 24 AZN for foreign visitors - [Flame Towers and Highland Park](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/flame-towers) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free; funicular 1 AZN - [Baku Boulevard](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-boulevard) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free - [Heydar Aliyev Center](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/heydar-aliyev-center) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 15 AZN; classic cars +10 AZN - [Azerbaijan Carpet Museum](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-carpet-museum) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 10 AZN for foreigners, students 3 AZN - [Ateshgah Fire Temple](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/ateshgah-fire-temple) — YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 15 AZN for foreign visitors - [Gobustan rock art and mud volcanoes](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/gobustan) — YesGo score 19/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ 10–15 AZN, volcanoes extra ## Old City and seafront in half a day The Shirvanshahs’ Palace at the top of the Old City, downhill to the Maiden Tower, the Boulevard by the sea and the Carpet Museum in its rolled-carpet building. 1. [Palace of the Shirvanshahs](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/shirvanshahs-palace) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 24 AZN for foreign visitors 2. [Maiden Tower](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-maiden-tower) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · 19 AZN for foreign visitors 3. [Baku Boulevard](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-boulevard) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free 4. [Azerbaijan Carpet Museum](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku/baku-carpet-museum) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 10 AZN for foreigners, students 3 AZN ## Not to be confused with Istanbul’s Maiden’s Tower (Kız Kulesi) is a different place — a small lighthouse on an islet in the Bosphorus. Baku’s tower is Qız qalası, on dry land in the Old City. Some map apps show the address as 21 Neftchilar Avenue; the reserve’s own site gives number 99. ## Tips - Climb on a clear day — in haze the bay and the Flame Towers fade out. - Start at the Shirvanshahs’ Palace on the hilltop and walk down to the tower — it is downhill all the way. - If steep steps are hard for you, the outside and the view from the Boulevard are enough — there is no lift. - After dark, see the floodlit tower from the Baku Boulevard for free. - Children 5–17 need their own ticket; leave the pushchair at the bottom. - A guided Old City walk usually starts here and makes sense of the theories and legends. ## Questions ### How much is the Maiden Tower ticket? 19 AZN for foreign adults and 9 AZN for children aged 5–17. Azerbaijani citizens pay 5 AZN. ### What are the Maiden Tower opening hours? Every day from 10:00 to 19:00, with no weekly closing day. ### Is the Maiden Tower in Baku worth visiting? Yes, for the rooftop view over the Old City and the bay. The exhibition inside is small, so if you skip it, see the tower from outside for free. ### How long do you need at the Maiden Tower? About 45 minutes for the climb, the levels and the roof. ### Can you go to the top of the Maiden Tower? Yes, the roof is open to ticket holders. The only way up is a stone stair — there is no lift. ### How old is the Maiden Tower? Unknown. An inscription dates to the 12th century, but some scholars believe the lower part is much older, even 8th–7th century BC. ### Why is it called the Maiden Tower? Most likely because “maiden” meant a fortress never captured. The legend of a princess who jumped into the sea came later. ### How do I get to the Maiden Tower? Metro to İçərişəhər, enter the Old City through the Double Gates and walk downhill for about 10 minutes. From the Boulevard, just cross Neftchilar Avenue. ### How tall is the Maiden Tower? About 28 m — 31 m on the lower side of its rock ledge. The diameter is 16.5 m. ## How we checked Prices, hours and the address come from the official Icherisheher Reserve price list and museum page. Other facts are checked against at least two sources. The height differs — the reserve and Russian Wikipedia give 28 m (31 m on the other side of the ledge), English Wikipedia 29.5 m — so we say “about 28 m”. We show both dating theories, as the reserve does. Free entry for under-5s, the lack of a lift, card payment and the walk from the metro are marked “verifying”. ## Sources - Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve Administration: Museums — hours, address and price list, 02.11.2026 - Icherisheher Reserve Administration: monument page “Qız qalası” — dimensions, dating, hypotheses and legends - English and Russian Wikipedia: Maiden Tower (Baku); Wikidata Q842822 - WhichMuseum: Baku’s Maiden Tower: Azerbaijan’s Ancient Mystery on the Caspian - AZERTAC: on the Khoja Gayib bathhouse by the Maiden Tower - Travelto: How to pay in Baku in 2026 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.