Gyz Galasy Maiden Tower
Maiden Tower, Baku, Azerbaijan
Description:
The Maiden Tower or Gyz Galasy is one of the most famous and most mysterious sights of Baku.
The tower is unique in its kind, as it has no analogues in the East. Its unique form still causes many conjectures and disputes. Erected on a ledge of coastal rock, the tower is a cylinder, whose height is twenty-eight meters, and the diameter is sixteen and a half meters. On the east side, a ledge is attached to the tower, the purpose of which is not defined.
The tower is divided into eight tiers, each of which is covered by a stone dome with a small round hole.
The date of construction of the tower is also a controversial issue. It is known that in the XII century the tower entered the defensive system of Baku, and in the XVIII-XIX centuries it was used as a lighthouse.
In 1964, the tower became a museum. In 2000, the Maiden Tower was included in the list of UNESCO monuments.