Shirvanshahs Palace, Baku

Shirvanshahs Palace is a 15th-century palace in Baku's Inner City. The palace complex includes the main building, the burial vaults, the shah's mosque, a mausoleum, a gate, a reservoir and the ruins of a bath house and an ancient mosque.

The palace was built under the orders of Shirvan Khalil I in 1435. Inscriptions on his tomb and the mosque minaret show that the palace was completed sometime between 1436 and 1442. It is believed that the construction was based on the designs of the Shirvan-Absheron architectural school.

The palace was once surrounded by a wall with towers. It also once had rooms for court servants. Though none of the walls or service areas remain, remnants of the construction have been uncovered by archaeologists.

Shirvanshahs Palace was declared a museum-preserve in 1964. Restoration work on the palace began in 1992. In 2000, the palace was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along with Maiden Tower, the palace was the first area in Azerbaijan to hold the World Heritage Site distinction.