The Maiden Tower (, ) is a 12th-century monument in the Old City, Baku, Azerbaijan. Along with the Shirvanshahs' Palace, dated to the 15th century, it forms a group of historic monuments listed in 2001 under the UNESCO World Heritage List of Historical Monuments as cultural property, Category III. It was built, like most buildings in the Old City, by the Iranian Shirvanshahs, and is one of Azerbaijan's most distinctive national emblems, and is thus featured on Azerbaijani currency notes and official letterheads.
The Maiden Tower houses a museum, which presents the story of the historic evolution of Baku city. It also has a gift shop. The view from the roof takes in the alleys and minarets of the Old City, the Baku Boulevard, the Isa bek Hajinski House and a wide vista of the Baku Bay.
The tower is often subject to speculations about its origin.Baku's Maiden Tower: Legendary Monument of Mystery by Dr. Seyran Valiyev. AZER.com at Azerbaijan International, Vol. 4:2 (Summer 1996), pp. 30-33. Secrets of the Maiden Tower: What They Reveal about Early Man's Beliefs Ronnie Gallagher and Betty Blair. AZER.com at Azerbaijan International, Vol. 14:3 (Autumn 2006), pp. 40-63. Some epics became a subject for scenarios for ballets and theatre's plays. The ballet Maiden Tower is a piece of the Azerbaijani ballet created by composer Afrasiyab Badalbeyli in 1940; a remake of the ballet was performed in 1999.
Resulting from the recession of the Caspian Sea shoreline, a strip of land emerged. This land was developed between the 9th and 15th centuries, when the walls of the old city and the palace, including the huge bastion of the Maiden Tower, were built.
History
Some scientific sources indicate that the Maiden Tower is a paramount example of Zoroastrianism and the pre-Islamic architecture in Iran and Azerbaijan.D.A.Akhundov, On the origins, purposes and dating of the Baku tower-temple (qiz qalasi), in Russian, Baku, 1974, pp18-19, O proiskhozhdenii, naznachenii i datirovke Bakinskogo Bashennogo khrama (Qiz qalasi), in Russian, Baku, 1974, pp.18-19Sara Ashurbeyli, New evidences on the history of Baku and the Maiden Tower, in Azerbaijani, Journal of Arts, N2 (14), Azerneshr publishing house, 1972, Ашурбейли С. Б. Новые изыскания по истории Баку и Девичьей башни. Гобустан. Альманах искусств №2(14). Азернешр, 1972 (на азерб. языке) Davud A. Akhundov provides archeological and architectural evidence and argues that the Tower is Zoroastrians' Fire temple-Tower which had 7 fire exits on the top of the tower.Davud A.Akhundov, The Architecture of the Ancient and Early-Medieval Azerbaijan, In Russian, Baku, 1986,, Azerneshr publishing house, pages-311, Ахундов Д. А. Архитектура древнего и раннесредневекового Азербайджана. Баку, Азернешр, 1986, , стр-311 http://www.ebooks.az/book_0NetTl4d.html?lang=ru Zoroastrian believed that there are 7 Steps or 7 Sky to reach heaven.
Davud A.Akhundov and Hassan Hassanov date the fire temple-tower approximately as 8th-7th century B.C.Davud A.Akhundov, The Architecture of the Ancient and Early Medieval Azerbaijan, In Russian, Baku, 1986, , Azerneshr publishing house, pp-311, Ахундов Д. А. Архитектура древнего и раннесредневекового Азербайджана. Баку, Азернешр, 1986, , стр-311, http://www.ebooks.az/book_0NetTl4d.html?lang=ruHassan Hassanov, Baku's Maiden Tower. A Pagan Monument of Baku, in Russian, , Baku, 2014, Гасан Гасанов, Девичья башня : Бакинская Девичья Башня; Языческий комплекс Баку, 2014, стр 487, , https://library.ada.edu.az:444/search~S0?/cNA1492.72+.B35+F38313+2013/cna+1492.72+b35+f38313+2013/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CE/frameset&FF=cna+1492.72+b3+g27+2014&1%2C1%2CJonathan M. Bloom and Sheila S. Blair, The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture, Oxford University Press, 2009, Vol N2. , page-239, http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195309911.001.0001/acref-9780195309911
The Maiden Tower, set in the south-east part of Icheri Sheher, has mystique and hoary history and legends that are linked to two periods, though not conclusively established. The area was first settled in the Palaeolithic period.
Sara Ashurbeyli, Professor and prominent historian and expert in the history of Baku has calculated that the tower foundations, which extend 15 metres below ground level and the bottom three stories above ground, were originally built between the 4th and 6th centuries CE and points out the marked difference in the stone used in the tower compared to the stone used in the medieval city surrounding it. This conclusion is partly supported by historian Bretanitskiy, who has postulated that the tower was partly built in the 5th to 6th centuries and then later in the 12th century. The site was believed to have been used originally during the Sasanid era as a Zoroastrian temple.Avesta. History of Zoroastrism An inscription located 14 metres high on the south wall which in old Kufic script mentions Qubbeye Masud ibn Davud (or Kubey Mesud ibn Da’ud), an architect active during the 12th century; he is the father of the architect who built the Mardakan Round Tower.Ашурбейли Сара. История города Баку: период средневековья. Баку, Азернешр, 1992, p. 149 However, it is disputed as the inscription, unlike the Mardakan Tower inscription, does not actually reveal him to have been the architect, although it is generally agreed that much of the modern tower dates back to the 12th century. Ahmadov believes that the tower was used as an astronomical observatory from the time of this reconstruction, due to the fact that 30 hewed stone protuberances on the tower's lower section and the 31 protuberances on the upper section, linked with a stone belt, correlate to the days of the month.
According to recent archaeological excavations, carried out in 1962–63 on the ground floor of the tunnel, the tower was built on a large rock sloping toward the sea, and the buttress structure projecting out from the main tower provided stability to the tower. Further excavations have also revealed wooden girders, each high, at the foundation of the tower. This has been inferred as an earthquake-resistant design. It has also been conjectured that the cylindrical shape of the tower with thick base walls tapering to ( is also mentioned) provided the solid foundation on which it has survived over the centuries. It is also mentioned that the tower was built at one go and not at different times as inferred by other scholars.
The tower and other wall structures now under the UNESCO list were strengthened during the Russian rule in 1806 and have survived.
The Maiden Tower is depicted on the obverse of the Azerbaijani 1 to 250 manat banknotes of 1992–2006,Central Bank of Azerbaijan. National currency: 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 250 manat. – Retrieved on 25 February 2010. and of the 10 manat banknote issued since 2006,Central Bank of Azerbaijan. National currency: 10 manat. – Retrieved on 25 February 2010. as well as on the obverse of the Azerbaijani 50 qəpik coin minted between 1992 and 2006 and the reverse 5 qəpik coin minted since 2006.Central Bank of Azerbaijan. National currency: New generation coins. – Retrieved on 25 February 2010.
Legends and mysteries There are various mysteries and legends related to Baku's Maiden Tower. However, the main mystery is the Tower's design and purpose. Meanwhile, there are up to 20 legends related to Baku Maiden Tower. A large number of them are connected to the Islamic and Medieval period of Baku's history. But others are rooted deeply in Azerbaijan'sAzerbaijan. Pre-Islamic History, Encyclopedia Iranica, http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/azerbaijan-iii Zoroastrian or pre-Islamic history, religion, and culture. Probably, the most famous legend is that of the fiery-haired virgin girl who saved Baku's people from slavery. The epic shows roots to Azerbaijan's Zoroastrian beliefs and culture and has reached down to modern times.
According to research by Veyis Ibragimov, the Maiden Tower was built for oil refining and is analogous to modern distillation columns.
The Legend of the Fire-Color-Haired Virgin Girl Savior
A long time ago, there existed the ancient town-fortress of Baku. The fortress had a Fire Temple Tower. At one point in Baku’s history, the enemy managed to encircle the fortress. The enemy demanded that the people of Baku surrender, but they refused. Consequently, the enemy launched a siege to demolish the fortress and capture all the inhabitants as slaves. As a result, many defenders of the fortress died while attempting to stop the enemy's attacks. The enemy's commander ordered the water supply lines cut in an attempt to drive the fortress's defenders into submission. Everybody in the fortress was thirsty. They had no water, nor food - only blood and death. The Supreme Magi, together with other priests, prayed to the Holy Fire kept in the fortress's Fire Temple Tower, asking the god Ahura Mazda to help and protect the people. They prayed day and night, asking the All-Mighty and Merciful Ahura Mazda to save their lives and push the enemy back.
Finally, the supreme god Ahura Mazda heard the magi and people's prayers. One day, people saw a large piece of the Holy Fire falling from the top of the Fire Temple Tower. A beautiful girl came up from the fire. She had long fire-colored hair. The crowd went down on their knees and started to pray to her. The girl said: "Don't be afraid! I am here to help and protect you! Give me a sword and helmet! The enemy must not see my fire-colored hair. Open the fortress gate!"
Meanwhile, the enemy commander was waiting outside for a one-on-one fight with the fortress pahlevan (hero). If the fortress pahlevan were to win the fight, the enemy's army would retreat, but, if the enemy commander were to win, the fortress would be destroyed and the surviving inhabitants would be enslaved.
The fortress gate opened, and the enemy commander saw the fortress's pahlevan was coming to fight. A heavy battle began. In one of the god-blessed moments that ensued, the fortress pahlevan unhorsed the enemy and put a sword directly at his neck. The enemy screamed, "Oh, you win! Who are you? Take your helmet off. I want to see your face, Pahlevan!" She took off the helmet and he saw that the fortress pahlevan was a beautiful girl with long, fire-colored hair. He exclaimed, "Oh, you are a girl! You are a brave and beautiful girl! If the girls of Baku are so brave, I will never capture your fortress! Do not kill me, beauty!"
He fell in love with her because of her beauty and bravery and asked her to marry him. Of course, the girl did not kill him, fell in love with him because of his open heart.
Ultimately, the enemy did not capture Baku and the local people named a tower as the Maiden tower.Mahir Khalifa-zadeh and Leyla Khalifazadeh, The Legend of Baku Maiden Tower (Zoroastrian legends), http://www.azglobalcontext.org/2017/02/the-legend-of-baku-maiden-tower_17.html
A Second Version of the Maiden Savior
Long ago, the fortress city of Bade-Qube (Baku) was besieged by the enemy. Bade-Qube had three rows of defense walls, but they had all been encircled by the enemy.
After the siege had gone on for ninety days, the rulers knew they must act. Inside the fortress close to the sea, there was a high and black steaming tower temple in which old rituals were performed to save the Holy Fire. The temple's principal magus, Egirwand, performed old fire rituals, proclaiming to the fire worshipers: "Tomorrow, the Shah will be killed by the unknown and virginal power." The temple door suddenly opened and a virgin girl with flaming hair came out. She was illuminated by the temple's holy fire and held a flaming sword in her hands. Covered by the flame, she exited the temple and stood by the principal Magus. The Magus said, "You must save the holy city, a capital of eternal fires, and save the Tower that created you."