No windows , either.
Maiden Tower.
Azerbaijanis are incredibly proud of this monument that is shrouded in mystery and legend even though scholars and historians are unable to speak with absolute authority about its origins.
The walled city of Baku,Azerbaijan
The Walled City of Baku represents an outstanding and rare example of an historic urban ensemble and architecture with influence from Zoroastrian, Sassanian, Arabic, Persian, Shirvani, Ottoman, and Russian cultures.
About 12th century, Maiden Tower which was built into the walled defense system of Baku. There have been
many fluctuations of the sea level of the Caspian Sea. It's totally possible that the sea lapped at the tower in
the past although today it is about one block away.
The heavy structure of the Maiden Tower is anchored to a rock that slopes into the sea. The structure is 16-
16.5 meters in diameter and rises eight levels to tower above all the buildings of the old "Inner City" of Baku.
Its architectural plan, seemingly so simple, consists of walls which at the base are extraordinarily thick,
beginning at five meters in depth and gradually narrowing to four meters at the top. On the southern side of
the cylindrical-shaped tower are relatively narrow niches about the height of a man through which the sun
enters to illuminate the inner chambers. Rather curiously, there appears to be an external door that opens out
to nowhere from the fourth floor. There is even a slot for a wooden spar, which seems to have served as a door-
lock. But why on the fourth floor?
Legends Many legends surround the Maiden Tower. Most of them center around the word-"Maiden." A young girl,
according to most versions, ordered the tower to be built and then either locked herself in, or threw herself
from its heights into the sea below. As the level of the Caspian Sea has experienced cycles of fluctuation-rising
and falling-over the centuries, there is a strong possibility that at one time, the waves did lap at the Tower
although today the sea is about a block away although it is getting closer and closer again.
According to one of the most popular legends, it was a king, himself the girl's father,who fell in love with her
and wanted to marry her. But the girl tried to delay her father's advances by begging him to build the tower and
wait until it was completed. When he completed it, he had still not changed his mind. That's when she leaped
into the sea. Culturally speaking, specialists believe that the fact that the story depicts a father wanting to
marry his daughter probably indicates that the legend predates Islam. Prior to the occupation of Islamic rule in
the 7th and 8th century, experts believe that power was transferred via female lineage in the region that now is
known as Azerbaijan. To maintain these dynasties, it is believed that sometimes ritualistic marriages were
arranged between brothers and sisters, and even fathers and daughters. It is this practice that may be reflected
in these legends that surrounds the Maiden Tower.
