This article is about the tower in old town Baku, Azerbaijan. For the tower near Istanbul, Turkey in the Bosporus strait, see Maiden's Tower Baku (Azeri: Bakı, Russian: Баку) is the capital of Azerbaijan. ... Shows the Location of the Province İstanbul Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul; a contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... This article is about the strait; Bosphorus is also a university in Turkey. ... Kiz Kulesi (also known as Maidens Tower) is a tower sitting on a small islet located in Istanbul. ...

The Maiden Tower stands in old town Baku, Azerbaijan

Baku's Maiden Tower (Qız Qalası), is a tower in old town Baku, originally on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Due to land reclamation in the early 20th century it is now separated from the Caspian by a busy main road and public gardens. It was constructed in the 12th century, or possibly earlier - its architectural style and construction sequence is obscure, and estimates for its age go back to an unlikely 2,500 years. Download high resolution version (960x1280, 538 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (960x1280, 538 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Baku (Azeri: Bakı, Russian: Баку) is the capital of Azerbaijan. ... Caspian Sea viewed from orbit The Caspian Sea or Mazandaran Sea is a landlocked sea between Asia and Europe (European Russia). ... Land reclamation is either of two distinct practices. ...

There are a number of competing explanations for the name:

• A legend concerning a maiden who threw herself off its top, to her death in the waves below.
• It may have been a sacred structure devoted to the maiden goddess Ani, referred to in mythologies of the Caucasus and Central Asia.
• The fact that the tower has never been taken by force.

The Maiden Tower is a noted landmark and one of Azerbaijan's most distinctive national emblems, to be seen on Azeri currency notes and other official pieces of paper. It houses a museum and gift shop, selling traditional textile and ceramic products. The view from the roof is highly recommended, taking in the alleys and minarets of the Old City, the Boulevard, the De Gaulle house and a wide vista of Baku Bay. In recent years the brazier on the top has been lit during the nights of the Norouz festival, celebrated in Iran as well as Azerbaijan. For the abbreviation or acronym ANI, please see ANI. In Etruscan mythology, Ani was the sky god, perhaps equivalent to the Roman Janus. ... The manat is the currency unit of Azerbaijan. ... Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (  listen?) (November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970), in France commonly referred to as le général de Gaulle, was a French military leader and statesman. ... Haft Seen Norouz (also spelled Norooz, Noruz, Nauroz, Nav-roze, Navroz, Naw-Rúz or Nowrouz and in Persian نوروز) is the traditional Persian festival of the New Year in the Persian calendar which starts at the exact moment of the vernal equinox, commencing the start of the spring. ...

External links

• Baku's Maiden Tower from Azerbaijan International