Its height is 32 m, its diameter is 16.5 m on the first floor. On the first floor, the thickness of the wall reaches 5 m. The inside of the tower is divided into 8 floors. Each floor is covered with dome-shaped ceiling with stones. The castle has been functioning as a museum since 1964 and was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.There are circular holes in the center of these roofed ceilings. The holes are in the direction of the vertical line. It is possible to see the floor of the first floor when looking at the circular hole between the ceiling of VIII floor. The only entrance to the castle is on the western side, 2 m high and 1.1 m wide doorway from the previous surface of the Earth.Maiden Tower, one of the emblems of Azerbaijan, has been repeatedly described above Azerbaijan's coins.In recent years there has been a tradition of celebrating Novruz holiday festivals every year at the Maiden Tower and its surrounding square.Stacking [edit main edit]
In terms of architectural history, there is no monument to be compared with Maiden Tower in terms of arguing around controversial big time span. There are also experts who argue that the age of the monument began in the Sumerian period, and those who attempted to prove that it was built in the XII century. The difference in time here is more than 3,000 years, not just a few years, even a few centuries, as in other unknown memorials.In a book on the walls of the fortress, these words are written in Arabic: "The son of David, the son of Massuw." Some researchers believe that this person is a feudal judge who built the Maiden Tower. However, given that the names of the architects are usually referred to in these leukanic inscriptions, it is possible to say that the son of David, Mesud, was the architect who built the Maiden Tower [7]. Since the writing style of the book is closer to the XII century inscription, the Maiden Tower is thought to have been built during this period. On the other hand, according to many scholars, the Qala (upper layer) was built in those centuries since the Kufi writings were used in the X-XII centuries. However, some scholars claim that these ideas are wrong. Archaeologists, such as Ilyas Babayev and Gara Ahmedov, came to the conclusion that the mixing of stones from the stones - a lime blend. They took the monument belonging to the first millennium of Gabala. There, too, the monument was built with a lime blend, and the Maiden Tower also belonged to the ancient period. This opinion was confirmed by Sara khanum Ashurbeyli.Based on the structure of Abida, researchers say that the Zoroastrian era of Zoroastrianism - the Zoroastrian dervish, the temple of the Atheist, the Mithra and the Anahitas, were built in ancient times. According to the probability of these researchers, the Maiden Tower, the temple of Ateshgah, In the VIII-VII centuries, at the shores of the Caspian Sea, the flames of Kaspiana and Medya could be built in the ancient Fire City "Atashi Baquan" between natural burning fires.
According to many scholars, it is possible to say that the Maiden Tower was similar to the Chirag-Qala fortress and belonged to Gilgilchay's defense system. The Maiden Tower is similar to the architectural elements in the castle towers of North-East Albania, and there are also experts in the V-VI centuries AD. From history it is known that Baku, which is considered one of the southern cities of Caucasian Albania, was under the influence of Sassanids. It is possible to assume that the Maiden Tower was part of the Sasani empire, which was built in the north of the Sassanid Empire, in the Albanian territory.
The Maiden Tower, which has been damaged by various battles for centuries, has been gradually restored and served the city's defense in the Middle Ages, along with the Baku Gala Wall. This is also evidence of changes in the structure of the monument. The fortress is such that when the city is conquered by the enemy, the ruler of the era or those close to him can resist the long-term closing of the gates of the fortress. Since all these are typical for defensive towers, such protection measures can not be required for any temple, guard tower, or observatory. [11] Of course, it is not denied that the use of the monument purposefully for its own time. It is possible to note the similarity of the mausoleum to the spectacular fortresses of Absheron (Mardakan, Ramana, Shuvalan, Nardaran towers).Architectural features:The Maiden Tower, which has no insignificance in Absheron's defense towers as well as its outward appearance, draws attention with the unique form of its more plan. This uniqueness has created a contour adjacent to the circular tower. Investigators of the collapse have been regarded as counterfeit - a wall, a ghost, or a hidden treasure site. C. Kiika notes that this function could have been an additional battleground for the top castle defenders. [13] All the defenses of the Absheron castles were gathered on their roofs, and the resistance to the fortresses was ruggedly rooted above the towers of the towers. Climbing the Tower of the Tower of the Maiden Tower shows that there is a direct link between their top yards. The rug is also the eastern part of the fort, which is expected to attack the castle. Another example is the Javanshir fortress in the architecture of the Azerbaijani architecture, which has been put forward to strengthen defense in the castle construction.
As in the towers of the Absheron castles, the elevated cylindrical capacity in the Maiden Tower slightly narrows downwards from the bottom to the bottom, while the floors are expanded upwards (the inside diameter is 6.25 m in the first floor and 7.0 m in the last floor). In this way, the strength of the castle's engineers and viewers is enhanced.The Maiden Tower is built on a giant rock. The highest point is the top of a circular tower with a height of up to 30 meters above the top of the rock. The slope of the tower is a bit lower. The tall and thick stone mass of the collapse is the circle of the tower. As if the projection turned into a tower cylinder. Looking from the outside and above, it creates the effect of building the building "9" by creating nine images.
Plastering of the upper part of the tower exit with horizontal horizontal rocks (these rocks are filled with white lime mass in the early ages) create an artistic, spiral-free motion on the surfaces. In the look of the Maiden Tower, peace and tension, combined in organic way, created a symbol of invincibility, indulgence. Baku Maiden Tower is an example of the simplicity it has brought to the strongest artistic degree of genius artistic skill.
The height of the first floor of the tower is 3 meters and the height of the other floors is 2.5 meters. The inter-tribal connection is maintained through the staircase built in the south-east wall of the castle. The connection between the first floor and the second floor is possible only through a round loop on the ceiling, through a ladder or rope. The tower's gate was made up of several layers in the past. The remainder of the building remains in the arched ceiling of the doorway up to the bottom of the tower wall. In addition, there are several wells in the mouth of the door. So, anyone who wants to go to the Maiden Tower in the Middle Ages must go through the stairs, walk through the stairs, walk through the entrance door and finally reach the first floor. The rope stairs were used to climb up the middle hole.The south and south-east sides of the tower, especially the sea, have been set up to keep the sea under control. They also served to clean the air in the castle. Archeological excavations were carried out on the ground floor of the first floor of the fortress in 1962- 1963. As a result of this excavation up to a depth of 5 m, it was known that the foundation of the monument was built on a giant rock that goes down to the sea. From this point of view, the adjacent coast of the monument to the monument has been the main pillar of the castle in front of that decline. [15]
In 1964, when the research was being done in the tower, it was found that large wooden beams extending from the foundation to the inside were 14 meters high. They are not known for what purpose. Perhaps these ships are linked to a secret construction within the counterfighture or have played the role of depreciation against the earthquake. It is based on precise calculation that the width of the wall of the tower is 5 meters in the foundation section and approximately 4.5 in the upper part.One of the interesting aspects of the Maiden's Tower building is its well-watered well. This well with a diameter of 0.7 m is located in the south-east wall of the castle. Excavation work was carried out at the well. The remains of the material and cultural found in the well show that here it has been used since XII century. As a result of the calculations, it has been known that the well has nothing to do with the level of sea water. The well of the well was analyzed chemically, and it was found to be completely useful for drinking. The mouth part of the well starts at the base of the third floor of the tower and continues to the wall up to 13 m. They have hidden it in the fortress wall to ensure the well's safety. There are foot places at a depth of 10-12 cm to go up and down in its northern and southern walls. The wall of the well is 12 m deeper. It is assumed that the hidden underground road between the Maiden Tower and the Shirvanshah Palace is just starting from the bottom of the water well. [16] In 1982, the first underground mine, which was discovered in the eastern side of the Icheri Sheher, began in the Middle Ages from the Shamakhi Gala Gate, which is considered to be the central trading street of Baku, on the eastern side of the main street, towards the Salyan Gate, in north-south direction. Interestingly, the line goes through the Multani caravansary built in the 14th century to the Maiden Tower.
On the south-west wall of the tower, from the second floor to the seventh floor, it is carefully cut from the stone, and there is grass in the well. At each floor there is a slab in the form of a saddle. Inside the chimneys, 40-45 cm long, 25-30 cm in diameter and 2.2 cm thick wall panels are placed above each other down the top. Parts of the tunnels (combined with desert and external walls) are reinforced with lime. Starting from the first floor to the base of the tower, the rectangular mats are replaced by a 22x18 cm four-cornered pottery nuggets. Those nuggets go to the outside with the wall. Traces of the pot canvas on the pot canisters and nuggets are clearly visible.