Photograph of İçərişəhər — Baku Old City — to be added
İçərişəhər — Baku Old City
The walled medieval core of Baku, a UNESCO World Heritage Site enclosing the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs.
Included in 4 tours
Baku
Museum of Independence of Azerbaijan
The story of Azerbaijani statehood, centred on the 1918 republic — the first secular democracy in the Muslim world.
Photograph of Museum of Independence of Azerbaijan — to be added
The Museum of Independence traces the development of Azerbaijani statehood, with its core focus on the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic of 1918–1920. It sits within the Museum Center on Baku Boulevard.
The subject deserves more attention than it usually gets from visitors, because the 1918 republic was genuinely significant in world terms rather than only nationally.
The 1918 republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, declared in May 1918, was the first secular parliamentary democracy in the Muslim world. Its parliament included opposition parties and minority representation.
It granted women full voting rights in 1918 — before Britain extended the franchise to all women, and before the United States ratified the Nineteenth Amendment. For a state that lasted 23 months, that is a remarkable record.
It also founded Baku State University, which survived the republic and continues today. The museum covers the institutions the republic created as well as its politics.
Soviet period and restoration
The republic ended in April 1920 with the arrival of the Red Army. The museum covers the Soviet decades that followed, the independence movement of the late 1980s, and the events of Black January in 1990 when Soviet troops entered Baku.
Independence was restored in 1991. The displays connect the 1918 state to the modern republic directly — the flag, the anthem and the constitutional lineage are all traced back to it.
Highlights
- Documents and objects from the 1918–1920 democratic republic
- Material on women's enfranchisement in 1918
- The founding of Baku State University
- Black January 1990 and the restoration of independence
Frequently asked questions
Why is the 1918 Azerbaijan republic significant?
It was the first secular parliamentary democracy in the Muslim world, and it granted women the vote in 1918 — ahead of Britain's full enfranchisement and ahead of the United States. It lasted 23 months before Soviet forces ended it.
More to see in Baku
Photograph of Maiden Tower — to be added
Maiden Tower
The enigmatic stone tower at the edge of the Old City — Baku's oldest and least explained monument.
Included in 3 tours
Photograph of Palace of the Shirvanshahs — to be added
Palace of the Shirvanshahs
The 15th-century seat of the Shirvan rulers, and the largest surviving monument of the Shirvan-Absheron architectural school.
Included in 3 tours
Photograph of Flame Towers — to be added
Flame Towers
Three flame-shaped towers above the city, screened with LEDs that turn the skyline into a fire display after dark.
Included in 3 tours
Photograph of Highland Park & Martyrs' Lane — to be added
Highland Park & Martyrs' Lane
The hilltop terrace with the best panorama over Baku bay, reached by funicular.
Included in 1 tour
Photograph of Baku Boulevard & Mini Venice — to be added
Baku Boulevard & Mini Venice
The Caspian seafront promenade — parkland, canals, Flag Square and the Baku Eye.
Included in 1 tour
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