Take advantage of the museums in Baku to appreciate its fascinating story and culture and come away with a more enhanced travel experience.

Axar.az represents some of them to you.

National Museum of History Azerbaijan

The National Museum in Baku, inside a former Italian Renaissance mansion, has more than 300,000 artefacts, making it Azerbaijan’s largest. Archaeological relics and original documents tell its story. Visitors take a journey from the early Zoroastrians who placed spiritual importance on fire, medieval states, both oil booms and the Soviet Union to the present day.

Azerbaijan State Museum of Art

The most extensive collection of art in Baku is on display in the State Museum of Art. First opening in 1936, the collection today includes more than 3000 items across 60 rooms inside two buildings. Exhibits include paintings and sculptures from Azerbaijani, Russian and European artists. A section on Eastern Art displays work from Persia and Turkey too.

Baku Museum of Miniature Books

A small museum in Baku on the edge of Icheri Sheher displays a collection of tiny books. Once a private collection and now a free museum, a range of items from a 17th-century Koran to Soviet books fill the shelves. Highlights include the three smallest books in the world, which you need a magnifying glass to see.

Independence Museum of Azerbaijan

Anyone who’s interested in Soviet-style museums will appreciate the Independence Museum. Displays have propaganda elements covering early 20th-century history through the Soviet times to Azerbaijan’s independence in 1991. Other sections describe the recent Karabakh conflict. Most displays are in either Azeri or Russian, and having a guide may be essential to appreciate the artifacts. But, for a few dollars, it’s a quirky museum in Baku that’s worth an hour.

Palace of Shirvanshahs

The Shirvanshahs ruled parts of Azerbaijan for centuries in Shemakhi. An earthquake forced the Persianised Arab rulers to move their capital 123 kilometers (76 miles) southeast to Baku where they built the Palace. The main palace, a mausoleum, two mosques, and a bathhouse are inside the 15th-century UNESCO-listed complex. Most people spend between one and two hours.

Baku Museum of Modern Art

Azerbaijan art in the second half of the 20th-century followed avant-garde styles. The modern art museum displays more than 800 paintings and sculptures by Azerbaijani artists from the 1960s and 1970s. Walk through the rooms and notice how the architectural design frames the art in the best perspective. Other exhibits include pieces from Picasso and Dali donated by private collectors and a section dedicated to local photographers.

Maiden’s Tower

Icheri Sheer's symbol evokes mystery and intrigue. The 29 meters (95 feet) cylindrical tower might date back more than one millennia. But no one knows for sure. Visit the museum to learn Baku’s medieval story and how the city transformed through two oil booms to a modern capital.