Baku
Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, is a fascinating blend of modernity and tradition. The city is known for its stunning architecture, rich history, and vibrant culture. For photography enthusiasts, Baku offers a plethora of opportunities to capture its beauty through the lens. The city's iconic landmarks such as the Flame Towers, the Maiden Tower, and the Heydar Aliyev Center are some of the most popular photography locations. The Old City, with its narrow streets, ancient buildings, and historic monuments, is another must-visit spot for photographers. The Caspian Sea, the Boulevard, and the modern skyscrapers are also great locations to capture the essence of Baku. With its diverse and picturesque locations, Baku is a photographer's paradise.
Baku is known nowadays for it's amazing modern architecture, and seems to be starting to head the Dubai route. There are some striking examples, and several more in the construction phase (the Flame towers, and Crescent Moon building). This complex was designed by Zaha Hadid and completed in 2012. It houses a library, a conference hall and a museum. It is dedicated to former president Heydar Aliyev who ruled the country in the early nineties in their fresh years of independence. Heydar Alijev is quite the national hero because every city we visited seemed to have at least 3 things named after him; a park, a street and a museum. The flowing shape is the building is supposedly inspired by his signature but locals also say it was inspired by the up-blowing skirt of Marilyn Monroe in her most famous picture pose..
[#8 on explore 04/05/17]
Behind : Funicular upper station
The capital of Azerbaijan has some stunning modern architecture. The Flame Towers are a dominantfeature on the skyline and represent the country that calls itself the 'Land of Fire'. The Towers were completed in 2013 and house a hotel, residences, offices and a shopping mall. In the evening a colourful display of lights appears, alternating between moving flames and the flag of Azerbaijan, which I have chosen here. As the display changes constantly and blue hour moved fast, it was quite a challenge to get the long exposure during the flag display.
Thanks to all Phoide contributors to Baku!
Most notably Andrey Bogdanov and Adelheid Smitt.