BAKU - The Azerbaijani capital, Baku is the largest city in the country and the only national capital that is located below sea level. It is a city that celebrates fire due to its vast amount of natural resources which has made it a success story and features a walled old city centre surrounded by a modern European city.

 The old city centre is a UNESCO heritage site and is filled with numerous monuments and museums including the Maiden’s Tower, a 12^th century 30 M high structure. This tower looks like it was constructed as a defensive watch tower, but this is still open to debate. The Palace of the Shirvanshas, the power center from where the Shirvansha dynasty ruled Azerbaijan, is worth a tour as well. The cats throughout the city seem to pose for your pictures as well.

 The newly developed waterfront provides a nice break from the old city. Loaded with parks and museums, it’s also a great spot for a morning run. The Caspian Waterfront Mall, Little Venice and the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum (which resembles a rolled-up carpet) all make up this new space in Baku.

 The Flame Towers are probably the most recognizable feature of the city. Constructed in 2013, the three glass towers resemble flames and are a tribute the country’s nickname, “The Land of Fire.” The Towers hold a mixture of apartments and a hotel and put on a lightshow every night that is a sight to behold. One of the best viewing spots includes Highland Park which is also well lit up at night.

 The city has numerous museums spread throughout the city. Highlights include the National Museum of History, which is housed in the former home of Hajji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. The museum highlights the history of Azerbaijan and particularly the transformational oil boom of the city, attracting late 19^th century oligarchs like the Rothchilds and the Nobel brothers.

 The museum displays pictures of Baku during this transformation, showing the vast number of wells throughout the city which prompted one Russian writer Maxim Gorkiy to recall “The oil fields remained in my memory as a perfect picture of hell.” Eventually with the new oil wealth followed beautiful buildings that transformed the city at the turn of the 20^th century including a new Opera theater and City Hall.

 Just outside of the city center is the Heydar Aliyev cultural center completed in 2012 and designed by Zaha Hadid. The structure resembles a series of white waves and the building itself is worth the trip. Inside you will find a mix of permanent collections and temporary exhibitions, like the one currently on display by Dotun Popoola. The Nigerian artist recycles discarded metal and creates striking new objects and animals out of them.

 You will find all the most of the major hotel brands in the business center of the city. Another affordable option is to book a room in a smaller hotel in the old city center. This will put you in a great location to see all the major historical sites and gives you access to a metro that get you just about anywhere in the city.

 Azerbaijan cuisine is like Turkish cuisine with a lot of meat and vegetable options. Most of the restaurants for the locals outside of the old center offer something called a business lunch which includes a 4-course meal, a drink and tea for around 5 euros. Some stand out dishes include dolma, minced lamb flavored with mint, fennel and cinnamon wrapped in vine leaves and served with yogurt, and dushbara, small dumplings stuffed with lamb and served in broth.

 Just outside the city center (over an hour by public transport or 30 minutes by car), Yanar Dag (Fire Mountain) is a must see - A hillside burning with a consistent natural gas fire around 10 meters long that has become an Instagram highlight. The journey there brings you outside of the city center and gives you a view of the oil fields and how locals live in the outskirts of Baku.

 This underrated city is well worth a visit. The history, the cuisine and the value are really stand out features of this still emerging capital in the South Caucasus.

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