Your walking tour will begin around Fountain Square, which is a public gathering place, especially after business hours and during the weekend. It is an attractive tourist destination with many boutiques, restaurants, shops, hotels, and passages. This is one of the most crowded and lively places in the city, and is great for people watching. In the evening you will find many locals strolling about. The square is also referred to in popular culture as Torgovaya Street, running parallel to Baku Boulevard. This square is also the location where the city authorities hold many public festivals, shows, and celebrations.
From here you will move on to explore the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, a 15th-century palace built by the Shirvanshahs and described by UNESCO as "one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture". It is located in the inner city of Baku, and together with the Maiden Tower, forms an ensemble of historic monuments inscribed under the UNESCO World Heritage List of Historical Monuments. Whilst here you will visit souvenir stores, carpet stores, antique shops, and local handicraft markets.
Your tour will then advance towards Iceri Seher, the Old City or Inner City, and the historical core of Baku. The Old City is the most ancient part of Baku, which is surrounded by walls and well protected. In 2007, the Old City had a population of about 3,000 people. In December 2000, the Old City of Baku, including the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower, became the first location in Azerbaijan to be classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
