The Maiden Tower, known in Azerbaijani as Qız Qalası, is a cylindrical stone tower about thirty meters high in the south of Baku's Old City, close to the Caspian shore. It is generally dated to the 12th century, although some scholars have argued for an earlier origin, and its exact purpose is uncertain; proposals include a watchtower, a defensive keep and a religious or astronomical structure. Its walls are several meters thick, and a projecting buttress on one side is a distinctive feature. The name has given rise to several legends about a maiden, none of them historically established. The tower is a national emblem of Azerbaijan and was inscribed by UNESCO in 2000 together with the Old City and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs.
Before and after
- 12th centuryConstruction of Old City of Baku
- from 12th century to 19th centuryFounding of Hanseatic League
- c. 1200Construction of Rouen Cathedral
- 1200Birth of Albertus Magnus
- 12th centuryConstruction of Maiden Tower
- c. 1200sKilwa becomes a great Swahili trading city
- c. 1200sThe rock-hewn churches of Lalibela are carved
- 23 April 1200Death of Zhu Xi
- c. 1201Origins of Riga
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 537 CEConstruction of Hagia Sophia
- 802 CEConstruction of Angkor Wat
- from 2 February 962 CE to 6 August 1806Holy Roman Empire
- 1193Origins of Chernobyl
- from 29 July 1299 to 17 November 1922Ottoman Empire
- 1373Construction of Leaning Tower of Pisa
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes.