Museums in Baku

Azerbaijan National History Museum

If you like to learn about Azerbaijan, see its most popular objects, and hear Azerbaijan’s stories, then you won’t get a better spot than the Azerbaijan National History Museum. The building itself is a historical landmark constructed at the end of the 19th century by Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiev, a famous philanthropist and businessman of its time. After finding petrol, Tagiyev became one of the wealthiest men in Russian Empire, and  he ordered to construct the massive palace to live with his family. After the occupation of Azerbaijan by Soviet forces in 1920, the building was confiscated as government property, turning it into the museum it is currently.

The National History Museum of Azerbaijan officially opened in 1921, and more than 300,000 objects had become part of the collection since then. Collection includes very important documents that formed the history of the region, weapons, jewellery, clothes, handmade carpets, old books, and many more. The ground floor of the museum is dedicated to the ancient history of Azerbaijan, exhibiting items found on archaeological digs and on the deeps of the Caspian Sea. The second floor includes some rooms of the preserved palace, plus more exhibits and documents from modern history.

As the collection is massive, visitors can only see a small part of it, even though the exhibition space is very large, and successfully reflects the history of the country since ancient period. The exhibits are divided up into six sections: ancient and medieval centuries, recent history, the modern era, currencies, ethnography, as well as a department of science and education.

Address: 4 H.Z. Taghiyev street, Baku city, Azerbaijan Republic,  AZ1005

Phone: (+994 12)  493 36 48, 598 17 46

Email: aztarmuzey@science.az

• Monday: Closed
• Tuesday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Wednesday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Thursday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Friday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Saturday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00

The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum

The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, currently is among the most visited museums in Baku due to the building is is located and massive collection of carpet and rugs. From 1967 to 1993, the museum operated under the name of Azerbaijan State Museum of Carpet and Folk Applied Arts, from 1993 to 2014 – State Museum of Carpet and Applied Arts named after Latif Karimov, from 2014 to the present time the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. At the time of establishing, it was the only museum that was dedicated to the art of carpet weaving. The main purpose of the creation of the museum was to store, research, and demonstrate unique examples of the carpet weaving art, which are the Azerbaijan’s national heritage.

• Address: 28 Mikayil Üseynov küç., Bulvar, Bakı
• Telephone: +994124972057
• Website: http://azcarpetmuseum.az/
• Email:
• azcarpetmuseum@gmail.co

• Monday: Closed
• Tuesday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Wednesday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Thursday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Friday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Saturday: 10:00 – 20:00
• Sunday: 10:00 – 20:00

The Museum of Azerbaijani Independence

The Museum of Azerbaijani Independence- is one of the most visited museums in Baku. it was established on 9th January 1991. Currently, there are more than 20,000 exhibits. The main purpose of the museum is enlightenment about the struggle of the Azerbaijani nation for independence, from ancient times to the present day.
The expositions in the museum cover the history of Azerbaijan from ancient times to the beginning of the XX century, the people’s liberation movement in South Azerbaijan in the early XX century, the history of Azerbaijan during the years of Stalin’s repression and the heroism of Azerbaijanis during World War II, also displayed is the history of the national liberation movement in Azerbaijan at the end of the XX century and the last room has an exhibition devoted to the most recent history of Azerbaijan and the life and work of national leader H.A.Aliyev. The Independence Museum displays sculptures, paintings, maps, photographs, books, currency and other exhibits. The museum exhibition is displayed in six rooms on the third floor.

Address: Neftchiler Avenue

Telephone: +994124939293

Email: mistiqlal@gmail.com

Web:
http://istiqlalmuzeyi.gov.az

• Monday: Closed
• Tuesday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Wednesday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Thursday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Friday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Saturday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00

House-museum of Vagif Mustafazadeh

House-museum of Vagif Mustafazadeh is a memorial museum of the Azerbaijani jazz-pianist and composer, Vagif Mustafazadeh, and it was established on July 28, 1989. In 1994, it became a branch of the Azerbaijan State Museum of Musical Culture. From 1989 to 1997, the director of the museum was Zivar Agasaf qizi Aliyeva. The house-museum consists of three rooms containing 1214 artifacts including photos, posters, gramophone discs, documents, and personal belongings connected with the life and work of Vagif Mustafazade.

Address: 4 Vagif Mustafazade Lane, Icherisheher

Telephone: +994124921792

• Monday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Tuesday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Wednesday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Thursday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Friday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Saturday: 10:00 – 18:00
• Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00

Shirvanshahs Palace Complex

Shirvanshahs Palace Complex- is one of the oldest museums in Baku. The palace was the former residence of the rulers of the Shirvanshahs. It is a complex where, in addition to the palace itself, can also be found a courtyard of the Diwankhana, the courthouse,  the Shirvanshahs’ burial vault, the palace mosque of 1441 with its  minaret, the bathhouse and the mausoleum of the court scholar,  Sayid Yahya Bakuvi. The palace complex was built in the period from the XIII to the XVI century. On the palace itself, no inscriptions have survived. In 1964, the palace complex was declared a museum-preserve. In 2000, a unique architectural and cultural ensemble, along with the fortified walls enclosed by the historic part of the city and the Maiden Tower, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Shirvanshahs Palace is considered one of the pearls of the architecture of Azerbaijan.

Address:
Shirvanshahs’ Palace Complex, Old City

Web:
www.icherisheher.gov.az

Email:
office@icherisheher.gov.az

Telephone:
+994 12 492 10 73

• Monday: 10:00 – 19:00
• Tuesday: 10:00 – 19:00
• Wednesday: 10:00 – 19:00
• Thursday: 10:00 – 19:00
• Friday: 10:00 – 19:00
• Saturday: 10:00 – 19:00
• Sunday: 10:00 – 19:00