Baku, the commercial center and capital of Azerbaijan is a low city located along the coast of the Caspian Sea. It is famous for its medieval walled city, which contains Shirvanshahs Palace, the iconic Stone Virgo, and the vast royal complex. Modern landmarks include Flame Towers, Zaha Hadid Heydar Aliyev Center, and three tapered skyscrapers encased with LED screens.

Other famous sites include the Bibi-Heybat Mosque, the Hajj Center, and the Azerbaijani Carpet Museum, which houses a wide range of ornate carpets from the area. The Baku Museum of Modern Art displays Azerbaijani sculptors and painters in the twentieth century. Another leading museum, the National Museum of Azerbaijani History, is kept in an Italian Renaissance-style palace from 1902. Further, the National Flag Square carries one of the tallest flags in the world (162m). However, the bustling Fountain Square is the center of eateries and shops. Outside the city, Yanar Dag is a constant fire of natural gas.

Baku offers a wonderful Soviet heritage and high towers that could have been moved from Shanghai alongside a beautiful old center. It may be different, but Baku is eternally a joy.