The Bulvar is a Baku hotspot. Whether you’re crazy enough to jog the length of Baku’s seaside boulevard, are looking to hang out and chill or simply desire to strut your stuff with the fashionable evening crowd, the Bulvar is the place to be.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, Baku’s elite were on the hunt for a peaceful and luxurious spot to spend their weekends. Up to this point the city’s Caspian Sea coast had not been well-developed. An architectural competition was held to design a seafront promenade and in 1909 the Bulvar opened, dotted with several gardens and cafes. The 1ooth anniversary of the Bulvar in 2009 saw big plans put in place; in 2012 and 2015 new stretches of the pathway expanded to the west and east respectively.
The easiest place to kickoff a journey around the Bulvar is Dənizkənarı Milli Park, just south of the pleasant Sahil district of the city center. I always like to a snap a picture of any signage I come across when traveling, giving me a handy piece of reference material on my phone without having to carry around a bulky physical map. The Azerbaijani government has done a good job labeling the highlights of the Bulvar, so use their map as a guide and you won’t miss a thing.
The one warning I ought to give before heading out on the Bulvar is that there are stretches without much shade and Baku can get scary hot in the summer. A little sunscreen is a must, as is a large bottle of water or two. I thought I would beat the afternoon heat by venturing out at 9:00, but Baku really only knows hot, hotter and roasting alive in a sauna, no matter the time of day, so be prepared.
Despite the heat, the numerous flower gardens along the promenade are robust and flourishing. It is in this section of the Bulvar that you can really get a taste of what it must have been like for the denizens of Old Baku when they first established the area as their weekend escape. The original designers also wanted to pay tribute to Azerbaijan’s warmer climates by showcasing the desert flora as well.
Azerbaijanis love their flag, and normally one of the highlights along the Bulvar is Dövlət Bayrağı Meydanı (National Flag Square), which shows off the national symbol on the second tallest free-standing flagpole in the world. The square was under construction when I visited, but there was still this flag in the center of Dənizkənarı Milli Park:
Continuing west along the Bulvar took me to Mini-Venice, an Epcot-esque recreation of the Italian city of fabled canals. Gondoliers are on hand to glide you through the waterways and a restaurant serves Italian food in the evenings.
Right next to Mini-Venice is the most fascinating structure on the Bulvar: Xalça Muzeyi (Carpet Museum). This new home of the Xalça Muzeyi opened in 2014 and, yes, it is in the shape of a rolled-up carpet! And it’s not just the outside of the building that is curved, but the inside as well, giving you the feeling of traveling through three floors of a giant cylinder. Definitely one of the more creative museum designs I’ve come across in my travels.
Azerbaijani carpet weaving is no joke either. When most people hear UNESCO they think of the World Heritage Sites scattered across the globe, but UNESCO also recognizes “intangibles,” such as music, handicrafts and carpet weaving. In 2010, Azerbaijani carpet weaving was officially declared a UNESCO intangible, and not only does the museum feature carpets (some centuries old) from all over Azerbaijan, but it also stations several weavers throughout, showing off their skills right in front of you.
The exhibit on carpet weaving during the Soviet Era was perhaps the most interesting. It was difficult being an artist in Soviet times. If your art did not reflect and promote Party ideals you would endure censorship, jail time or worse. Anything that could be interpreted to incite national pride would need to be stomped out. So what to do with Azerbaijan’s carpet weaving traditions? The answer was to let the weavers keep up their work, but to strictly control the subject matter of the carpets produced. Instead of the ancient Azerbaijani symbols normally woven into the carpets, the Soviets ordered scenes of workers happily going off to drill for oil or work the land, all while waving flags and brandishing Soviet symbols.
Up next on my westward journey along the Bulvar was the Baku Eye, a 200 foot tall Ferris Wheel that opened in 2014. The price is cheap- only 5 AZN- but if it is too windy the ride will not be running, as was the case when I visited. When operational, the Eye runs until 23:00, supposedly offering great views of the capital all lit up at night.
Beyond the Baku Eye is Dövlət Bayrağı Meydanı (National Flag Square), which, as I mentioned above, was under construction as of July 2018. When completed the complex will have an exhibit on the history of Azerbaijan’s national symbols, including the flag, coat of arms and National Anthem.
Jutting out on a small peninsula directly behind Dövlət Bayrağı Meydanı is the Kristal Zalı (Crystal Hall), an enormous concert hall that was first used for the 2012 Eurovision contest. It was difficult to capture in a photo, but at night the hall’s LED panels glitter as if covered with hundreds of thousands of blue Christmas lights.
At the western terminus of the Bulvar is not only the highlight of the promenade, but one of my favorite spots in all of Baku: Yarat Contemporary Art Centre. Yarat, which means “create” in Azerbaijani, was founded in 2011 as a center for modern art exhibition and education. Not only is admission free, but you are also provided with an English-speaking guide to lead you through the temporary exhibitions. My guide was AMAZING- truly the best in Azerbaijan. The main gallery featured a temporary exhibition on Azerbaijani Soviet Art from 1960-80, divided into themes focusing on labor, leisure and dreams. I learned so, so much about life in Azerbaijan under the Soviet occupation, as well getting to discuss current events, art and everything in between with teacher/part-time Yarat guide who showed me around.
It’s very difficult for me to only select a few favorite paintings to show off here, but I give you labor, leisure and dreams:
LABOR
LEISURE
DREAMS
Instead of walking back to the the city center from Yarat, I hopped on the #5 Bus that stops right next to the art gallery. The public transit system in Baku is very easy to use. Simply purchase a BakıKART from one of the kiosks found at all Metro and most bus stops and load the card with as much money as you’d like. When you enter the bus, simply tap the card on the sensor and the fare will be automatically deducted. The red buses in the downtown area have AC and free WiFi too.
Of course, you’ll have to return to the Bulvar at night when it feels like half the city is hanging out at the shore. There’s easily enough to see and do along the promenade to essentially budget a full day there.
