Baku is windy by name and by nature, and the old walled city on the Caspian shore has been catching the wind for about a thousand years. Inside the walls, known locally as Icherisheher, a maze of narrow stone lanes winds between mosques, caravanserais and houses with carved balconies. The Maiden Tower, a stout round tower of mysterious age and purpose, rises near the sea, and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, built in the fifteenth century as the residence of the rulers of Shirvan, sits on the hill above. UNESCO listed the walled city and the palace together in 2000.
Baku's story is also a story of oil. The Apsheron peninsula, on which the city stands, has natural seeps of oil and gas, and fire has been part of its religious and cultural history for centuries; later, in the nineteenth century, oil made fortunes, and the grand buildings of the boom period stand just outside the old city walls. The Nobel brothers, among others, built fortunes here, and the modern skyline of glass towers and the Flame Towers, lit at night, are a continuation of that wealth.
Riding here is an urban experience. Traffic in central Baku is dense and fast, with confident, sometimes aggressive drivers, so ride defensively and anticipate sudden lane changes. The old city is largely pedestrian, with steep cobbled streets that are unsuitable for a loaded bike, so park outside the walls and explore on foot. Beyond the city, the coast road along the Caspian is a pleasant run, and the highway south toward Gobustan crosses a dry, tawny landscape of low hills and mud volcanoes. The wind can be strong on exposed stretches, and summers are very hot, so spring and autumn are the best seasons.
Fuel is easy to find on the main roads around Baku, with Badamdar and other suburbs offering several stations. Food in the old city includes plov, kebabs, dolma and rich dishes flavoured with saffron, served with strong black tea in small glasses, and the cafés in the courtyards are good places to rest in the shade. Plan at least a couple of hours for the walled city, preferably early morning when the light is soft and the lanes are quiet.