What can an oil capital look like if petrodollars are not hidden in pockets, or a city on the Caspian coast

After wandering around the "Old City" and looking at Baku, from the height of Nagorny Park, it was the turn of exploring the modern city, with its chic embankment, many fountains, and futuristic architecture.

15 PHOTOS

1. When I was going to Azerbaijan, one of my desires was to see the Caspian without fail, maybe even swim in it. Baku, like most coastal cities, is beautiful with its waterfront, the long Primorsky Boulevard stretches for kilometers along the bay.

So, pulling on his white trousers and a wide-brimmed hat, he set off to pace along the Baku embankment.

2. I was not too lazy, and on concrete blocks, went down to the water, slightly staining my white pants with oil or fuel oil, despite all the difficulties, I still managed to dip my finger in the waters of the Caspian Sea to try how salty it is.

3. But seriously, the Caspian made an impression, in truth, of an oil vein, the smell of fuel oil coming from the sea ... although to be honest, the yachts moored in the marina in a huge number could be to blame.

4. Primorsky Boulevard is beautiful, its central part is immersed in greenery, and the coastal boulevard goes down to the water with wide steps.

5. Not far from the water, a structure rises, painfully similar to an oil rig. It was erected here in the last century for training skydiving, and for a long time it was used for its intended purpose, but after a tragic incident, jumping from it was banned, and today it stands as a symbol of the city, being its attraction.

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Not far from the tower, on the central alley, there is a glass cucumber, which is the entrance to the shopping center. The building is original from the outside, but unremarkable inside, filled with shops of foreign chain brands.

10. A little away from the sea, we go out to Neftchilar Avenue, past the blue building, made of glass and concrete, we go to another sight of Baku, the Government House.

11. A magnificent building, the prototype of some elements of which was the palace of the Shirvanshahs.

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13. Another, very competent idea is to take an old block building and veneer it with Baku stone. It should be noted that a lot of houses in Baku are being restored, thus creating a single architectural appearance.

14. Walking along the embankment, the idea was born to go look at the architectural masterpiece of Zaha Hadid - the new cultural center. Heydar Aliyev. We must pay tribute to the people of Baku, who named so many buildings and structures in the name of the third president of Azerbaijan, that finding out the exact address of this object became a real quest.

15. But, one way or another, we ended up on the square near the May 28 metro station. What happened on May 28, if one of the main Baku metro stations was named after this date, you ask? It was on this day in 1918 that Azerbaijan declared independence.

On the square in front of the entrance to the metro, the restored building of the old railway station, which now houses a fast food restaurant, attracts attention. By the way, many Baku residents are not very happy with the fact that a fast food restaurant was allowed to be placed in a historically valuable building.

16. We went down to the metro, and by common efforts, with local security officers, we found out that we couldn’t get to the Cultural Center by metro from here. One of the guardians of law and order suggested that we go back to the square and find bus number 1, which will take us to our cherished goal. But more on that in the next section.