Baku Oil Heritage Tour: Discover the Past Glory and Fame of Oil Barons in Old Town
5.0
219 Ratings
Baku
Uncover the captivating history of Baku's oil barons on a walking tour through the Old Town. Explore the social, cultural, and political aspects of everyday life in Baku, and learn about the impact of oil on the city's transformation. Discover the stories of the oil barons' quest for personal glory and fame, the influence of Polish architects, and the changing dynamics under imperial Russia, Soviet rule, and Independent Azerbaijan.
Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Fountain Square - Fountains Square is downtown, entertainment and leisure centre in Baku. However, this neighborhood emerged as main trading street of boom town during the first oil boom era, late XIX and early XX century. This is where we meet and end the tour.
What's Included
  • Complimentary bottled water
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Private transportation
Additional Information

This walking expedition allows you to explore Baku’s history in the context of the first ever oil boom, and the oil barons who sought personal recognition and glory. Gain an insider’s perspective on urban life in Baku, including the city’s social, cultural, and political dimensions, enhanced by tales of the real-life exploits of oil barons in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as narratives from the Soviet era and the present day.

This tour focuses on how the rising generation of the oil boom era took on the social responsibility for transitioning a conventional Muslim society in the face of oil wealth. You’ll encounter stories about Azerbaijan’s East versus West conflict, the oil barons’ relentless pursuit of personal glory and recognition, the impact of Polish architects, as well as the changes and continuity under the rule of the Russian Empire, the Soviet regime and Independent Azerbaijan.

Location
KFC
Nizami Street
We meet out front of KFC/Pizza Hut at Fountains Square (See it here https://goo.gl/maps/2impV4G1z1uequ5c7). The guide carries a red umbrella to recognize.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(219 Ratings)
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Andrewmn921pm
May 31, 2024
Old Town Walking Tour - Gani was a very pleasant and informative guide who interacted well with the tour. He talked about many different aspects of life and culture in Azerbaijan.
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Janet
May 28, 2024
Walking tour - Gani our tour guide was great đź‘Ť. It was an absolutely wonderful tour. GANI was funny and very informative. He had a great way of adding humor and information
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Ainsleyt51
May 27, 2024
Amazing walking tour of Icherisheher - I cannot recommend this tour enough! Gani is a fantastic guide who is not only a wealth of knowledge, but also a great person - very kind and welcoming. I’ve spent a couple months in Baku, but still learnt so much during this tour. It is a must-do when visiting Azerbaijan. Huge thanks, Gani!!
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Mcrowder777
May 8, 2024
Gani you're an awesome Tour Guide in beautiful Baku - Thank you to Gani for an insightful and memorable walking tour of Old Town and for providing great information about Azerbaijan's oil heritage. You're an awesome tour guide who made 2.5 hours seem like mere minutes. It was that great! We loved walking the little alleys and corridors of Old Town. Seeing how the local people lived back then and to my surprise some still live in what looked like an ancient maze of passages and buildings. What a treat to behold. We absolutely loved hearing the history. Gani carried with him some pictures and maps which made all he was saying so much more interesting. Thanks Gani for answering all of my random questions which included many about the cats which seem to be well fed and taken care of. This warms my heart Baku, thank you 🙏.. Book this walking tour of Old Town and Oil Heritage, you will not regret it. Ps: wear comfy shoes
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Alexgland
May 2, 2024
Awesome - Great trip, very informative and with the pre prepared diagrams and photos it helps to picture the past. Will try the Pop culture one next time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
760andrad
May 1, 2024
Must-do in Baku - Such a great tour, beautiful sights and a wondeful guide. I learned so much about Baku, this tour is a must. Gani is the best guide through Old Baku.
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Elkrug
Apr 21, 2024
A most interesting tour of old Baku - Our Gani was wonderful, showed us the most beautiful and interesting places in the old city and in the center of Baku. Extensive knowledge, fluency in the material, lively language with humor. Thank you, Gani!
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Inastateofzen
Apr 7, 2024
Gani was a rockstar tour guide! - Gani was knowledgeable, had a fantastic sense of humour and a super intelligent tour guide. The entire tour was 2.5 hours but it felt like a breeze since it was soo smooth and fun. I particularly enjoyed the picture he carried along explaining the long lost history and cultural influences part of the history. Definitely recommend doing this tour as your first activity when you land in the city of Baku.
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Emkay1971
Apr 6, 2024
Highly Recommended - Baku Old Town Walking Tour - This was a fantastic tour today. Gani as the guide was brilliant. His depth of knowledge and his great explanation made the tour very insightful and interesting. Thank you Gani and thank you Azerbaijan Traveller for the great experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
413georgek
Mar 24, 2024
Highly recommended introductory tour of Old Baku. - I did the free walking tour on a Saturday morning in March. The tour lasted 2.5 hours starting at Fountains Square, walking through the old city and then around the walls outside of the old city and back to Fountains Square. 13 people had signed up, but only 7 showed up. Gani was our guide. Gani is local, very experienced and very pleasant. He managed to make the whole tour very interesting and interactive without any boring moments. He could answer convisingly any random question that was fired at him, and provide very informative and interesting background on anything that had to do with the history, culture, religion and politics of both the past and present Azerbajian. I particularly enjoyed the many maps and pictures that he showed us, especially the photos of old Baku in contrast with the current situation at the same locations, which was eye opening. The tour does not include entrance to any museums or sights (e.g. Maiden Tower, Shirvanshahs Palace, etc.), except the free miniature books museum, but provides you with all the information you need to then visit all such places within the old city on your own. At the end of the tour we were provided with a paper providing tips for restaurants, shopping etc. and Gani answered all our specific questions about what else to visit, what to buy and where etc. All in all, this was one of the best walking tours I have ever taken, even more so considering that it was free. But please remember to tip at the end if you are happy with it.
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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