Palace of the Shirvanshahs

The palace building of the Shirvanshahs or the residential building of the Shirvanshahs — the oldest structure included in the Shirvanshahs palace complex. The palace building is located in the area of the upper courtyard of the complex. The palace building stands on a high hill, dominated the overall plan of the city and the formation of its external silhouette. The palace is considered one of the masterpieces of Azerbaijani architecture. The ensemble’s high artistic architectural qualities created the direction of a whole style in Azerbaijani architecture, distinguished by the skillful placement of individual structures on the relief of the ground, the beautiful solution of silhouettes, the skillful use of opportunities and the decorative properties of local limestone, and the magnificent carving on stone.

The demanding majestic building of the palace occupies the dominant position in the enclosed palace space. It is characterized by a particularly noticeable simple yet large portal, the seriousness of proportional divisions, and the near total cleanliness of the walls, which protrude considerably in overall volume. The construction of the palace’s two‑storey building on the foundation of an older structure is not excluded and is noted by the complex configuration of the plan. The upper floor repeats the planning structure of the lower floor. The central octagonal hall and the adjoining vestibule of the same shape, grouped around it, were the organizing elements of the front and living rooms with an anduruna and biruna style.

The solution of the strengthening of the arches of the eastern and southern facades of the courtyard, the emergence of inclined arches directed to the south and east, towards the sea, and the absence of main walls in the longitudinal and transverse directions throughout the building is astonishing. The rooms of the lower and upper floors have vaulted ceilings, and the octagonal hall behind the portal is covered with a dome.

History

Although the exact time of the building's construction is not precisely determined, the formation of the complex around it is undeniable. Researchers note that the palace building has undergone more destruction and plan changes compared to other structures included in the complex. In 1500, during the battle between the Shirvanshahs and the Safavids, after Farrukh Yasar was killed, the Safavids captured Baku and the palace was looted. It is not known who lived in the palace after the Shirvanshahs. After the occupation of the Baku khanate by the Russian Empire on 10 February 1828, the palace structures were turned into a Russian military headquarters and renovation work was carried out in the palace. During the renovation many valuable structures related to the palace were destroyed. Even the construction of the Alexander Nevsky Church on the palace territory was planned.

At the end of the 19th century the abandoned palace fell into neglect again. On 5 October 1918 the decree of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic "On the listing and preservation of works of art and ancient monuments belonging to societies, institutions and individuals" was published. Based on the requirement of this decree, the first state document in Azerbaijan concerning the registration of monuments, the Shirvanshahs' palace was also registered as a historic and cultural valuable monument.

In 1932, based on the decision of the Azerbaijan SSR, renovation work began at the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. In 1937–1938, under the leadership of archaeologist V.N. Leviatov, archaeological excavations were carried out in the palace. During the research, material-cultural samples dating from the 12th–15th centuries were discovered. While cleaning the wells in the palace courtyard, fragments of Chinese porcelain were found in two of them; they belonged to Chinese household items and were very valuable vessels for that period. Among the finds, the patterns on the glazed ceramic bowls resembled the decorations on the Chinese porcelain. In the central courtyard, glazed ceramic lamps kept in the Azerbaijan History Museum were discovered.

After the renovation of the palace building was completed, a part of the Azerbaijan People's Museum and the Museum of the History of Religion were placed there. From 1954, the Shirvanshahs Palace complex was turned into the State History Architecture Museum, and in 1960 the republican authorities adopted a decision on preserving the palace as an architectural monument.

Description

The palace building is the largest structure in the complex both in volume and in the area it occupies. The building is two‑storeyed. The built plan has a complex structure. The western wall, on which the main plan of the building is considered and the entrance gate is opened, adjoins a smooth north wall at a right angle. The east and south walls of the building are complicated by angular protrusions. In the south‑east corner of the building the wall is not straight but has a series of protrusions. Probably these protrusions were built to better illuminate the rooms of the building and not to obstruct the beautiful view of the sea and the Baku Bay.

In 1842, professor Ilya Berezin, who described the palace, writes:

Architectural features

The great simplicity of the building’s entrance portals, as well as the absence of any writing on the interior walls, and the very simple decorations and ornaments do not create an impression of grandeur. The first floor’s narrow, slit‑shaped windows resembling loopholes in fortress walls, more numerous than the windows, and the lack of any architectural ornamentation on the walls of the rooms form a complete contrast with the palace’s adjacent tea‑house, caravanserai and mosque buildings. The palace building differs greatly from the lavish palaces characteristic of Near Eastern countries.

This two‑storey large building with more than a hundred rooms has inconsistency and lack of system among its separate rooms. At first there were 52 rooms in the palace, 27 of them on the first floor and 25 on the second floor. The rooms are symmetrical. On the second floor the king himself and his family’s rooms are located under a vaulted ceiling. From the windows of the second floor a beautiful view of the Baku furnace opens. The windows are completed with stone lattices.