In 2012, a building was built on the site of the former factory, which was recognized as the best. This is the Heydar Aliyev Center. Baku boasts beautiful architecture that attracts both locals and tourists, and the new building has become one of them. In 2014, he was recognized as the best in the world.
Visitors say that there is something to see here, and it is better to come not for an hour or two, but for the whole day.
Historical background
The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center impresses with its beauty and grandeur. The author of the project - Zaha Hadid admits that this work was a flight of creativity. In fact, built without a single straight line, both outside and inside, the building seemed to have flown in and frozen in the urban stone jungle. Urban legend says that the shape of the building is a copy of the signature of the former president, whose name the Center bears. But this is just a beautiful urban myth.
The complex includes underground parking and a park. Inside it was conditionally divided into three departments:
- museum dedicated to life andpolitical activities of Heydar Aliyev;
- halls dedicated to the culture of Azerbaijan;
- auditorium.
The park features contemporary art.
What can you see in the museum?
The museum includes the most complete information about the life of the national leader in the form of video, photo and audio materials.
It occupies 3 floors, and on the first floor there are cars used by the president during the reign of Azerbaijan - 2 Mercedes, Zil and Chaika.
When moving from one floor to another, you can see an electronic gallery, where some important dates with photos replace others.
The second floor is occupied by an exposition with personal belongings of Heydar Aliyev - costumes, medals, orders, gifts.
The exposition is subtly intertwined with other exhibits that reflect the history of Azerbaijan - the pointe shoes of the first Azerbaijani ballerina Gemer Almas-zade, the gramophone of the singer Bul-Bul, the father of the famous singer Polad Bul-Bul ogly, the fan of Shovket Aleskerova, the first opera singer.
A separate mini-exhibition is dedicated to foreign meetings.
To view the materials, you need to touch the flag of the desired country.
What is interesting about the exhibition halls?
The Heydar Aliyev Center presents exhibits reflecting the cultural and historical heritage of the country to the attention of visitors. The “Masterpieces of Azerbaijan” hall is dedicated to the historical and cultural heritage of the country: ancient coins and jewelry, clay and copper productsof the Middle Ages, rock paintings from Gobustan, ancient copies of sacred books, traditional Azerbaijani carpets and musical instruments. An interesting feature of musical exhibits is that by stepping on the mat in front of the exhibit, you can hear how it sounds. Here you can also get acquainted with mugham - an ancient national musical direction.
Of course, tourists come to Azerbaijan to get acquainted with its culture and history. But not everyone has the opportunity to travel the whole country. The Heydar Aliyev Center offers a journey across the country without leaving the museum. To do this, you need to go to “Mini Azerbaijan” - an exhibition hall where you can get to know famous architectural monuments - the Momine-Khatun Mausoleum, the Maiden Tower, the Baku Station, the Philharmonic Hall, the Government House, the Green Theater, the Baku Crystal Hall, the Olympic Stadium and Oil Fund.
For gourmets and those who want to get acquainted with Azerbaijani culture, the Heydar Aliyev Center offers to visit the exhibition “Welcome to Azerbaijan”. On the presented exhibits, you can see photos of natural, architectural monuments, and photos of the culinary diversity of Azerbaijani cuisine. You can not only look at it, but also taste it in the cafe, which is located in the building.
In addition to permanent exhibitions, the Heydar Aliyev Center also hosts traveling exhibitions. In 2013, on June 21, Andy Warhol's exhibition "Life, Beauty and Death" was held here, which included about a hundred works and short films.
October 1, 2013 wasexhibition of the Azerbaijani artist, president of the Academy of Arts Tahir Salahov “At the turn of the century”.
Audience
The Heydar Aliyev Center also includes an auditorium. Includes:
- concert hall with 4 levels;
- 2 multifunctional meeting rooms;
- official meeting rooms;
- media center.
Capacity of conference rooms - 2000 people. They were made entirely of wood to achieve perfect acoustics.
Contacts
Those who wish to visit the Gaydar Aliyev Center will find useful contact information.
Address: Azerbaijan, Baku, Narimanov district, Heydar Aliyev Avenue, 1, Heydar Aliyev Center. Opening hours:
Tuesday - Friday - 11:00 -19:00.
Saturday - Sunday - 11:00 - 18:00.
Phones: (+99412) 505-60-01, (+99412) 505-60-03, (+99412) 505-60-04.
Ticket price varies from 5 to 20 manat, depending on the number of exhibitions attended.
The staff of the Center speaks 3 languages (Azerbaijani, Russian and English).
