Gulustan Tower

Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan

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Gulustan Tower, more accurately called Gulustan Fortress or Castle, is a medieval stone fortress situated on a steep, rocky mountain about 200 meters high in the Shamakhi District of Azerbaijan, a few kilometers west of the town of Shamakhi.

Its name means “flower garden,” reflecting the scenic, once-vegetated landscape around it, and locals also referred to it as the “Maiden Fortress” because of its extreme inaccessibility. Archaeological evidence shows initial construction in the 9th century, with major rebuilding and strengthening undertaken in the 12th and early 13th centuries during the Shirvanshah period, when it served as a key stronghold and final refuge for the Shirvan dynasty.

Strategically positioned to guard Shamakhi, the fortress was surrounded by powerful fortified walls with numerous round and quadrangular towers, and a secret underground passage cut through the rock allowed the rulers to escape or launch surprise attacks toward the nearby gorge and river.