Icheri-shekher 

( Azerb. İçərişəhər “Inner city”) or “old” city, colloquially.  Fortress
( Azerbaijani: Qala ) is an ancient residential quarter - a historical and architectural reserve in the capital of Azerbaijan , Baku . Surrounded by well-preserved fortress walls , it is the most ancient part and a landmark of the city. More than 1,300 families live on an area of 221 thousand m² , which the reserve occupies .The territory of the reserve was inhabited back in the Bronze Age . As a result of archaeological excavations, a dense settlement of the 8th - 11th centuries was established; crafts and trade were developed here. In the 15th century, Shirvanshah moved his residence from Shamakhi to Baku, which contributed to the “crystallization” of Icheri Sheher. From 1747 to 1806, Baku, centered mainly in Icheri Sheher, was the capital of the Khanate of Baku . After the city was occupied by Russians in 1806 and especially after the oil boom (mid-19th century - early 20th century), Baku began to grow rapidly and expanded beyond the fortress walls of Icheri Sheher.The most significant architectural monuments in Icheri Sheher are the Maiden Tower and the complex of the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. In addition, on the territory of the reserve there are dozens of historical monuments - mosques, caravanserais, baths, residential buildings, several museums, embassies, hotels, shopping facilities, cafes and restaurants.In 1977, Icheri Sheher was declared a historical and architectural reserve , and in 2000, together with the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List . Icheri Sheher became the first site from Azerbaijan to be included in the World Heritage List.