Ray Bondin reminisces about his first visit to the Azeri city, saying he arrived just in time to ‘save’ it. Twenty years on, Baku looks revived.

When I first visited Baku more than 20 years ago, I tried to walk up the circular stairs within the Maiden Tower three times and had to climb back down because there was no electricity – in a country rich in oil and gas deposits.

This time I attended the 22nd annual Unesco World Heri­tage Committee meeting in which about 2,000 people took part. I found the city completely transformed and modernised.

I was first sent to Baku to evaluate the old city’s nomination as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

ICOMOS, the organisation of experts that acts as consultant to Unesco, had chosen me as an expert on old cities. It was not an easy mission.

Azerbaijan had suffered tre­mendously under the Soviet period in spite of the fact that it was a major source of oil and gas.

When I was there, very few spoke Azeri and instead spoke Russian. Many Azeris, estimated at over a million, who died in Soviet camps, were not allowed to learn foreign languages. At the time, there was only one decent hotel run by 18-year-olds who had just started to learn English. 

The city looked dismal. Outside the old towns there were only massive Soviet minimalist apartments. I arrived just in time to ‘save’ the old city. American oil companies had started to move in to claim rights and, of course, they did not open an office or live in the horrible Soviet apartments but in the old town, where houses were small and run down. So the Americans started to build extra floors.

The author (right) attending the annual Unesco World Heritage Committee meeting in Baku as part of the Maltese delegation.

They have taken care of their heri­tage in an incredible way

My positive report on the city’s nomination, very much appreciated even today by the Azeri authorities, got the Old City of Baku on the Unesco World Heritage List [even though for a time it was on the danger list] and this saved it.

Since then and in such a short time Baku has changed completely. The kilometres of identical Soviet apartments were pulled down and modern housing erected. I remember the watershore full of rusting drilling machines: today it is one of the most beautiful waterfronts I know. The people now live in modern apartments.

The city has been thoroughly cleaned up. The horrible roads I had seen have been replaced by well-designed modern ones. The rubbish in the streets has been replaced by streets and roads that are completely clean.

The protected old buildings.

All over the city there are large, green public areas with very well-kept greenery. The airport, little more than a big garage 20 years ago, is now a modernly designed terminal. The city now has many four- and five-star hotels, with the big American chains dominating the scene [at reasonable prices].

They have taken care of their heri­tage in an incredible way, and though Baku’s Old City has, like any other Unesco site, too many souvenir shops, everything has been done in good taste. 

There is work for everyone and, like the Emirates, Azerbaijan today pulls a great number of workers from poorer adjoining countries. It is a mainly Muslim country but a very relaxed one, with no religious tensions. There are Christian churches.

The city has been transformed into a new tourist attraction, especially from the Middle East, both Muslims and Jews, because of its moderate climate and its safety. Baku is the only capital that is below sea level. Restaurants of all kinds abound and prices are cheap. Taxis could not be cheaper.

The Azeris are proud to host big events like international conferences, the Eurovision, UN meetings and Formula 1.

Baku’s modern architecture includes various buildings by well-known international architects, some of whom are really outstanding. Of course, everyone knows about Malta and many expressed the wish to visit.

Baku is the only urban area of Azerbaijan but there is much more to see, as the country has outstanding landscapes and many heritage sites. The citizens are pleased with the transformation of their country and it is very clear that the standard of living has gone up tremendously since I last visited.

I still remember a coffee hotplate lying on the floor of the dreadful heritage office; since then everything has been transformed. Today the office cannot be more modern than it is. 

Ray Bondin, chairman of the Maltese National Commission of Unesco, was accompanied by executive secretary Philip Cassar.

The city’s auditorium designed by Zaha Hadid