Some facts about Maiden Tower

Some facts and figures about Maiden's Tower

•    Walls 5m thick, an estimated 2900 m4 of rock was used
•    Was originally seven storeys - an extra floor was added for a gun emplacement
•    There were no steps to the 1st floor - a ladder which could be removed for added defence was used instead
•    Despite its size there are no rooms in the 'buttress' pillar
•    An 'Operion' aperture (hole in the centre) allowed rapid descent between floors and surprisingly good light. This was lost due to remodelling in the early 20th century
•    The mysterious opening on the 5th floor appears to have been a door lock and hinge points are visible but nobody knows where the door would have led
•    Entry fee 2 AZN, open 11:00-19:00, closed Monday

Some far-fetched suggestions for its cross-sectional shape:

•    It represents one half of the Yin-Yang oriental symbol of balance
•    Like the arabesque of the Paisley motif, it is derived from the 'buta' - a Zoroastrian religious symbol of fire
•    It is based on a number 6 - the base number of the Babylonian (world's first) counting system.