Alley of Honor

Azerbaijan''s national cemetery of honoured citizens, with panoramic views over Baku Bay

Fəxri Xiyaban — "Alley of Honour" — is Azerbaijan''s most prestigious burial ground. Founded in 1948 on a hillside overlooking the Caspian Sea, the site is reserved exclusively for individuals of exceptional merit to the country: scientists, poets, statesmen, athletes, and war heroes. Between tall cypresses and polished marble monuments, locals come to pay their respects but also to stroll — the site has a parklike quality despite its solemn purpose. The view across Baku Bay and the oil fields on the horizon gives the grounds a striking openness. A particularly moving time to visit is after dark, when the eternal flames burning at the graves of soldiers fallen in the Nagorno-Karabakh war glow quietly in the stillness.