Namerd Gala. Maiden Tower in Gadabay

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The Land of Fire is blessed with wonderful historical monuments, waiting to be explored.

If you wanted to enjoy some of the most breathtaking historical sites, then take a look at Namerd Gala. 

Maiden Tower or Namerd Gala is a medieval fortress located on the top of the mountain near the village of Sudlu, Gadabay region. There are no exact data on the construction of the fortress.

The ancient fortress is distinguished by the monumentality of building materials and architectural forms. In the scientific literature, this fortress is called Namerd Gala, but  locals calls it Maiden Tower.

There is no information about the historic significance of the tower and when it was built.

However, some researchers consider it to be constructed approximately in the12th century (the Eldiguzids era), referring to its architectural features.

According to another source, the tower was built in the 9th century. In official sources it is considered to have been built in the 9th-11th centuries.

The Maiden Tower in Gadabay has a polygonal plan. There are semicircular turrets at the corners of the fortress, built on rocks. There are two-levels inside the tower. 

The upper level is located at the highest point of the mountain. The south side of the upper level is connected to the lower level. 

Mountain fortresses were usually built from stones of surrounding rocks and riverbeds. Another feature that distinguishes Narin Gala from other fortresses is that it was built from baked bricks. 

The tower`s most important feature includes the two-layer arrangement of the bears. The length of the fortress is 250 m.

There are also hidden exits from the fortress and an underground tunnel leading to the Shamkir Chay River.

It is possible to climb on foot to the fortress, which is surrounded by magnificent  forests.