Diri Baba Mausoleum

The Diri Baba mausoleum is wedged into a recess in a limestone cliff above the old cemetery at Maraza, built in 1402 so that the rock forms the back and part of the roof of the structure. Two storeys of dressed stone project from the cliff, with a stair inside leading up to the burial chamber and a small opening giving onto the cliff face behind. The name means the living grandfather, and local tradition holds that the holy man buried here did not decay, which is why the site remained a place of pilgrimage.

What you actually see

• The setting - a stone building fitted into a recess in the cliff, half constructed and half cave.
• The upper chamber - the burial room reached by an internal stair, with the rock as its back wall.
• The stone carving - the dressed facade and its inscription, dated to 1402.
• The cemetery - old graves on the slope below the mausoleum.

When to go

April to October for the weather; the site is exposed and hot in high summer. Mornings have the best light on the facade. It is an easy stop on the drive between Baku and Shamakhi or Sheki.

Honest expectations

The building is small and the visit takes half an hour. Interior space is tight and the stair is steep and narrow. It is a stop on a longer drive rather than a destination in itself.

Nearby

Shamakhi is half an hour west, and Gobustan is south towards the coast.