Baku the 'Hall of Fame' - PHOTOS

Our beautiful Baku has seen number of famous faces who paid visit here. Though the aims of that visits were various, each of them gifted unforgettable memories to the City of Winds. We want to talk about some of that celebrated persons that were in Baku and wrote their names to the memory of the city.

Charles de Gaulle

Famous French political leader and 18th president of France had ties with the Azerbaijani guerilla Ahmadiyya Jabrailov (Armed Michel). They were close friends and engaged in a number of military operations during the World War II. In 1946 Ahmadiyya left France and returned to Azerbaijan. De Gaulle did his best to prevent his departure from France, but it was in vain.
Deciding to visit his good old friend Ahmadiyya, Charles de Gaulle came to Baku. He lived in Baku’s famous ‘Hajinski house’ during his stay in Azerbaijan. De Gaulle found time to watch ‘Koroglu’ opera by the greatest Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli. He also planted a palm-tree in tribute to the City of Winds. The tree still stands in the Fountains Square in front of the McDonald’s restaurant in Baku today. Few people in Baku know about it.



Yuri Gagarin, the first human being to step on the Moon aboard the spaceship ‘Vostok’, managed to come back alive after a 108-minute space trip on April 12, 1961. They say that there is a relic of Yuri Gagarin in Baku, too. He visited Azerbaijan in 1962. As did Charles de Gaulle, Gagarin planted a palm-tree in Baku city. The front of Baku Metro’s Icherisheher station is the place where he left his memorial. You can see that tree on the right when going towards the entrance of the station. Again, most of Baku residents are unaware of it.


Gerard Depardieu

The great French actor and legend of French cinema, Gerard Depardieu is another celebrated visitor to Baku. He has been in Baku several times. His last appearance in our city was for the shooting of a film dedicated to FIFA. Azerbaijan was chosen as one of the sites for the shooting. Depardieu played the role of the third FIFA president Jules Rimet, who made history as the organizer of the first Football Cup in 1930. Making use of his being in Baku, Gerard Depardieu took a walk in the city. He couldn’t hide his admiration of our luxurious city. He went to Azerbaijan’s Guba region, as well.


Yuri Nikulin

Baku’s Old City keeps the memory of the legendary Russian actor, great comedian Yuri Nikulin alive. The famous Russian film “Brilliant arm” was shot in a historical part of Baku. The sequence of the movie which was recorded in the Icherisheher is unforgettable: Walking in one of the streets of Icherisheher, Nikulin suddenly slips and shouts “Jeez!” after falling on his bottom. The he comes to his senses and sees his arm bandaged. During the break of the film shooting Nikulin met with Baku locals and played backgammon with them. There is an initiative to erect his monument in front of the place where he fell and immortalized himself in the memory of Baku.


Pierce Brosnan

Britain's famous Agent 007, James Bond - as portrayed by actor Pierce Brosnan paid a visit to Azerbaijan for the shooting of the 19th installment of the Bond series: "The World is Not Enough." Agent 007 sped his BMW down the highway dividing Baku’s famous oil rigs and created another remarkable page in Baku history. Since the movie features a struggle to control the world's oil supply, Azerbaijan proved to be an ideal setting. When Baku cinematographer Ali Hoomani first heard about the Bond movie and its oil-related theme, he immediately contacted Pinewood Studios in London to suggest Azerbaijan, the site of the world's first great oil boom, as an intriguing location. The movie's producers agreed and gave the green light. The premiere of the movie was held in November 1999 and played in cinemas worldwide.


David Coulthard

13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard drove a Formula 1 car in a racing exhibition by the Red Bull Racing team in Baku. Downtown Baku roads hosted the hot drag show by Coulthard.
Baku residents were able to watch Formula 1`s fastest racing car, RB7, that in 2011 helped Sebastian Vettel become world champion. Coulthard showed Baku residents RB7`s unbelievable speed and phenomenal acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 2.5 seconds.