
Occasionally, a striking modern building rose up among structures of various heights with no apparent attempt at cohesive planning.
Photo essay: The ongoing formation of the Republic of Azerbaijan

A monumental structure which was the National Azerbaijan Drama Theater with a statute of the 16th Century Azeri poet Mohamed Fizuli in front of it.
Photo essay: The ongoing formation of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Some being renovated.
Photo essay: The ongoing formation of the Republic of Azerbaijan

There was some distance to streets with shops. The area in between had some apartment buildings and more were under construction. It still remained to be shaped. The streets that followed were also nondescript, not quite “Middle Eastern,” not bustling or crowded. There were pockets of graceful buildings of the early 20th Century...
Photo essay: The ongoing formation of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Photo essay: The ongoing formation of the Republic of Azerbaijan