"SURAKHANI" SHIP-MUSEUM

You climb a gangway onto a real oil tanker and the city noise drops to a metallic hush. Mid-morning light slices across rusted plates and the deck creaks under schoolchildren and the odd solo traveler. Inside, there is a 360-degree projection that throws you into the Caspian, VR headsets that make you pinch your stomach as if the ship rolls, and a hulking original engine that smells faintly of oil and history. Guides, cheerful and sharp, shepherd groups through eleven themed halls, stopping for nautical knots and ship models that feel lovingly assembled. It is loud, earnest, and oddly tender. The restaurant on deck aims high and charges accordingly. If you want the ship to yourself, come early and ask to break from the convoy of guided tours. Look for the captain's cabin, tucked three decks down, with its faded brass plaques and a stubbornly crooked compass.