A small country (land area: 86,600 sq.km) where East meets West and ancient tradition blends with modern innovation, Azerbaijan is a destination that deserves to be on every globe-trotter’s bucket list – ANIL THAKORE

A former Soviet republic, the oil-rich nation of Azerbaijan (pop. 10 million) is sited at the juncture of the Middle East and Eastern Europe in the Caucasus region, bordering the Caspian Sea to the east, Georgia and Russia to the north, Iran to the south, Armenia to the south-west and Turkey to the north-west. A small country (land area: 86,600 sq.km) where East meets West and ancient tradition blends with modern innovation, Azerbaijan is a destination that deserves to be on every globe-trotter’s bucket list.

Since the collapse of the USSR aka Soviet Union in 1991, several of its former republics such as Georgia (profiled last month on these pages) and Azerbaijan have emerged from behind the Soviet ‘iron curtain’ into prominence on global tourist maps because of their rich culture, natural beauty, and historical significance. After an exhilarating vacation in Georgia, our group of 13 landed at the modern Hyder Aliyev International Airport in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Since we had only five days, we decided to explore its charming capital city Baku and nearby places of historical and scenic interest.

Azerbaijan means “protector of fire” in Persian. From the days of recorded history dating back to 4 BCE, owing to its enormous reserves of oil and natural gas, flames of fire have lit up the landscape of this tiny nation through pores in the soil. The popular saying is that if you drill for water, you will get oil instead! In 1960, a shepherd herding his flock on the outskirts of Baku lit a flame that hasn’t died down for the past 64 years. 

Given the country’s strategic location bordering four countries, Baku has been a major trading centre for the caravans crossing east to west. The deep harbour of the Caspian Sea provided a major port for ships sailing the Arabian and Red Sea route. As is often recounted in history, prosperity also invites invaders, pillagers and looters. Over a thousand-year period, Baku was invaded and pillaged by Persians, Turks, Mongols and Russians. For a brief period, under the Shirvanshah rulers (12th-15th centuries), an era of peace and security prevailed due to the massive fortification built around Baku, today christened The Old City.

From the 16th century onwards, its oil and natural gas wealth became the focus of attention of avaricious neighbouring countries. Numerous invasions followed. In 1723, imperial Russia conquered Azerbaijan and after the Russian Revolution, it was integrated into the Soviet Republic and contributed over 70 percent of the Soviet Union’s crude oil exports. In 1990 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan declared independence with Baku designated as its capital.

Baku

Soon after declaring independence, the newly formed nation launched massive infrastructure projects. Thousands of Russian-constructed buildings along the Caspian seafront were demolished and a new modern city sprang up below the ramparts of the Old City. Baku with its well-planned streets, verdant gardens and aesthetically designed buildings blending tradition with modernity, has become a major tourist attraction. Recently, it hosted the United Nations COP29 Summit where leaders of 200 countries convened to discuss and ideate solutions to the looming climate change disaster. Baku also hosts a Formula 1 racing track that attract huge crowds of F1 enthusiasts.

Our first day was devoted to exploring Baku beginning with Nizami Street brimming with glittering shopping malls, restaurants, and nightclubs. This was followed by a visit to the nearby National Park with beautiful gardens and walkways that stretch for miles along the Caspian shoreline on Baku Boulevard. Overlooking the park are many stylish buildings such as the three Flame Towers that beam a wonderful LED show after sunset every day recounting Azerbaijan’s history. The Danish Mall designed in the shape of a lotus petal near the Baku Boulevard was our next stop. It is a shopper’s paradise.

A short walk along magnificent imperial Russia-styled buildings, across wide litter-free roads, brought us back to Nizami Street. This main street abounds with restaurants serving multiple cuisines. We chose a quaint restaurant serving Turkish-Azerbaijani delicacies such as bozbash (soup), dushbara (dumpling filled with meat and herbs), kebabs, dolma (meat and vegetables wrapped in grape leaves) and shah plov (pulao topped with minced mutton). Next, stop was the Shakespeare Pub to be surprised with pulsating live jazz music. Despite being a Muslim-majority nation, the nightlife in Baku is vibrant with live music and dance bars serving alcohol abound.

Moreover although almost 96 percent of the population is Muslim, dress codes are liberal. As is the entertainment. On our second night out we were treated to a scintillating belly-dance performance. A large number of Indians are employed in the hospitality and service sector.

Old City

The Old City aka Icheri Sheher is a 9th century fortress on a hilltop. In the 12th century during the reign of Shirvanshah Manucher II, a devastating earthquake forced the capital to move from Shamaky to Icheri Sheher. For three centuries, the Shirvanshah dynasty ruled and built this fortress into a full-fledged city with over 100,000 residents. Encased within its walls is the Unesco World Heritage site of Shirvanshah Palace with beautiful, marbled courtyards. The Maiden Tower (Giz Galasy) is 23-metre tall overlooking the city. Many intriguing legends are recounted about its construction. The Icheri Sheher was invaded several times but has been artistically restored to its original splendour with artistically designed houses lining its cobbled pathways and antique, curio and memento shops lining its streets.

A short drive away from the Old City is the site of the burning mountain, Yanardarg. This is a natural gas fire blazing continuously since 1960, thanks to the shepherd mentioned earlier. Standing within 3 ft of the flame was a thrilling experience.

Next, we headed to Martyrs’ Lane which hosts a magnificent Eternal Flame memorial to commemorate the sons and daughters (about 15,000) who lost their lives in the war of independence against the Soviets on Black Friday 1990 and the first Nagorno-Karabakh War of 1988-1994. The surrounding gardens are meticulously manicured and a grand mosque crowns the square.

Heyder Aliyev Museum and Cultural Centre

This 619,000 sq ft building complex is noted for its distinctive architecture and flowing, curved style that eschews sharp angles. It hosts ancient artefacts and textiles. Spread over three levels, it narrates the historical and cultural journey of Azerbaijan of the last 3,000 years. Artefacts include magnificent textiles brought in by traders from around the world, musical instruments, an array of puppets draped in costumes of the generations, an eye-popping spread of jewelry through the ages, paintings and sculptures portraying the country’s passage to the modern age.

Surakhany

Twenty three km from Baku is Surakhany, where the Ateshgah of Baku (Fire Temple of Baku) is located. The Ateshgah has been a pilgrimage centre for Hindus, Sikhs and Zoroastrians for thousands of years. In the 17th century, Indian traders built a small fortress around the Fire Temple for protection. Since then, this fortress has been converted into a museum depicting the life and times of traders through the centuries, with one room housing a statue of Lord Ganesha and chants from the Vedas, and another one of Lord Nataraja. Hindu, Iranian and Sikh inscriptions speak volumes of the religious importance of this place. The flame in the Fire Temple is kept burning by gas pumped through a pipeline from Baku.

From Surakhany, we headed to the Candy Cane Mountains, 60 km from Baku. These are hills with streaks of orange, white and pink trails caused by oxidation of iron compounds in the earth.

Gobustan Historical and Cultural Reserve

Sited 64 km from Baku, this Unesco World Heritage Site showcases rock carvings dating back 5,000 years. The Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape within the reserve, which covers an area of 537 hectares, has more than 6,000 rock carvings, which depict people, animals, battle-pieces, ritual dances, bullfights, boats with armed oarsmen, warriors with lances, camel caravans, sun and stars, on average dating back to 5,000-20,000 years

Next, we headed for the bubbling Mud volcanoes of Gobustan — over 300 of them, the largest cluster in the world. The 20-km drive to the Gilinj volcano site, in rickety old Russian cars, expertly driven across rugged terrain was an exhilarating experience. The bubbling volcanoes spill a mix of cold water, gas and mud containing minerals with therapeutic effects. On our way out, we were astounded by the musical rocks at the gateway of the reserve. These rocks emanate several musical sounds, like that of a sitar when struck with a rock. The Gobustan Museum also houses a vast collection of historic edifices.

On our return to Baku we headed to the Wholesale Market offering a variety of fruits, flowers, dried fruits, and nuts. We stocked up on walnuts, pistachios, dates, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnut, etc. After a short rest at our hotel we headed to sample the nightlife on Nizami Street to bid farewell to Azerbaijan!

Accommodation.

High-end: Fairmont Baku- Flame Towers (Rs.15,780 per night), Holiday Inn Baku (Rs.9,613), Hilton Garden Inn Baku (Rs.8,520); Mid-range: Badamar Hotel and Residences (Rs.5,930), Homebridge Hotel Apartment (Rs.4,473), Art Club Hotel (Rs.4,534); Budget: Diwan Express Baku Hotel (Rs.3,902), Mensen Hotel (Rs.1,270), Baku Gold Hotel (Rs.1,166). 

Azerbaijan: Brief profile

Population. 10 million

Religion. Islam. Officially a secular democratic republic.

Cuisine. A blend of Turkish, Persian and Azerbaijani. Mainly non-vegetarian. Many Indian restaurants offer vegetarian food.

Currency. Manat. Required for commercial transactions. Manat=Rs.50

Visa. E-visa required. 5-day process.

Getting there. Indigo and Air Arabia fly from Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai to Baku daily. Approx return fare: Rs.55,000