By Farid Shafiyev
Ambassador of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan — or “land of fires” for its ever-burning, inextinguishable natural gas flames that shoot spontaneously from the earth — offers other equally spectacular and utterly unique historical and cultural experiences.
Travellers usually begin their journey to Azerbaijan in Baku, the country’s capital. Baku is the biggest political, trade and cultural centre of our country with advanced infrastructure, modern hotels and banks, scientific and cultural attractions and numerous historical and architectural monuments. Here you will experience a culture of extravagance and exclusive originality.
The ancient fortress of the Icheri Sheher (Old City) in the centre of Baku is a unique open-air museum, which is the pride of every Azerbaijani. The area is surrounded by defensive walls, which date back to the 12th Century. There are many invaluable monuments of the Middle Ages and great antiquity inside the Old City. The architecture throughout the ages can be seen by simply taking a walk in the area. The Maiden Tower (Gyz Galasy), the complex of Shirvanshahs’ Palace and the fortress walls located in the Old City are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Visitors to Baku enjoy the temple of fire worshippers, known as Ateshgah (House of Fire), located in Surakhani settlement, a suburb of greater Baku. The pentagonal complex, which has a courtyard surrounded by cells for monks and a tetrapillar-altar in the middle, was built during the 17th and 18th Centuries. After being abandoned in 1883, when oil and gas plants were established in the vicinity, the complex was turned into a museum in 1975 and now receives 15,000 visitors each year. Dating back to the 6th Century and built over a natural gas source, this temple is truly exceptional and unlike any other in the world. Today, the temple features a museum in which visitors can delve into the past and see just how those who worshipped fires led their lives.
In 1858, the great French novelist Alexander Dumas (1802-1870) visited Ateshgah. Dumas wrote some of his impressions about it in his book, Travels in the Caucasus: “Great tongues of flame soared in the air from the hundreds of tiny round fissures in the ground. The wind would scatter the flames, curve them and then straighten them, spreading them along the ground and then lifting them up to heavens again. But it was impossible for the wind to extinguish them.”
Today, you can observe this interesting natural phenomenon near Muhammadli village where natural gases are released and burn at the base of a rock called Yanar Dag (Fire Mountain). This is an ancient and visually stunning natural gas fire which blazes continuously on a hillside on the Absheron Peninsula on the Caspian Sea near Baku. Flames jet out into the air three metres from a thin, porous sandstone layer.
One can also visit the archives of human evolution in the form of rock paintings, or petroglyphs. One of them — the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape — is a hill and mountain site occupying the southeast end of the Great Caucasian Mountain Ridge. About 60 kilometres southwest of the centre of Baku, it sits on the west coast of the Caspian Sea. The reserve has more than 6,000 rock engravings dating back to between 5,000 and 40,000 years. The site also features the remains of inhabited caves, settlements and burials, all reflecting intensive human use by the inhabitants of the area during the wet period that followed the last Ice Age, from the upper Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages. The petroglyphs and rock engravings are an exceptional testimony to a way of life that has disappeared, graphic representations of activities connected with hunting and fishing at a time when the climate of the area was warmer and wetter than today. In 2007, Gobustan was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site that was considered to be of “outstanding universal value” for the quality and density of its rock art engravings and for the substantial evidence the collection of rock art images presents for hunting, fauna, flora and lifestyles in prehistoric times.
Also in Gobustan, you will find the inexplicable Gaval Dash — a unique stone that will produce a distinct sound when tapped with another stone. Gaval Dash is locally known as the Stone Tambourine because it can produce so many different sounds, just like a tambourine. Many believe that the stone has magical properties, as there is no explanation for this.
Azerbaijan also is home to the highest number of mud volcanoes in the world. Of the world’s 800 mud volcanoes, 300 can be found in the coastal area of Azerbaijan — both active and dormant. Each of them has its own character and chemical composition, and the mud and clay of these volcanoes, along with the volcanic waters, can treat many diseases. Each volcano is said to have its own distinct healing properties, so travellers often pick and choose based on local legend and on what ails them. The strange landscape is reminiscent of the youth of our planet or the views of the moon; however, unlike the old moon’s dead surface, the mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan are still alive.
Beyond Baku, there are many fascinating towns to visit, each with its own unique attractions. For example, travelling to Ismayilli (northwest of Baku), one can find the marvellous town of Lahij. This is one of the ancient handicraft centres of Azerbaijan, and has a unique charm thanks to its high standard of town planning. There is no comparable collection of copper workshops anywhere in the world, and during the Middle Ages, most men worked in the copper craft. In those days, copper wares made in Lahij were exported to all Eastern countries; nowadays, these works of art are kept in many world museums as well as in private collections. In Lahij, one can also find many little shops selling curative mountain grasses that are renowned for easing joint and muscle pain.
Travelling further northwest, the city of Sheki, founded almost 2,600 years ago, is renowned for its craftsmen. Branches of handicraft such as intricate “shebeke,” embroideries, stucco, pottery, metalwork and mural painting are sold in Sheki. The town boasts a peculiar architectural and decorative style of its own, and a beautiful example of this is the mosaic-fronted Sheki Khan’s Palace (King Palace), built in the 18th Century. In ancient times, gold-embroidered Sheki silk was appreciated all over the world as one of the greatest riches and the flow of tourists here continues to this day. Those who know local cuisine will delight in the well-known Sheki baklava, gentle halvah and nut cookies, which have a delectable taste and aroma.
Those seeking further health resort experiences can also stop by Naftalan, the home of a rare type of oil from Azerbaijan that is used only for medicinal purposes. Azerbaijani doctors have prescribed Naftalan oil for years to successfully treat various skin, joint and bone diseases such as psoriasis, arthritis and rheumatism. The town takes its name from the oil, “Naftalan,” which comes from the Azerbaijani for “neft alan” (oil buyer).
Those who love vegetables and fruits should visit the city of Guba, one of the well-developed agricultural regions of Azerbaijan, which also boasts impressive gorges and the famous Afuja waterfall. Located only 65 kilometres from Guba, the Highland Khinalig village (about 2,500 metres above sea level) is home to the Khinaligians, an ethnographic group with its own archaic language that is not similar to any of the contemporary world languages. It has been preserved well, though the Khinaligians also speak Azerbaijani. The phenomenon of Khinalig is one of the greatest ethnographic mysteries in world history.
Key among the many places not to miss is the Tears of Kyapaz. This is a beautiful site for those who love beauty in its most natural and pure forms. The Tears of Kyapaz is a series of seven lakes that look very much like a series of seven teardrops shed across the land.
The lakes, near Mount Kyapaz, are truly breathtaking in their simple and yet profound beauty, which makes the site one of the most well known tourist attractions. The lakes formed back in 1139 when an earthquake dammed mountain streams in several places. Nearby are 3,806 hectares of woodlands that are home to 420 plants and many animals, among them the stone marten, the Caucasian gabion and the badger.
Along with the historical sites, another main attraction is the collection of beaches along the Caspian Sea, which beckon tourists to luxuriate in their magnificent sand and surf. The Caspian Sea is also famous for its abundant sturgeon stocks, the source of most of the world’s supply of caviar, a delicacy like no other. Besides caviar, Azerbaijan also has a vibrant national cuisine with a vast array of dishes. Favourites include dolma — which means to “fill in” or “wrap” in Azerbaijani — consisting of lamb and minced onions wrapped in grape leaves, and an array of meat and vegetable kebabs. Azerbaijani cuisine also includes a number of soups served hot and cold, such as dovga (made with rice, sour milk and cream, flour, eggs and vegetables or meat) and khamirashi (a bean and noodle soup).
Whether you are interested in ancient culture and crafts, breathtaking natural wonders, tranquil scenes or unique health resorts, there is something to enchant every visitor in Azerbaijan. The liveliness of the land, people and culture will leave you with an unforgettable impression of a country unlike any other in the world.
Farid Shafiyev is Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Canada. Reach him at 613-288-0497 or email azerbaijan@azembassy.ca.
