Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is an extraordinary country. This is the place of origin and decline of ancient empires, one of the milestones of the Great Silk Road, in which architecture and history testify to the eras of Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Islam and other religious influences.

Overview

Shirvanshahs Palace in the Old City of Baku, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Traces of the cultural heritage of the Sassanids, Shirvans, Ottomans, Arabs, Persians and Russians played a significant role in shaping the current appearance of the city.The uniqueness of modern Azerbaijan lies precisely in its colorful symbiosis of a rich past, modern present and progressive future.

An interesting fact about the capital of Azerbaijan: one of the plots of the Soviet comedy "The Diamond Hand" was filmed in Baku on the streets of Kichik Gala and Sabir.

History

Eddie Gumbez Mausoleum and cemetery in Shamakhi, Azerbaijan

Archaeologists date the first human settlements on the territory of modern Azerbaijan to the Stone Age. Prehistoric caves have been discovered throughout the country. The roots of modern Azerbaijan date back to the IV century BC, with the appearance of Caucasian Albania and Atropatene, which received its name in honor of the founder, Atropat. Many historians associate the origin of the name "Azerbaijan" with the name of the ruler, while others rely on the connection with the "land of eternal flame".

The country has experienced such important historical periods of its formation as the "Golden Age", the partition of Azerbaijan between Russia and Persia, the oil boom, the First Democratic Republic of the Islamic East, the collapse of the USSR and the proclamation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Today, the Republic of Azerbaijan is known to the world as a democratic, legal and secular state.

Flag

Flag of Azerbaijan

The blue color on the National Flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan indicates the Turkic origin of the Azerbaijani people, the red color indicates the desire to develop a democratic modern society, the green color symbolizes Islam.

Geography

Laza, Azerbaijan

Being at the junction of Europe and Asia, Azerbaijan has a unique geographical location. In addition to the mainland, it includes the islands of the Caspian Sea – the Baku and Absheron archipelagos.

Mountains

The relief of Azerbaijan is heterogeneous: lowlands and highlands prevail. More than half of the territory consists of mountainous terrain with a pronounced amplitude of elevation fluctuations with a maximum point at the top of Bazarduzu (4466 m). The mountain systems of Azerbaijan are represented by the ridges of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus and the Talysh Mountains.

Sea

The Caspian Sea is the largest body of water on the planet, which has no communication with other seas and oceans. Due to such features of its structure and size, geologists believe that it would be correct to call the Caspian Sea a drainless lake. The water in the Caspian is brackish.

Climate

Azerbaijani landscapes

The climate of Azerbaijan allows you to organize all kinds of recreation – the country is located in nine out of eleven possible climatic zones, and the unique microclimate of local balneological resorts makes them one of the best in the world.

Most of Azerbaijan is located in the subtropics. Semi-desert climate, dry steppe climate, medium and cold climate are also represented. The dry subtropical climate is characteristic of Absheron and the Kura-Araks lowland. Humid subtropical climate is observed only in the south of the Talysh Mountains. The temperate climate, observed for the most part in the forested uplands of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, is divided into dry, moderately warm dry, moderately warm humid and cold. The cold climate is observed on high mountain ranges, peaks of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, belts of alpine and subalpine meadows.

Capital

Baku

The capital of modern Azerbaijan is Baku, which is located on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Baku is an amazing combination of antiquity and modernity – fantastic architectural ensembles sparkle with glass against the background of centuries-old buildings and ancient structures.

You can verify this immediately after landing at the Heydar Aliyev Baku Airport. In 2020, the airport was awarded the Skytrax World Airport Awards as the best among airports with an annual passenger traffic of up to 5 million people.

Flame Towers is the hallmark of modern Baku – three sparkling skyscrapers with unique evening lighting will be a real discovery for connoisseurs of modern architecture.

Language

The palace mosque of 1430, restoration work

The official language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani. The modern Azerbaijani language has various dialects and dialects:

the eastern group (Baku, Guba, Shamakhi dialects, as well as Lankaran and Mugan dialects)

The Western group (Ganja, Gazakh, Karabakh dialects and the Ayrim dialect)

the northern group (the Sheki dialect and the Zakatala-Gakh dialect)

the southern group (Nakhichevan, Ordubad dialects)

Every year, on August 1, the country celebrates the Day of the Azerbaijani Alphabet and the Azerbaijani language.

Religion

Juma Mosque in Shamakhi

According to approximate estimates, 95% of the population of Azerbaijan are Muslims, 5% are representatives of other religions (Judaism, Christianity, Baha'i, etc.), including atheists and agnostics.

Cities

The capital of Azerbaijan is Baku

Tourists love Azerbaijan. These territories combine many historical attractions against the backdrop of unique nature reserves. The most popular districts of Azerbaijan are: Absheron, Gabala, Goychay, Goygol, Gobustan, Guba, Sheki, Shamakhi.

The cities that are definitely worth visiting while traveling in Azerbaijan are Baku, Shaki, Gabala, Ismayilli, Guba, Ganja, Lankaran, Kedabek and others. Here you will find a lot of historical and natural attractions that the amazing Azerbaijani land will unfold in front of you.

Attractions

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Baku

History and architecture

Acquaintance with Azerbaijan begins with the capital, Baku. Here you can see the ancient city blocks of Icheri Sheher, ancient mosques, palaces, fortresses, museums, and feel the full flavor of this multinational and vibrant country.

Ganja, the second largest city in Azerbaijan, is one of the settlements of the Great Silk Road. Here you can see the magnificent mausoleum of Imam-zadeh, medieval mosques, fortresses, baths.

One of the popular tourist routes along the Great Silk Road includes the village of Lagich, the most famous trade and craft center in the Caucasus.

The city of Sheki is popular with travelers as a city of caravanserais. Sheki visited the capital of the Sheki Khanate, and its historical part is protected by UNESCO.

Natural attractions

The nature of Azerbaijan is very diverse. The world's only unique relic forests of the Cenozoic era have been preserved on its territory.

The reserves of Azerbaijan: Kyzylagach, Zakatala and Shirvan, Girkan, Turianchay, Ismailli, Geigel, Aggel, Basutchay, Karayaz, Kyzylagaj, Pirkuli and 16 reserves protect pristine nature and rich flora and fauna.

The Azerbaijani mountain lakes are the pearl of the country. The most beautiful among them are Batabat, Miguel and Maralgel.

Fascinating excursions in Azerbaijan will introduce you to the sights:

Gobustan Historical and Artistic National Park

Mud volcanoes of Gobustan

Geigel Lake

Gabala Nature Reserve and the waterfall "7 beauties"

Burning Yanardag Mountain

Palaces, castles and fortresses

Baku Fortress

Maiden Tower

The fortress in Raman

Quadrangular castle in Mardakian

Shirvanshahs' Palace

Mukhtarov's Palace

The Palace of the Sheki Khans

Mosques and temples

The Mosque of Muhammad

Bibi Eibat Mosque

Juma mosque in the city of Shamakhi

The Temple of fire worshippers in Ateshgah

Museums and galleries

The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center

Carpet Museum

The Museum of Local Lore in Ganja

Gala Museum–Reserve

Resorts

There are more than a thousand mineral water sources in Azerbaijan. The most famous are: Badamly, Istisu, Sirab. And the most famous international balneological resorts – Naftalan, Galaalty, Lenkoran accept guests for sanatorium treatment all year round.

Holidays

January 1st – 2nd – New Year's Holiday

March 8 – Women's Day

May 9 – Victory Day over Fascism

May 28 – Republic Day

June 15 is the Day of National Salvation of the Azerbaijani People

June 26 is the Day of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan

October 18 – State Independence Day (October 18);

November 8 – Victory Day

November 9 is the Day of the National Flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan

November 12 – Constitution Day

November 17 – National Renaissance Day

December 31 is the Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis of the world

Novruz holiday – five days

The holiday of Gurban Bayram – two days

Ramadan Bayran holiday – two days

National currency

The manat is the monetary unit of the Republic of Azerbaijan, equal to 100 gapiks. The letter code of ISO 4217 is AZN, the numeric code is 944, the official symbol is ₼. The Azerbaijani manat was introduced on August 15, 1992.

National cuisine

Oriental sweets

Religious canons do not allow most Azerbaijanis to eat pork. Azerbaijanis compensate for this with a variety of meat dishes. Lamb, veal, poultry and fish dishes cooked on the grill or in a tandoor are especially popular. River or sea fish are consumed smoked, dried, fried, baked, generously flavored with a variety of spices and spices. Chefs use a lot of fruits, vegetables and herbs to prepare their famous dishes. Fresh herbs are a constant companion and an integral part of any Azerbaijani dish. The Azerbaijanis have a special account for spicy herbs: coriander, mint, saffron, pepper mixtures are frequent guests on every table.

Bread occupies a special place in Azerbaijani cuisine. In rural areas, pita bread is cooked on a saj or in a tandoor.

Azerbaijanis, like most Eastern peoples, adore sweets and desserts. The assortment is amazing in its variety, among the most famous are baklava, kurabye and sheker–bura.

The tradition of tea drinking in this country has developed over the centuries, and Azerbaijani tea is known all over the world. Azerbaijanis drink black large-leaf tea, brewing it strongly and adding spices: cloves, cinnamon, ginger. Fruit jams and oriental sweets are served with tea.

Help us make your travels better
Share your experiences, photos, videos and useful tips