Azerbaijan

Overview

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.

History

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

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

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

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

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

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

Religion

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

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

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:

Palaces, castles and fortresses

Mosques and temples

Museums and galleries

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

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

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.