Azerbaijan – the land of Fire

The capital of Azerbaijan lies directly on the Caspian Sea and offers a unique combination of historical old buildings and Morden architecture. We reached Baku post midnight and drove directly to our hotel. We stayed in Rich Hotel (5 star). The hotel is clean and the room are spacious and staffs are very helpful too. However, it is located a bit far from the city centre, but Uber runs in Azerbaijan too so moving around was not a problem. After getting a good night sleep and breakfast we left for the Baku sightseeing. We went directly to Old city Baku. The old city is the most ancient part of Baku. It is a nice place to wonder around, during the day or evening. We visited the UNESCO World Heritage site - Palace of Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower in the old city. The Maiden Tower houses a museum. We went inside the Maiden tower and climbed to the top. The view from the roof of Maiden tower is amazing and can take many photographs. Do look out for a well in the tower which goes very deep. The old city also houses number of shops offering carpets, crafts and souvenirs. After spending couple of hours and Old City, we went to see National Carpet Museum located at the end of Seaside Boulevard. It is three storied building that looks like a huge roll of carpet. The carpet museum was opened in 1967. The “Carpet products” collection consists of 1663 items from the 19th and 20th centuries. The carpets are very well laid out with brief information about each carpet. The carpet making process is described as you walk through the 3 floors. Only takes an hour or so to go through the museum and is definitely worth the time. When we entered the museum there was one lady who was demonstrating the hand weaving process and you can also try your hands on weaving. Entry ticket to the museum is 7 AZN. Then we went to Nizami Street. It is a large pedestrian and shopping street in downtown Baku. Nizami Street is home to various outlets, from banks to fashion stores and is one of the most expensive streets in the world. It is famous for its restaurants as well. Many famous eateries such as Hard Rock Baku, Mc Donald’s, KFC, Entrée; Popular coffee shops like Starbucks, Gloria Jeans, as well as other coffee Shop are located here. Additionally, most of the pubs in Baku are located in either Nizami Street or just a few minutes far from it. Apart from all those facilities, a part of Nizami Street is famous for its fountains. Therefore it is called Fountain Square. Besides fountains, interesting statues are another aspect that will grab your attention. This street is void of any vehicular traffic and a must to visit when you are in Baku infact it could be best explored by staying on or near to Nizami Street. We instantly fell in love with the street so much that we visited this street thrice during our stay in Baku. You can visit the street at any time of the day but the street comes alive and vibrant at night when the chandeliers on the street are all lit up. That night we had an early dinner (Veg. Pizza) at Pizza Inn restaurant in Nizami Street.

Day 2: In and around Baku

We went directly in our bus (other options being taking a funicular or climbing up the stairs) to Upland Park, the highest point in Baku provides bird eye view of the city and its bay. It is a famous place among locals and visitors. Upon reaching there the first thing we notice that we were standing at the base of the long tall Flame towers. The Flame Towers are another symbol of the Baku, Azerbaijan. It is a trio of skyscraper. The height of the tallest tower is 597 ft. Towers representing flames symbolize fire. The buildings consist of residential apartments, a Fairmont hotel and office blocks. The building can be visible from almost every part of the city but the best view one can get is from Upland Park. Besides Flame tower the Park also houses alley of martyrs and Eternal Flame Memorial. It is dedicated to all the people killed by the Soviet Army during a catastrophic event. This was a mass murder of civilian population of Baku, which happened in 1990 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union as an attempt to suppress the Azerbaijani independence movement. An estimated number of 15,000 people are buried in the cemetery park. After paying respect at the memorial we drove to Yanar dag (around 40 mins from Baku). Yanar Dag (means “Burning Mountain”) is a natural gas fire which blazes continuously on a hillside on the Absheron Peninsula near Baku. Fire Mountains exist today in the world, and most are located in Azerbaijan. The Yanar Dag fire has never been extinguished. Around this open fireplace the atmosphere is filled with the smell of gas. It is an interesting experience to see natural burning mountain. After fire mountain we visited fire temple of Baku i.e. Ateshgah of Baku. The place is so deep and rich in history. This is used to be Zoroastrian temple.The temple was destroyed by invasions. A hindu temple was constructed by Hindu traders in the 17th century who also worshipped fire. There are inscriptions in Sanskrit in the temple. The temple was also used by Sikh traders as a place to worship as well as stay, now converted in a museum. There are different rooms depict different aspects of life at the temple and religious rituals. In one of the rooms you can hear Sanskrit mantra chanting. This site had natural fire before but after extensive piping of gas and oil from the area the natural fire extinguished and now the fire is maintained by an artificial gas pipe. We then headed to Elite Horse Club which was very near to baku. The club has many horses and ponies. This place was perfect for family outing. Here adult can ride a horse, children ride a pony. There are several cafes and a restaurant to just sit, relax and sip Azerbaijani tea. The day ends with visit to a mall.

Day 3: On The Way to Qabala

We checked out from our hotel in baku and started travelling to Qabala district. On route qabala we first visited The Juma Mosque in the Shamakhy city. This is the oldest and largest mosque in Azerbaijan. It is also called Friday Mosque. It was constructed in 743. It was seriously damaged in the aftermath of earthquakes of 1859 and 1902. During the March genocide of 1918, Armenian nationalists set this mosque on fire. In 2010-2013, it has been extensively restored and rebuilt.From there we went to a small beautiful village in Ismayili district where we walk across a suspension bridge over a mountain river. This place is very scenic to take photos. There we did a little hiking on the other side of the bridge. Few vendors were also there selling dry fruit rolls and fresh juicy fruits, jams and honey. After taking lunch in the wood side beautiful restaurant we went directly to our hotel in Qabala. We saw many locals coming in the woods and camping and spending the day in the nature. In Qabala we stayed in Qafqaz Karavansaray Hotel. It is a boutique five star hotel featuring a stunning local architectural design. The hotel is located right at the centre of Gabala city at the foot of Caucasus Mountains. Rooms were clean and big with modern design. As a vegetarian we were not so happy with the breakfast but in their a’la carte menu Veg. pizza was very nice to have it for lunch or dinner.

Day 4 : Qabala

Our day started with visiting Lake Nohur. Lake Nohur with a magnificent view of Caucasus Mountains is one of the most picturesque places of Gabala. The quiet atmosphere and bird sounds create an ideal relaxation environment to escape from the noise of the city. We took a paddle boat ride to enjoy the surrounding landscape. It’s a family friendly place. Although swimming in the lake is prohibited (the lake is also used as a reservoir and provides drinking water for Gabala and surrounding regions). The next was the Tufandang Mountain. We rode up to the Tufandag Mountain by cable car. To reach high up in the mountain we took two cable cars as there are 3 stations where you can get down for refreshment and take photos while enjoying the nature. The temperature gets colder while going up. Once you are at the top the views are breathtaking – forest and mountains and fresh air just amazing. There are also café and restaurant at the mountain top. Tufandag complex is well equipped and can accommodate up to 3,000 people at a time, restaurants, cafeterias, bars and recreation areas, ski school for adults and children, ski equipment rental and repair are operating on the territory of the complex. The trails of the ski resort of Tufandag Gabala have different complexity and are designed for advanced skiers, snowboarders as well as beginners. The total length of the trails is 17 km. Then we went for the Gabala Shooting Club, surrounded by beautiful scenery is a favourite place for active leisure fan. Gabala Shooting Club has five combined ranges for stand shooting, three rifle halls, and an archery shooting pitch. There are also ranges for night shooting, paintball and strike ball. Place is highly secured and the instructors are well trained and will help you aim properly towards the clay pigeons/bullets. For first timers like us, it was really an interesting experience. There is also an amusement park called Gaba Land, going there was optional but we went there for our kid who had a good time there. It is nice place for kids to enjoy (not worth for adults). The park is surrounded by the beautiful mountain and when we went the weather was pleasant so we had good time. They have interesting restaurant in the middle of artificial river though nothing much for vegetarian.

Day 5: Shakhi

We did a day trip from Qabala to Shakhi district. First we went to Yeddi Gozel (seven Beauties) Waterfall. This mountainous waterfall flowing from the highest peaks of the Caucasus Mountains and locates in Vandam village of Gabala. The waterfall is not that big but the place is good just to relax and enjoy food or a cup of hot tea in the lap of waterfall. Good place for kids. When we visited the weather was nice so we had a nice time. There are many stalls selling fresh fruits, honey and jam. Post that we visited The Palace of Shaki Khans. It is a beautiful small palace with hand painted ceilings and walls telling the story of the past. This was a summer residence for the Shaki Khans. The palace has become UNESCO World Heritage site on 7 July 2019. To visit the palace, guided tour is compulsory. The main attraction inside is beautiful stained glass windows (made without glue or nails). Unfortunately the photography inside the palace was not allowed. There were some tents outside and in one of them tourist can dress up in traditional Azerbaijani cloths and take photos. Our 3rd stop of the day was Caravensarai. A caravanserai was a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey. Azerbaijan is a country with a high culture, from time it was an important center on the Great Silk Road, where the East and the West crossed. Merchants and traders flocked to such Azerbaijani cities as Sheki, Ganja, Baku and others from all countries, bringing with them overseas spices, silk and other goods. Leaving Azerbaijan, they could take away jewelry, musical instruments, weapons, carpets, oil, etc. Some of those ancient caravanserais have survived to this day – caravanserai in Sheki is one of those. “Caravanserai” historical complex in Sheki is two magnificent caravanserai which reached present days and traditionally named “Yukhary” and “Ashaghy” caravanserai, which means “Upper” and “Lower” Caravanserai. There are 242 rooms in lower Caravanserai and 300 rooms in Upper Caravanserai. The street-facing side of the Caravanserai is occupied by a collection of souvenir shops, bakeries, restaurants. If you are a coffee lover then do visit Illy Espresso House that serves excellent coffee.

Day 6: Back to Baku

We left Qabala in the morning and headed our way to Baku. In the evening we went to Baku Boulevard (approx 26kms long). It is a promenade which runs parallel to Baku’s seafront. This is our second best place in Baku, nice, clean, peaceful and serene. It starts at Freedom Square to the Old City and beyond. . It is full of life with families strolling, kids playing and lots of cafes/pubs. The place is great to enjoy the light show on the flames tower in the night (A must). One of the main attractions is Baku eye. The fountains, mini Venice, carpets museum, access to the funicular are other amazing spots on the Boulevard. We had a nice walk from Baku eye to Nizami Street where we had our dinner at Maharaja Baku – Good Indian veg. food. After fulfilling our appetite we stroll around the street near fountain to soak in the vibe of the street.

Day 7: Shopping and Back to the Base

Last day of the trip always comes with a mixed feeling. So to get away with that feeling we went for a shopping. We went to Sheki National Sweet Home in old baku to purchase saffron. The saffron grows in Azerbaijan is very high in quality that makes it must buy. After that our guide took us too Sadarak Shopping centre – A huge shopping centre providing endless merchandise at discount prices. You can shop for gifts, clothing, household items, carpets, furniture, appliances etc. Then it was the time to visit the iconic landmark of Baku i.e. Heydar Aliyev Markazi. The building was designed by the Late Zaha Hadid, a worldwide recognised architect and Pritzker Prize winner. It is one of the most recognized architectural landmarks worldwide. It is a must visit place in Azerbaijan. It is located in the heart of Baku city surrounded by large lush green park filled with many sculptures (like snail, rabbit etc) and fountain - nice place to just relax and unwind. We spent around an hour there by walking around and exploring the building from outside and relaxing in the park. The inside of the building was closed when we visited due to some event. Very good place for photo shoot, in fact we saw many local married couple coming there for photo shoot. Do not forget to take pictures with a big "I LOVE BAKU" sign. After a good rest in the afternoon in the evening again we went to Nizami Street. Spent a wonderful time there and had our dinner at Delhi Darbar Restaurant (Must try – lot of veg. options and food is good too).