Azerbaijan: The Land of Fire

Overnight train from Tbilisi to Baku

Day 1: Arrival
     After a rocky train ride in some cozy quarters, we arrived in beautiful Baku, the shimmering pearl on the Caspian otherwise known simply as Azerbaijan's capital. Although we flubbed our way to our hostel, we were instantly whisked away on a tour of a lifetime. After an hour drive south of Baku, we found ourselves at Qobustan, a UNESCO heritage site featuring pictographs from ancient peoples.

Qobustan Pictographs

Pictographs of hunters

 Afterwards, we hit the mud volcanoes which were a sight to see! These naturally occurring phenomena are fueled by rising methane and are flammable! Azerbaijan is not know as 'The Land of Fire' for nothing!

Active mud volcano

Creating our mocktails (mud + cocktails)

In the midday, we stopped by Bibi-Heybat Mosque which was absolutely breathtaking! Although it was a bit over-the-top, the mosque remains an important place of worship for Shiite Muslims despite Azerbaijan being seemingly agnostic.

Bibi Heybat Mosque

As the evening came to a close, we found ourselves at Ateshgah, a Zoroastrian fire temple! Due to Azerbaijan's massive oil reserves, natural gas simply seeps to the surface and, sometimes, ignites!

Ateshgah!

We discovered this later on at Yanar Dagi, a naturally burning mountain! We capped the night off with a scrumptious dinner of dolma, Ayran (sour cream/milk drink), pilav (rice w/raisins), and corba (soup)!

Yanar Dagi featuring Firebender and noted Canadian, Danielle LaBrash 

Dolma

Day 2: Iceri Sehir
   Having a rejuvenating sleep and deeply-missed menemen (scrambled egg dish), we headed out to see the city, itself. After strolling along cobblestone streets parallel to the Old City walls, we came across the Palace of the Shirvanshahs!

Old City Walls

A small complex with several chambers, the palace was rather simple with ornate artifacts on display. One particularly interesting exhibit highlighted Sabayil Castle, a fortress that emerged when the waters of the Caspian Sea receded in the 1920s!

Ornate artifacts with posing and imposing guards (Left: Me, Right: Adam LaBrash)

Someone had to provide a decent back drop...

'Mustache Keeper' and 'Mustache Trainer' for your everyday mustache needs

We continued following the Old City Walls when we happened upon 'Maiden's Tower', a gloomy-looking building with a fascinating history. Apparently, to this day, the purpose of the tower remains unknown. The tower constructed with a hollow cylinder and a single rooftop lookout lending to the theories that it was either a granary or some sort of defensive mechanism. Regardless, the sunset over the cityscape illuminated my best side haha!

Maiden's Tower

Sunset

Baku

We continued perusing the seaside which features an incredibly entertaining 'Bulvar' or park. Bulvar is a several kilometer green space featuring merry-go rounds, decadent statues, and manicured flora and fauna. It was both ridiculous (featuring the appalling oil rig that looks like it was imported from a '70s casino in Vegas) and enchanting (peek the view). Baku has an incredible knack of being flashy, but not tacky. One of the most interesting features of the night skyline are the famed Flame Towers. Built fairly recently, the massive structures situated on the hill overlooking the city have a reoccurring electronic display. It was a sight to behold! Afterwards, we strolled down the side streets where it was obvious that capitalism reigned supreme! On some streets, the city seemed more like an outdoor mall than a population center!

Fountain from the future

Appalling Oil Rig stolen from the 70s

Flame Towers' light show

Decadence

Capitalism with little shame

Day 3: Departure
   Taking advantage of the excellent weather (there was never a dreary day in Baku), we headed north along the Bulvar, We considered taking the funicular to the top of the hill, but, sadly, it was closed. However, being the young whippersnappers we are, we knew the kilometer of stairs was the only option. Despite 'Eye of the Tiger' not playing dramatically in the background, the view from the top of certainly worth the effort! We saw the *2nd* tallest flag mast in the world and the Caspian Sea which never seemed to end. What seemed particularly pointed was the amount of smog hanging on the horizon despite there not being a cloud in the sky!

Only part of the kilometer of stairs

2nd largest flag mast (I'd hate to see the 1st largest flag mast)

I'm sure the Eternal Flame (literally, a giant bonfire encapsulated by an equally giant structure) contributed to half this pollution. We continued down 'Martyr's Lane' which was a street eerily lined with tombs. The cemeteries and other monuments nearby seemed to represent those who died in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and in the World Wars; although, little information was provided.

Eternal flame

Martyr's Lane

We trekked back to the Old City where we enjoyed a very Russian lunch, Nutelland  (the only one in the Caucuses) and, finally, some light souvenir shopping. Before hopping back on the overnight train to Tbilisi, we concluded the evening with my friend Orxan--an exchange student who went to my high school--with whom we enjoyed food from his hometown, Sheki! It was awesome to reconnect with a friendly face after so many years! The soup, pomegranate juice, and appetizers were as delectable as the company!

Baku City Park or the set of the 'Princess Diaries'?

Dinner with Orxan! Left: Adam, Orxan, Me, Danielle

Overall, I absolutely loved Azerbaijan and Baku. Knowing Turkish was helpful even though it was difficult to understand Azeris (Azeri and Turkish are mutually intelligible) and, often, it was difficult for them to understand me! However, I would go back in a heartbeat and I certainly hope to!