Azerbaijan Archives - Wanderwiles

Azerbaijan: Mud volcanoes, a burning hillside and more

Our guide, Hasan, arrived at our Baku hotel promptly at 9am to start a day tour of the Absheron Peninsula on which the Azerbaijani capital sits and the cultural and historic preserve of Gobustan with its prehistoric carvings. We headed southwest out of Baku driving almost a hour to Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape where we joined a cluster of cars and buses awaiting the park’s 10am opening. Skipping the park museum for the time being, we bypassed most of our fellow visitors and went straight to the rock art.

Massive rocks that defy the term “boulder” cover the hillside. Natural shelters and crevices used to funnel wild cattle into hunters’ traps dot the hillside and are covered with ancient art reflecting life long ago: Hunters and wild bulls, boar, birds, wildlife of many kinds, caravans of camels and their drivers. Percussion instruments of long raised stones still resonate when struck with smaller stones, an ancient method of communication. Circular carvings in the stone ground caught water and blood from butchered prey. Beyond this ancient stone habitation, flat marshes stretch to the Caspian Sea in the distance. Hasan did a good job explaining it all and the museum provided a final overview before it was time to moved on to another highlight of our day, the mud volcanoes.

Hasan called ahead to arrange our meet-up with our Lada driver on the side of a paved road. Hasan rode shotgun, chatting away in Azeri with our driver, while David and I took the back seat. I’ve read that there are mud volcanoes in the area that are now reachable by a typical rental car sedan, but the road we took absolutely required something more than your average street car. We quickly left paved road, barreling across a barren wasteland, throwing up a cloud of dust and dodging the dust of other vehicles making the same trek. About mid-way, the “road” narrowed to a single lane across what looked to be a rainwater pond. Our path was so deeply rutted that it took a couple of tries for the hardy Lada 4×4 to make it past one particularly steep dip. Yeah, a street sedan would not work for this.

We arrived to a field of “mud volcanoes,” mounds of dried dark mud created by methane gas bubbling up through liquid mud. Surprisingly, the mud is cool to the touch, cooler even than the air around us. Climbing atop one mound, we dipped our fingers in to a particularly active small mud pool that was creating huge bubbles.

Exploring the field, we climbed other “volcanoes,” some barely active, some oozing long rivers of mud; one was on fire. It’s a fascinating landscape. Mud volcanoes exist in other parts of the world, but more than half of them (some 400) are in Azerbaijan.

Heading back towards Baku after the mud volcanoes, we stopped to visit the Bibi-Heybat Mosque. Originally built in the 13th century, destroyed by the Russians in 1936, then rebuilt in the 1990s the mosque’s Arabic exterior encloses a Persian- and Azerbaijani-influenced interior.

We were more than ready for lunch by the time we returned to central Baku for a simple lunch of Azerbaijani cuisine after which we continued on through Baku to head north and then east to Yanardag “Fire Mountain.” Hasan bypassed a line at the ticket counter to buy our tickets before we headed on to view the side of a low bare hill in perpetual flames. Bleacher-style seats leading down from a small museum formed a semi-circle around a broad paved patio in front of the burning area. The place was fairly empty with small clusters of tourists standing in front of the fire enjoying the warmth in an increasingly chilly wind. The fire is natural, another effect of the seeping methane in the area. Ancient Zoroastrians considered the area sacred, a belief that led them to found Baku.

Yanardag

A short drive from Yanardag, we arrived at our last stop, Ateshgah of Baku, a former Zoroastrian fire temple. The temple occupies the center of a pentagonal courtyard surrounded by a former caravansarai and monks’ quarters. The fire temple itself is a small stone structure with open arches on each of its four sides. An “eternal” flame fueled by naturally occurring gas once burned on an altar at its center. The monks’ quarters and caravansarai, a way-station or inn for caravans moving along the Silk Road, provided natural gas fire pits in each room courtesy of the unique geologic makeup of the region. Most of the cells now contain vignettes, artifacts and life-size dummies portraying life in the complex over the ages.

Ateshgah of Baku, a Zoroastrian fire temple

After a full day, we were pleasantly tired and ready to head back to our hotel in Baku. Retracing our route back past the ultra-modern Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku with its curving white walls and imposing size provided a final treat.

Practical info:
Many tour companies and guides offer similar itineraries of this popular day trip to Absheron and Gobustan. After browsing offerings on Viator and Tripadvisor, I discovered a confusing array of potential extras. Reviews of trips to the mud volcanoes frequently mentioned an extra charge for a Lada to carry visitors across rough terrain to the mud volcanoes, entry fees or lunch were or weren’t included, etc. And there were group and private tours available. I decided to message our hotel to see if they had a recommendation for a private tour. They did, but when I contacted that company with the specific questions my research had raised, I found they charged extra for a transfer to the mud volcanoes and suggested a $50 lunch which sounded ridiculously high for Azerbaijan. I opted instead to email Baku City Tours, a top-rated tour company on Tripadvisor. They responded promptly, answered all my questions about their “Full day Gobustan & Absheron Tour” clearly, didn’t charge extra for a Lada 4×4, and quoted a firm and reasonable price for lunch. Baku City Tours WhatsApped me the evening before our tour to confirm pick-up and our driver, Hasan, messaged me as well. All in all, I was very satisfied with Baku City Tours.

Surprising Baku, Azerbaijan

View of the Maiden Tower and Caspian Sea from Xanliq Restaurant in Old Baku

We landed at the Baku airport around 7:30pm local time on Azerbaijan Airlines. We were 30 minutes or so late due to a delay leaving CDG, but the 5h50 flight was pleasant enough with a hot meal served. The sun set just prior to our taxi ride into town which allowed us to enjoy the light show provided by the many high-rise buildings that lined the broad road, the hi-tech display reminiscent of a recent overnight in Doha. In the distance, I finally caught sight of those “flame towers” that so caught my eye in the photograph of Baku that led me to plan this trip. [An overview of this 12-night Caucasus trip is in my previous post.]

Turning off the modern thoroughfare, our driver stopped at a guard post where a boom was raised to allow us into Icheri Sheher (“Old City”), a different world of winding cobbled streets, wooden balconies and stone buildings. Removed from lighted high-rises, Seven Rooms Boutique Hotel nestles into the heart of ancient Baku. This pretty hotel in a great location offered us a comfortable 3rd floor room with a huge bed and marble bathroom and an included breakfast in a glass-walled upstairs space adjoining a rooftop terrace with spectacular views of the city and the Caspian Sea.

Views of Baku from the rooftop terrace of our hotel

With no time to explore our first night, we were up and off after breakfast the next morning. A two-minute walk from our hotel past street-level stone domes of ancient underground baths, we arrived at the 12th century “Maiden Tower,” a UNESCO Heritage Monument. [left, in the lead photo above] The Maiden Tower may have been originally built by Zoroastrian fire worshipers, early founders of Baku who were drawn to the region by its seeping natural gas that fuels both human- and nature-originating fires. Later modifications incorporated the tower into medieval defensive walls. The tower has eight interior stories that now house historic displays. A central hole, open to the bottom floor, runs through them all. A rooftop deck offers great views of Baku and the Caspian Sea. The maiden tower is an iconic emblem of the city and the country, featured on Azerbaijan currency and (so I read) official letterheads.

From the maiden tower, we walked cobbled streets to the Juma Mosque, a beautifully restored and active mosque dating to the 1300’s and possibly built originally on the site of an ancient fire temple. Only five minutes or so from the Juma Mosque, the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, a 15th century UNESCO Heritage monument, commands the old town. The Shirvanshahs ruled Shirvan (part of present-day Azerbaijan that includes Baku) from 861 to 1538 making them one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the Islamic world. A 15th century Shirvanshah moved his capital to Baku and began construction on the original palace. On a gorgeous Saturday, the palace was popular with groups of school children on field trips whom we dodged to explore the palace on our own. The former residential second floor is closed to the public, but there are a maze of rooms with historic displays to see on the ground floor and the palace grounds contain the Shirvanshah’s mosque and mausoleum, burial vaults and remnants of a bath house.

We got our first real taste of Azerbaijani cuisine at a late lunch near the palace, sitting outside at café Xanliq while a truly talented musician played music on a local string instrument and big samovars puffed steam into the air. We enjoyed chicken and chestnuts in a rich, tangy pomegranate sauce, beef chunks cooked with dried apricots, chestnuts and chickpeas, rice pilaf, sparkling water and a shared baklava dessert. Delicious. And all that for 35.64 dram or about $21. If only we could bring these prices back home to Paris!

Left to right: beef with dried apricots, sultanas and chestnuts; rice pilar; and, chicken and chestnuts in pomegranate sauce

Refreshed and refueled, we continued our ramble through the old town, periodically turning down a cobbled street to be greeted by the strange juxtaposition of the ultra-modern flame towers appearing in the distance beyond the maze-like Islamic medina of Icheri Sheher.

We exited through a beautiful gate in the crenelated walls to check out the large and very modern glass geometric shape that is the Icheri Sheher métro station. It’s a striking structure with a large covered entrance designed to look like an Azerbaijani carpet. We ducked in to check out the interior and a free photography exhibit on display, but were not ready to actually ride the subway anywhere. Major sights still awaited us within walking distance.

From top, counterclockwise: Icheri Sheher Métro Station; photo exhibit inside
the métro station with the walls of the Old City through the windows;
and, an elegant pedestrian underpass beneath Neftchilar Avenue

The Caspian Sea waterfront promenades of Baku with long wide parks and ultra modern buildings on either end impressed me. Modern Baku is the product of vast petroleum wealth. Architectural works of art, high-end cars on the boulevards, majestic Soviet-era metro and underground pedestrian tunnels for crossing those wide roads. There’s a nouveau riche, over-the-top aspect to much of it, but there’s also an undeniable grandeur. It’s an immaculately clean city, too, and its cafes, parks and shopping areas bustle with life.

The massive Deniz Mall with its wings reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House dominates the southern end of the Baku National Seaside Park. Nearby near the canals of “Mini Venice,” a long building shaped like a rolled up rug houses the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. Strolling the length of the waterfront, there’s a yacht club, fountains, music playing from speakers, a viewing tower, historic photographs lining a walkway, benches flowers, eateries and shopping. With the sunning shining and a mildly cool May, we found it all delightful.

Other parts of the city just outside the walls of Icheri Sheher boast wide paved plazas and avenues, streets lined with cafés and restaurants, shopping malls, hotels, a vibrant mix of commercial activity. Architecture reflects both Middle Eastern and European influences. High-end shops bearing the names of familiar luxury designers and some not so familiar to us give testament to the petroleum riches that have poured into Azerbaijan.

Baku so exceeded my expectations that I wish we’d had that extra day we lost due to a canceled flight just to wander the city some more. But we had plans for a day outside the city. My next post takes us beyond Baku to mud volcanoes, an ancient cave settlement with prehistoric drawings, a naturally burning hillside and a Zorastrian fire temple.

Flame Towers lit up like flames (only one of their displays) viewed from near the Maiden Tower

Practical stuff:

The local language is Azerbaijani/Azeri and Russian is a common second language, but we found enough people who spoke enough English to never have any problems. Google Translate was a big help (although it can’t do audible Azeri) and T-Mobile kept us connected. We felt very comfortable and safe exploring the city on our own. Every city has its sketchy parts of town and I’m sure Baku has its, but we were never anywhere far from the main sights so saw nothing remotely concerning.

I booked Seven Rooms Boutique Hotel on Booking.com via the Topcashback portal which was offering 6% cash back at Booking.com at the time.

We enjoyed our meals in Baku. Best Place Restaurant & Music Bar is just steps from Seven Rooms Boutique Hotel. While there was live jazz going on downstairs, we opted for a quiet dinner in a surprisingly elegant dining room upstairs where music by Frank Sinatra and other greats of that era played from a mock gramophone. For our final night, we dined on traditional Azerbaijani food on the second-floor terrace of the Museum Inn Terrace & Restaurant with a beautiful sunset view of the nearby Maiden Tower and the Caspian Sea beyond.

Our Azerbaijan Airlines flight from Paris to Baku was operated by Heston Airlines. The plane was fine, but a bit older and had no charge ports at the seats. Meal service was a bit odd as the crew kept bringing two meals at a time from the galley. The food was typical economy class fare served with Azerbaijani wine and beer as well as non-alcoholic drinks. We saw no reason to fly business on this flight as it was only 5+ hours long and we did not want to sleep. This turned out to be a good choice as there was very little to distinguish business seats from economy.

We flew Azerbaijan Airlines again from Baku to Tblisi, Georgia. This was an extremely punctual short flight. Shout out to Azerbaijan Airlines for going over and above on this one: David forgot a small backpack in the airport lounge near our departure gate in Baku. Amazingly, Azerbaijan Airlines customer service at Tblisi arranged to have someone in Baku go to the lounge, pick up the backpack and put it on the next flight. Then, someone collected it and put it in Tblisi airport lost-and-found where we were able to pick it up the following day. Bravo!

We ended up not needing to ride the Baku Métro, but we checked out the ticket machines anyway and discovered that despite claims that the machines operate in Azerbaijani, Russian and English, that just isn’t so. There’s some initial English, but then all goes to Azerbaijani/Azeri and is pretty much unusable for us English-speakers.

We saw quite a few Bolt cars in Baku, but we didn’t use them. I initially let our hotel arrange a transfer because we were arriving at night and the hotel is small and in the restricted old town area. (40 dram or about $23.50 for a roughly 40 min. ride) I thought we’d use Bolt to go back the the airport, but after reading online of some problems with Bolt driver scams in Baku, I opted to again have the hotel call a ride and I paid them directly. It probably would have been cheaper with Bolt, but this way, I was sure of the ride and the price.

A Photo of Baku leads to 12 Nights in the Caucasus

This photo is my own, but similar to the one that originally caught my attention.

I can’t say how many times an interesting photo has caught my eye and led me to plan yet another trip, but Baku, Azerbaijan, was definitely one of those times. I don’t even remember where I first saw that intriguing image of a classic Islamic medina (“old town”) with three flame-shaped skyscrapers looming in the background, but I do know I started researching straight away. Baku. Even the name was unfamiliar and intriguing. Azerbaijan I knew nothing about. “The Caucasus” for me was a region usually in the news because of some conflict involving Russia and/or Turkey. I clearly needed to know more.

Having traveled Uzbekistan last September, I was interested in seeing more of the old Silk Road. A quick search showed non-stop flights to Baku from Paris (our current home) on Azerbaijan Airlines. This was a new airline for me so merited a little more research even though I’m usually reassured by EU safety standards for airlines servicing the European Union. Reviews looked good, the timing was reasonable, the price was fair.

I originally pondered making this a short, one-city visit, but naturally looked at what was nearby as well. Researching Baku put the Caucasus in general on my radar screen and that meant Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and part of Russia. Current international relations and the war in Ukraine meant Russia was off the table, and I’d traveled in Russia before anyway. Tblisi, Georgia, is a short flight away from Baku, once again on Azerbaijan Airlines. That sounded promising and a Scotsman we’d met in Uzbekistan gave it a thumbs-up. The more I read about Tblisi and Georgia, the more appealing the whole country became and Tblisi became a definite follow-up to Baku.

Armenia came into focus when I realized there were day tours to some Armenian monasteries from Tblisi. If you could do a day tour, could we maybe combine a day tour with a transfer all the way to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia? We could! And Transavia offered reasonably-priced non-stop flights back to Paris from Yerevan. Better and better.

However, research also led to more info about the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. A cease-fire was signed last November, so things seemed to be settling down. But still… And there were posts about problems getting into Armenia with an Azerbaijani stamp in a passport, but they were not very recent. Hmm. I read some more and decided to go for it. I had a plan: 4 nights in Baku (with 1 day tour), 6 nights in Tblisi (with 2 day tours spaced between free days in Tblisi), and 3 nights in Yerevan. I chose highly-rated boutique hotels in Baku (in the old town) and Tblisi (across from the opera on the main avenue) and a luxury hotel in Yerevan for a final hurrah paid for entirely with hotel points. I booked the iconic day tour from Baku directly with the tour operator: “mud volcanoes”, an ancient dwelling place full of cave drawings, a Zoroastrian temple, and “Fire Mountain” where natural gas burned perpetually on a hillside. I booked the day tours from Tblisi via Viator: monasteries, the historic old capital and cathedral, Stalin’s childhood home, a cave city one day; and, a great day wine tasting and cooking on Georgia’s preeminent wine route.

The only hiccup in my plans came weeks in advance when Azerbaijan Airlines canceled our Thursday flight, offering to re-booked us on the same flight on Friday. It was a disappointing loss of one day in Baku, but not a big deal. The hotel changed our booking and deducted the cost of a night, we still had a great time both on the tour and exploring on our own, and while we would have enjoyed the extra day, we hit all my Baku must-sees in the time we had.

The trip itself was fun and a learning experience. We witnessed mass pro-democracy demonstrations nightly in Tblisi passing under our balcony, were obliged to re-route due to an Armenia-Azerbaijan border dispute, and heard both sides of clashes that have marked the history of the region. Now that I’ve set the scene for our Caucasus adventure, I’ll write about each destination in separate posts. There’s much to share!

May 2024