Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan - Azeri Shop
Azerbaijan - Modern Side Of Baku
Azerbaijan - Baku At Night
Azerbaijan - Baku In The Day
Azerbaijan - Butterfly
Azerbaijan - Caravan
Azerbaijan - Caravan Cafe
Azerbaijan - Fire Mountain
Azerbaijan - Atesgah Fire Temple
Azerbaijan - Fountain
Azerbaijan - Carvings In Gobustan
Azerbaijan - Music Rock In Gobustan
Azerbaijan - Man On Jet Ski In The Caspian Sea
Azerbaijan - Carpets At The Maiden Tower
Azerbaijan - Market
Azerbaijan - Martyrs Lane In Baku
Azerbaijan - Mosque In Baku
Azerbaijan - Mud Volcano
Azerbaijan - Mud Volcano
Azerbaijan - Oil Fields
Azerbaijan - Old Baku City Wall
Azerbaijan - Bar
Azerbaijan - Mountains
Unknown to most of the world, Azerbaijan is a surprisingly fun, safe and laid back country located between Russia and Iran. The
country was formerly part of the Soviet Union until getting its independence in the early 90s. Since then the country hasn't wasted time
opening up to the rest of the world, transforming its capital to an international city. The country's population is 97% Muslim fun, but is
also full of expatriates from all over the world who come to work in Azerbaijan's rich oil fields. This country's natural beauty, adventure,
and nightlife all took me by surprise, making it my favorite destination out of the four countries I visited in my Russia & Caucasus trip.
Like many cities that go back centuries, Baku is split up into its new modern area and the historic district known as
old Baku. The upper left shows a new government building that was recently built in the city's modern section. On
the right is large fountain with a tower in the background that tells people both the air and sea temperature. Modern
Baku is where you will find all the night life, things from Sheshah lounges to bars and night clubs.
The left picture is a section of the wall that
surrounds around all of Old Baku. The
next photos are in Old Baku, showing
markets and one of Baku's most famous
icons, the Maiden Tower on the right.
On the left is an old building that was converted into a bar and restaurant. The building used to be used for travelers
stopping by for a rest, and you can see along the walls where people used to tie their camels up. There are plenty of
places at night to drink and party, but in the day time most people enjoy it swimming at the beach, or jet skiing.
The picture on the left is
of a woman trying on
some traditional Azeri
clothing. The shop on the
left sold many trinkets
including carpets and the
'magic lamps' from
Persia. The picture on the
right and the one below
are of some of the old
caravans that are used
today as businesses and
nice decorated cafes.
To the right is a nice
mosque seen in Baku
near the city's highest
point. On the left is a
famous place to visit in
Baku which is called
Martyr's Lane. It's
dedicated to dozens of
people who were
killed when Azeris
were protesting the
Soviet Union.
Above are pictures from some caveman carvings that are said to be 10,000 years old. The right picture is a rock
that was used to play music found in an area known as Gobustan.
Another very interesting place in Azerbaijan are the mud volcanoes. There are said to be 800 in the world, and half
of them are here in Azerbaijan. The mud they spit out is actually cold, so you can walk up and put your finger in it. If
you get close you can see mud running down the volcano just like lava would. There are several of them here along
the Caspian Sea making all kinds of exaggerating noises.
Directly above is another example of an ancient caravan
or building being turned into a fancy restaurant. The two
pictures on the right show Azerbaijan's wealth of natural
resources. The upper right picture is one of the several
oil fields located in the country. Many other rigs are in
the Caspian Sea drilling for oil there as well. Without its
vast natural resources it is possible that Azerbaijan
would be a poor country after separating from the Soviet
Union. The fire seen on the right may not be impressive
by itself, but the fact that is has been reported to be
burning for over a thousand years makes it worth a visit.
The fire is fueled by an underground natural gas leak that
caught fire and was reported burning as early as 900AD.
Azerbaijan was a major stop over for the Great Silk Road
that went from the Far East all the way to Europe. On the
right is an Indian temple of Atesgah, one of three still left in
the world. The builders of the temple used to worship fire,
and you can see me standing inside next to a natural gas
flame that the temple was built around. The doors in the
back go to rooms which were basically used as a hotel for
the Indian traders. Below is a picture of a butterfly taken
up in some rocky mountains of Azerbaijan. The rocky
mountains can be seen better in the photo to the upper
right. In these mountains are some carvings from where
people used to live thousands of years ago. It was said
they lived here and one day the Caspian Sea supposedly
flooded and killed many of them while they were sleeping.
Azerbaijan Travel - For more information on Azerbaijan please visit http://www.willgoto.com/218/1/categories.aspx
The first pictures above are Azerbaijan's capital city called Baku, one at night and one during the day time. With a
population of over two million, Baku is the country's largest city, and was built  at the end of a peninsula that extends
into the Caspian Sea. The photo on the right in the day time shows  the Caspian Sea meeting the city's downtown.
Azerbaijan Links
Azerbaijan - George Kashouh In Baku
Azerbaijan - George Kashouh In An Azeri Shop
Above are two pictures of myself and my guide in Azerbaijan. On the left we are infront of the Baku city again,
standing on top of maiden's tower. On the right is the inside of the Flying Carpet Shop that sells trinkets and carpets.
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Nadie from Canda: Very interesting! I really would love to go see this in real life!