4th September: Baku, Azerbaijan
We got Kaja’s bag back!!! This evening, we went to airport and, as promised and after a lengthy set of security checks, the airport staff handed us back the bag. The relief hasn’t quite sunk in yet.
Earlier in the day, we’d begun by heading out of town along the F1 track towards Qobustan on a tour. Not something we tend to do often, but it worked out to be fantastic value on this occasion and we also met a great group of people. It was our best chance to see as much as we could in our more limited time here. Maybe we’ll consider this more often. A quick stop at the world’s first commercial oil well (in the city where the COP29 Climate Change Summit will be held this November) set the scene for a bizarre day.
The landscape became bleaker as we headed south, via Bibi Heybat Mosque, with huge fields of oil wells and various industry set against a smoggy and dusty desert depression. Eventually, we headed inland and uphill to view some extremely impressive ancient petroglyphs in a wonderful rocky setting. It was the hottest we’ve felt so far, which is saying something. Also, the area was evidently also home to big spiders!
Next stop were the mud ‘volcanoes’, which required a few kilometres off road in an ancient Lada with a maniac driver! I’ve seen a similar thing on the other side of the Caspian in Turkmenistan but these were natural and created large hills from their oozing over the years. A landscape which didn’t seem belong on Earth.
Back across to the other side of Baku and the Absheron peninsula. A few diversions for road closures saw trucks bouncing and almost toppling as dust clouds filled the air. This area was also noticeably poorer, despite the incredible number of oil wells and the wealth they generate. We stopped at Yanar Dag, a burning mountainside from methane leaving through the rock. Again, this had similarities with the Door to Hell in Turkmenistan, but was far less impressive albeit it very warm!
After a late lunch, the main highlight of which was a new herb which was kind of mint-like but purple and had strong hints of liquorice, we saw the remains of a Zoroastrian fire temple. Unfortunately, the original flame died out after more than 1,000 years, so what is left is artificial.
Driving around, the number of caravanserai-style walls around settlements on the edge of town was striking. Perhaps this is an aesthetic choice to invoke history? The gaps would suggest it’s not a security thing, but more likely they are to provide shelter from winds.
Our final stop was the Heydar Aliyev Centre, a Zaha Hadid-designed white structure resembling a folded cloth. The interior, which we didn’t want to pay for, is dedicated to objects relating to the life of Azerbaijan’s previous leader (and the father of the current President).
From there we went directly to the airport and, one bag heavier (!), back to pack. Tomorrow, we leave Baku on the bus for Sheki. Miraculously, as planned and having seen all we’d earmarked in Baku and the surrounding area, we are back on track! At the hostel, there was a live music night with a singer (Telman Budaqov) and pianist (Maestro Rasad Aghazadeh). From our room, it was easy to slip down the stairs for a perfect view. What better image to leave Baku on than a young, mostly female, crowd drinking tea and singing along to gorgeous local folk songs.