A day tour of Azerbaijan

We’ve booked three nights in a central Baku Airbnb apartment, before taking the overnight train onto Tbilisi in Georgia. Our host, recommends two of the most popular tours out of the city, which we optimistically decide can be both crammed into one day.

The following morning we meet our driver Emil, who coincidently had also driven us from the airport yesterday. Skilfully weaving through the already congested inner city streets, he points out are part of the Formula One circuit.

Heading south beyond the city limits, on our right a barren wasteland is dotted with dozens of pump jack oil rigs, a result of decades of drilling and exploration. To our left, the Caspian Sea shimmers in the sun, on the horizon are multiple oil platforms, and along the shoreline are new ones still under construction.

First stop of the day, the mud volcanos of Gobustan. After an hour and half’s drive in air conditioned comfort, many drivers choose not take their own vehicles on the bumpy sandy track that leads up the hill to where the volcanos are located. Rather they enlist the services of one of the many local taxis who congregate around where the sealed road ends.

Our taxi driver is justifiably proud that his 40 year old Lada is still going strong, despite the constant heat, dust and daily off road punishment. The collection of small volcanic vents, gurgle, belch and produce an endless supply of cold grey mud, much to the fascination of several groups of tourists who clamber up the small mounds, and peer over into the craters.

Back on the main road, we return to Emil’s car and continue onto the Gobustan Petroglyphs. We pause by the visitor centre which already has several tour coaches parked out the front, pay our entrance fee, and continue driving up to the main archaeological site. A well-worn concrete path winds its way past each of the significant drawings. Guided groups listen intently to their guide’s explanations, though we opt to make our own way around the site. Many of the drawings are far more visible than others, and dating back thousands of years, they give a glimpse into the early human inhabitants of the region. Now only a home to a multitude of stray cats, this rocky landscape was once far closer to the Caspian coast, which now only appears in the distance, far below from where we are standing.

The Bulbul restaurant is right on the sea front in an older less developed area of Baku. On the menu there is a choice of fish, either BBQ or cooked in oil, which we are assured are from a non-polluted area of the Caspian. Settling for one of each, they are both delicious and are accompanied with a selection of bread, several unknown side dishes, and a cold beer, served with the sound of waves washing onto rocks just a few meters away.

Keeping with the oil theme, as we approach Baku’s centre, we stop at a new indoor swimming pool complex. Emil points out some historic oil wells, including one with a sign indicating it as the world first industrially drilled oil well, dated 1846.

Into the northern suburbs of Baku on the Absheron peninsula, we shift from oil to fire with the Ateshgah fire temple. Built during the 17 and 18th centuries for Hindu and Zoroastrian worshipers, a series of rooms surrounds the edge of the complex, which contain apart from souvenirs, historical pictures and dioramas to give an idea of life when the temple was in use. These depict ceremonial rituals, pilgrims, traders and prisoners in grim states of torture and starvation. A small fire flickers way on an elevated plinth at the centre of the complex, it of course being the main focus for most visitors.

Azerbaijan markets itself as the land of fire, and our compulsory next stop is Yanardag. In the 1950’s a local Shepard discarded his cigarette, which ignited natural gas which was seeping out the ground at the base of a small hill, which today continues to burn. After entering and paying the admission fee, we stand at the top a curved amphitheatre of seats, with the flames flickering away at the bottom. To complete the Instagram moment, on the hill side above, is a giant Yanardag hashtag, in addition to a few others scattered around Baku.

By late afternoon, we leave the fields of power poles, pipe lines and pump jacks behind, as wide boulevards lined with glass high rise buildings now appear, with many others still under construction. It is hard to not draw comparisons with Dubai, but on a much smaller scale. Each different from one another, they are no doubt designed to showcase Azerbaijan’s oil wealth. In our opinion the Flame towers, perched on a hill side overlooking Baku bay, are the most impressive, illuminated with a patriotic light show, each evening.

Our last stop of the day is the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, another architecture wonder. Named after Azerbaijan’s past president, a series of wide steps and water features, lead up though manicured lawns to the large curved white tiled building. With its flowing lines, it makes a dramatic statement, and an equally popular attraction for both local and overseas visitors.

Dropping us back outside our apartment, Emil grins and shakes our hands. I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my country, and maybe we meet again one day, inshallah.