Gobustan, Azerbaijan

Qobustan (Gobustan) is about 100 km (61 miles) southwest of Baku, on the west bank of the Caspian Sea.  Gobustan is home to the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape.



In 1996, Azerbaijan declared it a national historical landmark and in 2007 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



The Petroglyphs, ancient rock carvings, here are incredible.  There are more than 6,000 carvings.  Most of them depict primitive man, animals, ritual dances, etc.  The petroglyphs date back between 5,000 - 40,000 years.


It's amazing that many of them are so well preserved given the impact of centuries of sun, wind and rain.




There is also a modern museum on site which was very well done.

Aside from the petroglyphs, Gobustan is also famous for its mud volcanoes.

Baku, Azerbaijan

Baki (Baku in English) is the capital of Azerbaijan.  Not only is it the largest city on the Caspian Sea but it is the largest city in the Caucasus. 

Baku's Coat of Arms

At 28 meters (92 feet) below sea level, Baku is the largest city in the world below sea level.  It is home to 2.12 million people and the metro area contains about 25% of the country's population.  

 

İçǝri Şǝhǝr is Baku's old walled city.  The historical city center, along with the Shirvanshah's Palace and the Maiden Tower became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. 





Qiz Qalasi is the Maiden Tower.  It is 29.5 meters (97 feet) tall and it was built in the 12th century.  The legend goes that a king tried to force his daughter to marry a man she didn't love.  The princess agreed to marry the man only if her father first built her a tower.  As soon as the tower was completed she escaped having to marry him by jumping from the top to her death.

The Shirvanshah's Palace is in the center of old town.  Construction on the complex began in 1411 and it contains the main palace, burial vaults and a mosque.  In 1964 the state declared it a museum.

Baku's TV Tower was built in 1996.  It is 310 meters (1,017 feet) tall and is the tallest structure in Azerbaijan.  It is also the tallest reinforced concrete building in the Caucasus.

Fountains Square is still called by its old name, Parapet.  It is a popular gathering place in the city.



The Carpet Museum is in a building which resembles a rolled up carpet.  It is home to the world's largest collection of Azeri carpets.


National Flag Square was home to the world's tallest flagpole (162 meters / 531.5 feet).  It was the tallest until 2011 when the Dushanbe Flagpole in Tajikistan was built.



The Crystal Hall Arena was built in order to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012.

Martyrs' Lane used to be known as Kirov Park.  It is a cemetery and memorial to those killed in 1990 when Soviet forces invaded Baku, during Black January, when the Soviet Union was breaking up.  Later on it included soldiers killed in the war for Nagorno-Karabakh from 1988 to 1994.  Approximately 15,000 people are buried here.

There is also a memorial for 1,130 Turkish soldiers who were killed, in 1918, during the Battle of Baku against Bolshevik and Armenian troops.

The Heydǝr Əliyev Center is home to a gallery, a library and a performing arts venue.  Construction began in 2007 and was completed in 2012.  Below is an Extreme Engineering video I found on YouTube that gives more details about it.



The Flame Towers are by far the coolest buildings in Baku.  The three towers were completed in 2012 at a cost of around $350 million.



The facades are covered with LED screens which at night alternate between displaying a waving flag and flames.  Very cool!!

©Eurovision

Getting to Azerbaijan

Yesterday was quite the day but it really all started last week before I headed to Armenia.  I mentioned before that I found a travel agency in Tbilisi that claimed they could sort out my visa for me.  I had confirmed with the agent that I would be at their office first thing on Monday morning.  I went to the office address that is listed on their website at 9 AM.  I found the sign to their office but no one was there.  I tried calling but the phones were turned off.  Not a good sign.  I managed to get some free Wi-Fi and found a random blog posting from someone that mentioned the office opened up at 10 AM.  Now why wouldn't they put that on their website?

Anyway, I hang around until 10 and still no one shows up and the phones still don't work.  Two Iranian guys asked me if the car parked in front of the building was mine.  I said no but asked if they knew anything about the travel agency.  They told me that they had moved their office two weeks ago.  Great.  They made a quick phone call and told me that the owner would send someone over to meet me in a few minutes.  Thanks guys.  

Azeri Embassy in Tbilisi

The new office is about five minutes away.  And I'm not in the best of moods when I get there.  I can't believe that this girl Lana never bothered to tell me that the office moved.  I'm quickly informed that Lana no longer works there.  They also apologized for forgetting to turn the phone on in the morning.  They eventually find all of the paperwork I had sent them but for some reason I needed to fill out everything again.  I was also informed that I have to personally submit my visa application to the embassy today between 10 AM and Noon.  However, it will take five days to process my visa.  On the day that I come to pick up my visa I will have to give my passport to the embassy in the morning but they will not return my passport until 4 PM.  And the embassy closes at 5 PM.

On a side note...there is only one train per day from Tbilisi to Baku and it leaves at 4:30 PM.  This makes it damn near impossible to get your visa and head to Azerbaijan the same day.

So we walk 10 minutes to the Azeri Embassy and I submit my completed application.  The clerk knows that I'm going to Armenia but warns me not to go to Nagorno-Karabakh.  I ask the travel agency what time I should be back on Monday morning.  I confirmed that I would be there at 9 AM.

I spend the rest of Monday walking around Tbilisi until it was time to catch my night train to Yerevan.  I had a few great days touring around Armenia and make it back to Tbilisi on Friday.

Heidi already has her Azeri visa and since we've gotten along in Yerevan, (plus she did see me naked), we decide to continue on to Baku together.  Since we know we can't leave Monday night by train our options are (a) arrange private transportation to Baku leaving Monday as soon as my visa is ready, (b) go by bus on Tuesday morning but lose most of the day traveling or (c) leave on the Tuesday night train and not get there until Wednesday morning.  Heidi's flight back to Finland leaves Thursday morning from Baku which is not a lot of time.  We get someone to order a taxi for us for Monday night.  The taxi wants €150 ($200) to drive us the 563 km (350 miles) to Baku.  That's only €75 ($100) each.  What a bargain.  We book the taxi for Monday and all is good.

Now here's where things start getting less good...

As agreed, I was at the travel agency yesterday morning at 9 AM.  Guess what...no one was there.  I say to hell with this and I go the Azeri Embassy on my own.  When I get there I find out that the embassy only takes passports from 10:30 AM to Noon.  Ugh!!!  I get the travel agency on the phone (and I'm not happy at this point).  They explain to me that their office doesn't open until 10 AM.  So why in the hell did they tell me to be there at 9?  I eventually turn in my passport.  The agency tells me that they will call me after 4 PM when my visa is ready.  I assure them that this won't be necessary because I will be back at their office by 4.

While I'm doing all of this, Heidi took advantage of her last day in Georgia by going to visit the Davit Gareja Monastery.  I was going to spend a leisurely day taking photos in the Old Town until I get a text message from Heidi.  The taxi company called her and decided that €150 wasn't enough money.  Now they wanted €400 ($535).  Oh Hell to the No!!  Now I have a new mission - sort out alternative transport to Baku in a few hours and make it back to the agency in time to collect my passport and visa.

There are no buses leaving Tbilisi so late on a Monday.  It took a while but I finally managed to use my broken Russian enough to negotiate for a driver and his brother to take us to Baku for $300.  But I would have to pay in U.S. Dollars.  The funny thing about ATMs in Georgia is that you get to pick if you want to take your money out in Georgian Lari or American Dollars.   

At four o'clock I am back at the embassy to collect my visa.  I'm told that it isn't ready yet.  I should try back in 15 minutes but I have to wait across the street.  Fifteen minutes later, I'm told that the visa is almost ready.  It only requires the consul's signature but he isn't available right now.  He should be back in a few minutes and I should keep waiting across the street.  At 4:50 the consul's car arrives and at 4:55 I finally have my visa in hand.

красный мост = Red Bridge in Russian

I catch up with Heidi, we quickly grab something to eat and meet up with our drivers.  They drive us for about 40 minutes to the border crossing at Krasny Most (Red Bridge).  They aren't going to drive us all the way to Baku.  However, their friend is going to Baku and will meet us on the other side of the border.  One of the brothers goes with us through the Georgian border checkpoint and takes us to the Azeri border crossing.  We waive to his friend who is waiting on the other side to drive us the next 7 hours to Baku.



I loved this Georgian sign as you approach the border.  This is about to get even more interesting.

Heidi gets called to the passport control.  They look at every page in her passport and ask her all sorts of questions.  Why are you coming to Azerbaijan?  Do you know anyone here?  How long will you stay?  Why did you spend more time in Georgia then in Azerbaijan?  Why did you go to Armenia?

She has to stand to side while I'm called up.  Same sorts of questions plus they wanted to know my citizenship (despite the fact that they were holding my American passport).  Why do I have so many Czech visas?  If I am American then why do I speak Russian?  Why did I go to Armenia?  Don't you know that Armenians are occupying 20% of Azeri territory?

We then had to each help a second border guard to complete an Excel sheet.  Presumably this is for all of the people with Armenian passport stamps.  We had to declare the dates we were in Armenia, swear that we never visited Nagorno-Karabakh, and provide our father's first name. 

It took us almost an hour to make it past the border guard.  Then we had to have our luggage x-rayed.  At first we felt like the KGB was going to jump out and arrest us for something.  But once we got to the x-ray machines the other security staff started smiling and welcoming us to their country.  It was so over the top that we felt like rock stars.

Tbilisi to Baku = 563 km (350 miles)

Then we finally got to meet our driver.  He spoke Azeri, Turkish and some Russian.  He put our bags in to his Mercedes and drove us through the dark Azeri night.  We got to Baku around 2:30 this morning.

I've jumped through hoops like a trained circus poodle in order to finally get to Azerbaijan.  All I can say is that it had better be worth the effort.

Royal Bath Adventure

Tbilisi is known for its hot sulfur baths and after yesterday's hike, Heidi and I decided to partake of the experience.  There are several baths to choose from in Abanotubani which is the bath district.  The ground level domes are easy to spot and all of the baths were built between the 17th and 19th centuries.

The Orbeliani Baths, with its distinctive blue mosaic exterior is the most famous.  Unfortunately, it is closed for renovations and won't reopen anytime soon.

So we ended up at the Royal Baths instead.  No one spoke English and my Russian didn't help as much as I had hoped.  Perhaps because Heidi and I came in together or simply because my Russian has gone to rubbish, we found ourselves in a private room rather than with the general public.  We were given towels which in reality were bed sheets and left to get undressed.

Now in Scandinavia, as in most of Europe, public nudity is no big deal.  It's certainly no big deal in Czechland.  And while I've gotten more used to it, I'm still an American with all of my delightful hang-ups about modesty.  So with no swimsuit in sight, I had to get completely naked.  Yikes.  Heidi could see that I was a bit apprehensive and kindly looked the other way.

First you have to strip down and soak in the hot tub.  The water was around 40 °C (104 °F) and it took a moment to sink in to.  After a good long soak, my masseur came in and told me to lie down on this slippery tiled massage bad.

The massage is more of a scrubbing as he used two coarse mitts to scrape away all of the dead skin.  He then used a big thing of soapsuds and buckets of water to wash me down.  Laying on a table, naked as the day I was born, getting lathered up by this big burly Georgian guy while a Finish girl relaxed next to me in a hot tub was quite the experience.  After my massage I got back in the water.  Then Heidi's masseuse came in for for her scrub while I soaked in the hot water.

It's been over 20 years since I was naked with a girl in a hot tub.  I'm sure that my friends will have fun with this story.

This was a bit different from my Turkish bath experience in Istanbul.  But the end result is the same.  You are completely knackered and sleep like a baby afterwards.

Embracing Georgia Tour, Georgia

Dan flew home early yesterday morning while Heidi and I joined in on Envoy Hostel's Embracing Georgia tour.  This 11-hour tour highlighted the Georgian Military Highway, Ananuri, Kazbegi, Gudauri and the Gergeti Trinity church. 

The Georgian Military Highway, საქართველოს სამხედრო გზა, is a mountain route connecting Russia's Northern Caucasus and the Southern Caucasus countries.  Since ancient times, the route has been a key link between Europe and Asia.  After Russia annexed east Georgia in the 19th century, and made road improvements for troop movements, it became known as the "military highway".  It's a very rough ride but the scenic views along the war are awesome.

Our first visit was to Ananuri, ანანური, a 17th century castle complex on the Aragvi River, about 72 km (45 miles) from Tbilisi. 





In 2007, it was put on the tentative list to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Zhinvali, ჟინვალი, is a town on the Aragvi River.  It is home to one of the country's largest hydroelectric power plants.


The highest point along the highway is at the Javi Pass which is 2,395 meters (7,858 feet) high.  Mount Kazbegi, ყაზბეგი, is 5,033 meters (16,512 feet) high, is the 3rd highest mountain in Georgia and straddles the continental divide.

There are two legends associated with Kazbegi.  The first one is that Prometheus was chained to the mountain as punishment for stealing fire from the Greek Gods and giving it to mortals.  The second one is that Christ's manger was brought here and hidden somewhere in the area.

 

The Russian-Georgian Friendship monument is located near Gudauri, გუდაური, a popular ski resort area close to the Russian border.  

 

It's said that the first tile which fell out was Mother Russia's brain.

Our next stop was in Stepantsminda, სტეფანწმინდა, a small village about 157 km (98 miles) north of Tbilisi.  We had lunch at a Russian guesthouse and the food was amazing!  

After lunch, we had a seriously steep hike up a mountain to see the Gergeti Trinity Church, წმინდა სამება.  It was built in the 14th century.  During Soviet times all religious services were outlawed but the church is now an active Georgian Orthodox church.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Tbilisi, თბილისი, is the capital of Georgia.  It's the country's largest city and home to around 1.5 million people.  Tbilisi was founded in the 5th century and used to be known as Tiflis.  In 1987, it became a sister city of Atlanta, Georgia.

Freedom Square, თავისუფლების მოედანი, is in the center of Tbilisi.  In Soviet times, it was called Lenin Square.  The Freedom Monument of St. George is made of granite, bronze and gold and was unveiled in 2006.  The square is also home to city hall.



The Kashveti Church of St. George, ქაშვეთის წმინდა გიორგის სახელობის ტაძარი, is a Georgian Orthodox Church.  It sits across from the Georgian Parliament building and was built from 1904 to 1910.

The Cathedral of St. George, სურფგევორქი, is a 13th century Armenian Church in Old Tbilisi.  It is the seat of the Armenian archbishop which was built in 1251.




The Tbilisi State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre was built in 1896.  It is the oldest opera house in the country and is currently undergoing renovations.


The Bridge of Peace, მშვიდობის ხიდი, is a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Kura River and joins the Old Town with the newer part of the city.  It opened in 2010.

At Hero Square there is a 48 meter (147.5 feet) high glass and metal memorial.  It has the names of almost 3,500 Georgians who died fighting for independence from 1918 to those servicemen killed in the 2008 war with Russia.

The Holy Trinity Cathedral, თბილისის წმინდა სამების საკათედრო ტაძარი, is known locally as Sameba.  It is the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church.  It was built from 1995 to 2004 and is the third tallest Eastern Orthodox Cathedral in the world.



Narikala, ნარიყალა, is a 4th century fortress on a hill overlooking the city.

The Mother of Kartli, ქართლის დედა, statue was built on top of Sololaki Hill in 1958 to celebrate Tbilisi's 1500th anniversary.  The 20 meter (66 feet) aluminum statue holds a bowl of wine to greet friends and a sword to greet enemies.


Tbilisi has historically been tolerant of religious diversity.  In the old town, there is a mosque, synagogue, Armenian and Georgian Orthodox churches all within 500 meters (1,600 feet) from each other.




Norashen Holy Mother of God Church is the 15th century Armenian church in Old Tbilisi.  The church was founded in 1467.






The Great Synagogue, დიდი სინაგოგა, was built from 1895 to 1903.





Tbilisi is known for its hot sulfur baths.  The Orbeliani Baths, with its distinctive blue mosaic exterior, is one of the most famous bath houses.  Unfortunately, it is currently closed for renovations.



 The Tbilisi Concert Hall seats 2,000 people.  It opened in 1971.

The Museum of the Soviet Occupation, საბჭოთა ოკუპაციის მუზეუმი, was established in 2006 as a permanent exhibit of the Georgian National Museum.  It chronicles the 70 years of Soviet rule in Georgia from 1921 to 1991.