Baku by Night

"Darling? Can we turn off the lights?" In moments of intimacy, the mildly insecure hope the blanket of darkness will help mask imperfections nobody other than ourselves ever notice. The same might be said for the places we live. With the fall of night, we are able to forget what the sun so cruelly shows us. But this is not the case for Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Instead, it is once the sun goes down that the city truly dazzles. Baku is in the midst of a rather extensive and expensive beautification process. While a current visitor to town is likely to see fenced off parks and caravansaries and such as part of the project, the night time lighting will help one forget it. The majority of historical building in the city centre are targeted with upward flood lights. Normally, I might thing something like that a little tacky, if not completely tasteless. But for Baku, it works. Everything from Maiden's Tower to the Old City walls to museums to government buildings all get the electric treatment.
Probably the best way to see most of the better buildings would be to start at Azneft (next to the yacht club). From there it's past the old city and the Presidents office. Hang a left by iconic Philharmonic, on the corner of Istiglal street. Constructed in 1910, and funded by the oil baron Zeynalabdin Tagiyev, it's one of the most unique building in Baku (although it's a copy of a casino in Monte Carlo). Past that is Icherisherhar (formerly BakSoviet) metro station also lit up. Next along is the Baku City hall building. Built 100+ years ago with entirely imported architects, craftsmen and even materials, it could easily fit in with any building in central Europe. Various buildings line the street as you walk further along until you reach Azerbaijan Avenue (one of many streets with the same name). Here is the Ismayilla palace. Built around the same time as the other, the oil baron Nagiyev constructed it as a kind of memorial for his son who died of TB. nearly destroyed in a 1918 fire, it was rebuilt with all the soviet symbolism including red star and a Azerbaijan CCP name across the top. All this brings you to one of the most photographed buildings in Baku, the Nizami Literature Museum. Adored with 6 statues of some of the most important writer and poets in Azerbaijani history.
There are plenty of other buildings to check out around the city, including Dom Soviet. Baku is a surprisingly safe city to walk around, even at night. But keep in mind that many of the buildings "turn off" fairly early. Some as early as 11 pm. So don't leave your "enlightened" stroll until too late. And for that killer photo overlooking the city, there's no better place than Martyr's Lane.

Hangin' in the Shah's house

With a few exceptions, Azerbaijan lacks any major architectural wonders from the golden age of the Silk Road. That is except for the UNESCO World Heritage listed "Walled city of Baku with Maiden's Tower and Sirvanshah's Palace." So, living across the street from the Walled City, and having already seen the Tower, it was time to check out the Palace.

"Shirvanshah" was the Royal title in medieval Islamic times of a Persianized dynasty of Arabic origin. The Shirvanshah established a native state in Shirvan and were rulers of this state, a historical region in present-day Azerbaijan. In the 15th century the Shirvanshah dynasty transferred his country's capital from Shemakha to Baku, and committed himself to the construction of the "palace". With prime location in the centre of the Old City, it provided the ideal place for the King to rule over his domain. The multi-building complex would have been the height of comfort, with everything from a mosque to a private hamam to large cistern.

After paying the admission fee, you're free to wander the small, but packed grounds. And in all likelihood, due to the lack of popularity of the place, any tourist is probable to have the place all to themselves. There are a few English labels around, explaining briefly what each area would have been used for. Entering through the central courtyard, to the left is the Divankhana. A small stone octahedral pavilion. It is situated inside a small courtyard surrounded by a gallery-arcade on three sides. Down some stairs to the right is the Palace Mosque (1430s) and the mausoleum, probably the most ornately decorated building. Inside lie the tombs of the Shirvan and his family. And a little beyond that is the relatively newly discovered (1939) bath house. In and of itself a sizable complex as opposed to a "house". But in the centre of the entrance square is the palace itself. So heavily remodelled in 2003, that it's more modern than my own apartment. Certainly not representing the period what-so-ever with track-lighting, central radiating heating and motion sensors.

I can understand the culture and historical importance of the place. And it is one of the better architectural sights in the region. But come on... The restorations undertaken are absolutely ridiculous. It has little to do with what it stands for than for some fairy version thereof. The price of only 2 Manat is reasonable, but to charge an additional 2 Manat for a camera is a further insult. There is no furniture and very few carvings or mosaics typical of a building of this period. There is a private collection inside displaying some mocked-up clothing and jewelery. But they charge yet another 2 Manat for the privilege of seeing it. Locals will pay to go up Maiden's Tower. They may even pay to go to the Fire Temple in Suraxani. But they rarly go inside the Palace. Good news for tourist who like the quiet. But would you go to a restaurant that's always empty. There must be a reason, right? But with time to kill in Baku, it something to do. It opens around 10, but don't go too early as they haven't opened all the doors until they've had their tea. And closes around 6 though you can always bribe the security guard to let you in after hours.

Rememberin' the fallen

There are dark times in the history of the better part of countries in the world. Times when fear and danger become commonplace. Civil wars, occupations, terrorism or genocide for some are all too real events which shake the foundations of domestic and world history. There are those for which these atrocities are not only part of recent memory but possibly still current events. For the fortunate few, we get to read about these in ancient archives. Azerbaijan falls somewhere in the middle.

Nowhere in Baku do people come to pay respects to the fallen more than Şahidlar Xiyabani (Martyrs Lane). It is here that the eternal flame shines brightly (actually there are 2). Although originally a Zoroastrian tradition, and later adopted by Abrahamic religions, eternal flames are most often used as a symbol to acknowledge and remember a person or event of national significance, or a group of brave and noble people connected to some event. Such is the case in this war memorial. There are a number of groups remembered here. Some of which you wouldn't expect to find. For example, there is a small memorial stone to English soldiers who died here in WWII. A slightly larger one commemorating fallen Turkish. But the vast majority are for, of course, Azeribaijani. Of them, most stones will stand for someone who has died in or fighting for the occupied territory of Nagorny-Karabakh. Even with 4 U.N. resolutions against the Armenian occupation (resolutions 822, 853, 874, 884), the area, technically on a cease-fire, remains a hotspot. Both literally and figuratively. Even saying the word "Armenian" is sure to raise eyebrows, and perhaps a stern tongue-lashing by some local. Walking around town with the Lonely Planet which is titled "Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan" is enough to stir emotions. It's not uncommon for random people to start chatting with you, "where u from?", "U have wife?" "U hate Armenia?". The wounds are still deep, and I certainly don't envy the job of the Minsk Group who has been charged with negotiating some sort of solution to the problem. So a visit to this monument is a major part in understanding the current psyche of the general Azerbaijani population.

But the most impressive, and easily the most moving, monument on the grounds are that of the victims of the January 20th massacre. Independence from the Soviet Union had it's beginnings in Azerbaijan. Long before the fall of the wall, or recognition of Lithuania as an independent country, Azerbaijani were taking to the streets protesting communist rule. But on that fateful day in 1990, around the same time Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the 26,000 Red Army troop were ordered to crush the movement for Independence (claimed to be too anti-Armenian). The troops fired into the crowd massed in front of the Dom Soviet (seat of Parliament) killing men, women and children. Some accounts say 100 were killed, some accounts say many more. The shooting continued for three days, followed by a 4-month state of emergency. Independence was later acknowledged on October 18th, 1991. But the damage was done. It is a national day of mourning in Azerbaijan. Countless 1,000s line up to lie what i think are red carnations on the black tombs. Least we forget.

If all this is a little too somber for a holiday maker looking for fun and enjoyment, one of the benefits of coming up to Martyrs Lane is for the stunning view over the harbour. Easily the best free view of Baku. About 300 metres north of Martrys Lane, along the main road, you'll come to yet another cemetery. The unnamed, National Cemetery, is the place to see Azerbaijans elite. Well, their final resting place anyway. Quite frankly, I have no idea who most of the people buried there are. But it's easy to recognize a few street names and metro station names, so they must be important. The immense tomb stones, are often a indicator of what they must of done. Simple enough to put together that someone with the headstone of a piano player was probably a musician. But one not to be missed is the grave of the former president, and father of the nation, Heydar Aliyev. And i do mean not to be missed. Part of any foreign dignitary's duties, upon visiting Azerbaijan, is to visit the site and lay flowers. Surprisingly only slightly over the top, it is an important national landmark. Getting there is half the fun. While there are a number of buses that go from the centre to Martyrs Lane (#137, #70, #5 and so on), there is a better alternative. Sure it's possible to walk it, but stop being so cheap!!! From the boulevard, near Azneft circle (the big flag next to the Yacht Club) a Funicular, that's a inclined tramway, makes the trip every 10 or 15 minutes or so. It only costs 20 qapik. Hardly enough to break the bank. Besides, when a word starts with F-U-N it must be cool. But be forewarned. There are some sensitive government buildings on the way up and taking photos from the funicular is a breach of national security. Total no-no!! Martyrs Lane is ope 24/7 and there is no cost. Free is a great price. The National Cemetery is also free (yeah!!) but there are "guarded" gates which seem to work on extended business hours. There are no posted times, but i arrived at 9:30 am and it was open. I'm also seen it open after 6 or 7 pm. Overall, a visit to the fallen is a rewarding and enlightening things to do in Baku.

Sumqayit - seaside the way nature didn't intend

In 2007, Mercer, the unofficial consulting firm for the U.N., ranked Baku as the worst city for health and sanitation in the world. Incidentally, Dhaka, Bangladesh was second. A significant part of this distinction was the communist wasteland which is now Sumqayit, the third largest city in Azerbaijan. Only one question comes to mind, why did it take me 11 months to visit this place?

Until 1940, Sumqayit was a village of some 4,000 beach bums, idyllically located on a white sandy spit of beach. Original plans were to develop it into a "Costa Del Sol" type weekend happyland getaway, where scantily dressed Baku-ites could frolic their troubles away. Well, even the best plans change. By the 1980's, Sumqayit was home to 80% of Azerbaijan's heavy industry, a brave new world for chemical factories that belched colourful fumes so toxic that passers-by on the train would find their white clothes stained yellow. As the years rolled on the saturation of pollutants increased exponentially. Luckily, today only about 20% of the factories are operational to some capacity. Even though they look like they're about to die. The northern edge of the city looks like a post-nuclear bombed site just after a major head-on collision while having a bad hair day. In other words, AWESOME! The majority of factories are walled off and inaccessible but the odd few still lend a great glimpse into an industrial hell in a land Al Gores environmental crusade has forgotten. My favourites were the triplets of cooling towers which still serve there purpose. Local men even fish nearby, as apparently the treated water runoff is a major fish attractor. But all joking aside, the environmental impact is unmistakable. Sumqayit has the unfortunate distinction of having one of the highest infant mortality rates outside of Africa. The main city cemetery, a few kms outside of town just off the main Baku-Quba turnoff, is testament to this. There is a disproportionate section of the graveyard set aside exclusively for children. While there are a few typically Soviet graves with engraved photo and all, many of the stones lie unmarked. Tiny rocks give parent a place to grieve. If visiting the site remember to be respectful. After all, it's not a tourist attraction, it's a cemetery.

But probably my favourite part of the day trip was the half-sunken ferry/new fishing pier at the end of the spit. Although seemingly impossible to get the exact story of the ship, is has for sure been there for some time. My local friend telling me how he used to climb on it when he was a kid, some 20+ years ago. Getting there is half the fun with an obstacle course of slippery kelp covered rocks with edges ground down to the status of "lethal". A labyrinth of old pipes and frames to tight-rope walk across, balanced precariously over certain death. And that's just to get to the damn boat. One things for damn sure, be sure to have a tetanus shot as there is enough rust here to put Dow Chemicals anti-rust potion to the test. Most of the guys here are pretty friendly, if not a little nervous. Even though the practice of dynamite fishing is strictly forbidden, it still happens. They became especially uneasy as i started snapping photos, my friend had to assure them that is was just a tourist and not with the newspaper or "KGB" or something. Once that was cleared up, i even got to try my hand at a cast or two. I'm not much of an angler,and it showed. So with my head hung in shame, i left the boat.
Now all of this might sound a little doomsday-ish, considering you can add on the list late 80s violent clashes with Armenians. But the people of Sumqayit have persevered. The closing of the majority of factories has seen the air quality immeasurably improve. The boulevard area, next to the seaside, is teeming with life. The wonderfully tree-shaded promenade still lined with quiet little teahouses. The centre has a bustling market with newly added expansions. And a remodelled pedestrian street which could be from any city in Europe. There's life in the old girl yet. Reaching Sumqayit is a piece of cake with numerous buses (40 qapik) leaving from Baku's main bus station whenever full. Overall, it makes for an easy day trip from Baku, although I'm still not so sure about swimming there ;)

No trick photography - It's really RED!

No really, that's its colour! No, i didn't take a weekend trip to Mars. For any fans of arid or semi-desert regions, a bright pink lake might not seem that out of place. But for the uninitiated, it's weird, man!!

Pink salt lakes and playas, and the bright red evaporation ponds of salt recovery plants along their shores, are among nature's most remarkable biological phenomena, and occur in arid regions throughout the world. The red colouration is caused by astronomical numbers of microscopic, unicellular organisms living in the water and salt crust. But just because it's all scientific and stuff, doesn't make it any less freaky!

Oodles of salt is "farmed" near the town of Masazir, a satellite suburb of Baku in Azerbaijan. The lake seems systematically divided into tiny "plots" where locals collect the salt from the lake. The collected salt is then sent off to be refined, where it could very well end up on your local restaurant table. Yummy!! The red colour of the lake can only really be seen on the hottest of summer days, otherwise the little organisms which cause the display are sleeping (or something like that). Luckily it was 35 degrees and super sunny when i went. Although i was told that it can get even redder.

Getting to the lake can be a bit of a struggle. Even though it's only 20 minutes outside Baku. Bus #225 from Memar Ajemi metro station goes to the village of Masazir. From there it's a 2km+ unshaded walk to the lake. Although the far side of the lake, another 5km along, is better. I'm sure a taxi could be arranged, but I don't know how much.