Azerbaijan > The Burning Mountains of Baku

When the alarm goes off at nine, I am already awake. The breakfast buffet is ready on the eleventh floor of the hotel. From this floor, there is also a nice view over the city. Unfortunately, it is raining, and the forecast for today is unfavorable. It doesn’t improve. At quarter to eleven, we leave the hotel by bus. The original plan to visit Baku’s old town first is abandoned due to the rain. Instead, we first visit the sights on the Absheron Peninsula. Hopefully, the weather will be better this afternoon for the old city. As we leave Baku, we pass modern buildings, the stadium, and a large, contemporary convention center. Most of the buildings look nice and relatively new. Mehmet, our guide in Azerbaijan, explains that Azerbaijan has a lot of oil underground. The revenues from this allow the country to develop. Outside the city, several oil derricks stand in the landscape, pumping oil from the ground. Our first stop is the Ateshgah Fire Temple. Even before the Common Era, followers of Zoroastrianism used this location. During Islamic rule, the temple was destroyed but was fortunately restored later. Inside the temple, I see the eternal flame burning. Gas seeping from the earth keeps the fire alight—continuously for more than two centuries. For this reason, Zoroastrians considered the site sacred. A little further along the peninsula lies Yanardag, the “Burning Mountains.” Here too, gas rises through the porous rock. Over a distance of several meters, it appears as though the mountains are on fire. Just as we step out of the bus, a downpour begins.

Azerbaijan - The Ateshgah Fire Temple

Wearing my raincoat with the hood over my head, I observe the mountains. The path to the viewpoint is closed, as the rain has made it too slippery. Instead, we order coffee in a small café. After this visit, we drive back to Baku. Many streets in the city center are blocked off for next week’s Formula 1 race. We drive between the concrete barriers where the drivers will compete. Due to the closures, we cannot reach Fountain Square directly and have to walk the final stretch. Around the square are several restaurants. The group splits up. Joining a restaurant with the whole group would take too long, so in a charming basement restaurant, I order dolma—grape leaves stuffed with meat—a tasty local dish. After lunch, Mehmet takes us to Baku’s old walled city. We pass through the city gate and walk over the cobblestone streets inside the walls. Mehmet points out the small balconies, explaining that they are used for drinking tea. The more luxurious the balcony, the higher the social status of its residents. On the highest part of the old city, we arrive at the Shirvanshah Palace. The palace was built in the early 15th century on the orders of Ibrahim I of Shirvan when Baku became the capital of the Shirvan kingdom.

Azerbaijan - The street circuit for Formula 1 is already set up in Baku

The complex includes, in addition to the palace, a mausoleum, a hammam, and a mosque. We visit some of the rooms inside the palace. The walking tour of the old city ends at the Maiden Tower, an old defensive tower dating from the 12th century. The Maiden Tower originally stood in the water, but as the Caspian Sea receded, it now stands within the old city. It is now half past five. Some of the group return to the hotel by bus. We decide to stay in the old city and return to the hotel on our own. Hopefully, the rain will not interfere too much, as there have been frequent short showers throughout the day. We walk through the streets of the old town and order a local Xirdalan beer on a terrace with a view of the Maiden Tower. This turns out to be perfect timing, as a heavy downpour begins. The rain pounds on the flat roof above us. Once it clears, we walk to the boulevard along the Caspian Sea.

Azerbaijan - The boulevard along the Caspian Sea

Here, we encounter the barriers for the Formula 1 race. It seems impossible to cross the street, but by following the gestures of bystanders, we find a passage under the road and reach the water. Along the boulevard stretches the six-kilometer-long Seaside Park. From the boulevard, we can see Baku’s modern skyline and the peninsula we visited this morning. Across the Caspian Sea lies Turkmenistan, though we cannot see it from here. We do see the famous Flame Towers of Baku—three towers rising above the city center. These modern towers symbolize the “Land of Fire,” as Azerbaijan is often called. We return to the city center, where there are plenty of restaurants. At the restaurant “Cozy,” we find two fellow travelers already seated inside. We join them and eat together. Afterwards, we walk back to Hotel Park Central in about twenty minutes.