Azerbaijan
Table of Contents: Regions / Cities / Other destinations / Culture and History / Celebrate / Climate / Terrain / Electricity / Travel to Azerbaijan, visa requirements Flights to Azerbaijan, airtickets By train By car Buses to Azerbaijan By boat / Get around / Talk / Shopping, Azerbaijan souvenirs / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Azerbaijan nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging / Learn / Work / Stay safe / Stay healthy / Respect / Contact More from Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Nagorno-Karabakh More from Asia: Caucasus, Central Asia, East Asia, Middle East, Southeast Asia |
Azerbaijan [1] is a Turkic state in the Caucasus of Southeastern Europe. It achieved independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It has borders with Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Russia and Turkey as well as a Caspian Sea coastline.
Conflict has been ongoing with neighbouring Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, and the country is regarded by some as something of a kleptocracy. The ruling Aliyev family and their allies are making limited democratic concessions to posture for a potential European Union accession bid along with their more democratic neighbor, Georgia, but at the same time have consolidated greater power among themselves.
Regions
Cities
- Baku — the capital and largest, most cosmopolitan city of the Caucasus
- Gance — Azerbaijan's second largest city has a long history and some important sites
- Lankaran — a small ethnic Talysh city near the Iranian border
- Mingechivir — a mid-sized city on the large Mingechivir Reservoir
- Naftalan — a town best known for its special petroleum oil baths (spas)
- Nakhichevan City — the administrative capital of Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave
- Sheki — a beautiful city in the forested Caucasus Mountains with lots to see and do
- Sumqayit — Azerbaijan's third largest city, on the Absheron Peninsula
Other destinations
- The Petroglyphs at Gobustan
Culture and History
Azerbaijan includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991, but receives support from Armenia.
Azerbaijan regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and must support some 800,000 refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict.
Corruption is ubiquitous and the promise of widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources remains largely unfulfilled.
Celebrate
These are the nationally recognized holidays for people living in Azerbaijan.
- New Year (January 1-2)
- Women’s Day (March 8)
- Victory Day (May 9)
- Republic Day (May 28)
- Day of National Salvation of Azerbaijan People (June 15)
- Day of Military Forces of Azerbaijan Republic (June 26)
- State Sovereignty Day (October 18)
- Constitution Day (November 12)
- National Rebirth Day (November 17)
- Solidarity Day of World Azerbaijanis (December 31)
- Novruz Bayram – five days
- Gurban Bayram (Day of Sacrifice) - two days
- Ramazan (Day of Fasting) - two days
Climate
Azerbaijan is known for having 9 of the 11 existing ecological zones, although a great deal of it is dry and semiarid steppe.
Terrain
Large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea
Electricity
Electricity is supplied at 220V 50Hz. Outlets are the European standard CEE-7/7 "Schukostecker" or "Schuko" or the compatible, but non-grounded, CEE-7/16 "Europlug" types. Generally speaking, U.S. and Canadian travelers should pack an adapter for these outlets if they plan to use North American electrical equipment in Azerbaijan.
Additionally, some older buildings may be still equipped with Soviet-era outlets. The Soviet GOST-7396 standard was very similar to the current European CEE-7/7 "Schuko plug", but the pins were of a 4.0mm diameter, while the Schuko features 4.8mm pins. As such, the pins of a Schuko may be too large to fit into a Soviet-era outlet, although the smaller Europlug will still fit.. Although the Soviet-era outlets have largely been phased out, travelers who are particularly concerned with having the ability to plug in at all times may consider packing an adapter for the Soviet-era outlets too, just in case.
Travel to Azerbaijan, visa requirements
Flights to Azerbaijan, airtickets
National air company AZAL (Azerbaijan Airlines) is the main carrier which flies to Ganja, Nakhchivan, Yevlakh, Tbilisi, Aktau, Tehran, Tel-Aviv, Ankara, Istanbul, Trabzon, Antalya, Dubai, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kiev, Nizhniy Novgorod, Urumqi, Mineralniye Vodi, Milan, London, Paris. British airways flies seven days a week to Baku. Lufthansa also has several flights a week to Baku. Turkish Airlines is another carrier connecting Baku with and via Istanbul. Also, there are several Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek, Iranian, and Austrian airlines connecting Baku with several cities of the world.
By train
There are trains that run daily from Georgia to Azerbaijan.
By car
Buses to Azerbaijan
There are buses that run daily from Georgia, Turkey, Iran and Russia to Azerbaijan.
By boat
There is a ferry to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
Get around
Buses, minibuses (marshutka), and taxis connect most cities. There is often a hub such as a bus station near the bazaar in these cities. The price for a fare buses and minibuses are posted usually in both old and new manat(qupik). Taxies on the other hand require negotiating skills, and this usually takes a proficiency in the language that ordinary non-Azeri/Russian/Turkish speakers do not have.
Talk
Azeri is the official language. This is a Turkic language, related to Turkish itself. Hovever, English is spoken in some places frequented by Westerners. Many people also speak Russian (which is now declining and slowly being replaced by English), especially in the capital city, Baku.
Shopping, Azerbaijan souvenirs
Good restaurants and cheap meals
Cabbage, grape leaves, and eggplant wrapped meat (dolmasi- kelem, yarpaq, badamjan), kabob (chebab), and meatballs (kofta) are some of the specialties of Azerbaijan. Often foods, no matter what it is, are referred to as the national dishes. Bread is a staple, and is quite revered by the people of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
Some local drinks include ayran (a yogurt drink based on sour milk), sherbet (made from rose petals or saffron). There are also different sorts of quite decent wines produced from local grapes, and a wide array of mineral waters from natural springs.
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
Rental apartments might be a good choice as they are cheaper than hotels and sometimes are even more comfortable.
Learn
Work
There is a great deal of work to be done in Azerbaijan from teaching and NGO work to work in the oil and tourism sectors.
Stay safe
Corruption is widespread. Carry some USD to keep you out of trouble. Take taxis, put on a tough face.
Stay healthy
Respect
Azerbaijan has a Turkic and majority-Muslim population.
Contact
More from Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Nagorno-Karabakh More from Asia: Caucasus, Central Asia, East Asia, Middle East, Southeast Asia |
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