In recent years, Azerbaijan and its capital Baku with its 2.3 million inhabitants have developed into an attractive travel destination on the Caspian Sea. I flew for the magazine ReiseInsider to the ‘Land of Fire’ to gain an impression of the fascination of the country, whose public image has changed massively over the last twenty years thanks to numerous major international events.
To be honest, it is initially difficult to put into words what the fascination of travelling to Azerbaijan is. It is probably the unique mixture of ancient tradition and modern dynamism that characterises the country. In the last 20 years in particular, Azerbaijan, and especially the capital Baku, has changed its character with breathtaking buildings by the world’s best architects. At the same time, Azerbaijan has remained a country steeped in history, despite the turbo-modernisation of its infrastructure, thanks to the gushing revenues from its oil and gas reserves. As a crossroads of different cultures, Azerbaijan can look back on a long and eventful history. This is reflected in its architecture, language and traditions.
First impressions count
The only way to get to Azerbaijan is by plane and here the state-owned airline Azerbaijan Airlines (www.azal.az) offers a direct flight between Vienna and Baku three times a week. The first thing visitors see is the impressive terminal of Heydar Aliyev Airport https://airport.az/, which was built by the Austrian construction company Waagner Biro Steel and Glass. The current Skytrax 5-star airport was opened in 2013 and since then, passengers have been given an impressive statement of what modern Azerbaijan looks like today as soon as they arrive.
If you take a taxi from Baku Airport into the city along Heydar Aliyev Propekti, the numerous colourfully illuminated skyscrapers remind you of a drive along the famous Sheik Zayed Road in Dubai. The skyscrapers are now an impressive example of Baku’s modern architecture and the country’s striving for progress. But Baku is not Dubai, as you soon realise. If you drive further into the centre of Baku, you will quickly see that Baku is much more than just skyscrapers. Passing magnificent streets with Soviet architecture and European-style houses from the time of the great oil barons who once made Baku the ‘Paris of the East’, you reach the old city centre, which is surrounded by historic city walls. It is not for nothing that Baku was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, as the old city walls, or so it seems, preserve the culture and history of the country.
The flood of impressions that visitors receive on their journey from the airport to the city centre is truly extensive, which is why it is best to let your first impressions sink in over a glass of good Azerbaijani tea after your arrival.
Austrian ‘know-how’ for the old city centre
If you want to find out more about Azerbaijani history and culture, you should start your trip with a visit to Baku’s Old Town. The old town of Baku offers a fascinating contrast to the modern skyline, with the world-famous ‘Flame Towers’, three skyscraper towers that are always in view in the evening hours with their blazing flames and waving national flags during a tour.
The well-preserved medieval city centre of Baku https://azerbaijan.travel/explore-bakus-old-city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with narrow, winding streets, historic mosques and traditional houses. The Maiden Tower from the 12th century or the palace of the Shirvanshah (Muslim dynasty from the 15th century), whose ensemble includes several buildings, as well as numerous caravanserais, where centuries ago travellers with their animals and trade goods could safely spend the night and supply themselves with food, are just some of the presumably hundreds of historical buildings within the city walls.
The exact number of historical buildings is not known, as new excavations regularly increase their number. However, travel guides often say that the old town of Baku should be seen as a complete work of art, in which every building has its place and contributes to the unique atmosphere. However, anyone strolling through the streets of the old town cannot fail to notice that the many historic buildings require a great deal of care and are therefore subject to constant restoration and conservation work.
The leading figure among the restorers carrying out such work in Baku is an Austrian. Erich Pummer is a stone restorer, master sculptor and stonemason from Rossatz in Lower Austria and has been working with his team in Baku since 2010. The Mohammed Mosque, the Maiden Tower, the Beyler Mosque, some parts of the Shirvan Shah Palace, the Baku Opera House and the Multani Caravanserai are just a few examples of his work on site, in which a special sandstone conservation method is used. So don’t be surprised if you are greeted in Austrian from a scaffold and have interesting conversations with the workers from the Wachau valley.
The modern face of Baku
What would Baku be without its modern face, which has made the country internationally famous in recent decades?
Take the time to visit modern Baku with its numerous architectural masterpieces. Famous architects were already to be found in Baku during the first oil boom more than 100 years ago, including the Austrian architect Franz Janz, who designed numerous public buildings and private villas in Baku. Today, it is names such as Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster or Austrian architects such as Hermann Czech or Franz Janz that have made Baku a melting pot of modern architecture that attracts worldwide attention.
Some of these sights, such as the Heydar Aliyev Centre https://azerbaijan.travel/heydar-aliyev-centre-baku designed by Zaha Hadid, are definitely worth a visit. This congress centre, named after the famous and still revered father of the state Heydar Aliyev, is a white building with an impressive flowing form. The boundaries between the building envelope and the surrounding areas blend harmoniously into the surrounding landscape. In addition to an exhibition on the life and work of the president, who died in 2003, the basement of the building houses an extremely interesting automobile exhibition with classic cars from various eras https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3DzsF9XpU0.
With the opening of the Flame Towers in 2013, Norman Foster has created another iconic building in Baku. My personal recommendation is to visit Highland Park in the evening hours, right next to the city’s famous landmark, walk past the ‘Avenue of Martyrs’ to the Monument to the Eternal Flame high above the city. From there you have an incredible view of the Bay of Baku, the old city centre and, of course, the changing motifs projected onto the Flame Towers https://azerbaijan.travel/luxurious-trio-skyscrapers-flame-towers.
When visiting Baku, you should also plan a detour to the Carpet Museum. Traditional carpet craftsmanship in Azerbaijan was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, so it is not surprising that this aspect of Azerbaijani history is given a great deal of attention with the museum https://azcarpetmuseum.az/en, which was designed by Franz Janz and looks like a rolled-up carpet.
Azerbaijani cuisine
During your stay in Azerbaijan, you should also pay a lot of attention to the food. Lovers of good food will get their money’s worth here, as Azerbaijani cuisine is a real treasure trove of flavours and aromas. It reflects the rich history and cultural diversity of the country on the Silk Road, with many culinary influences from the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Be sure to try the national dish plov, a hearty rice dish baked in a bread crust with lamb, chestnuts, apricots and spices, or my personal favourite: Qutab, thin pancakes made from a mixture of pancakes and bread dough, filled with flavoursome lamb, pumpkin or fresh spices and herbs. Not forgetting the country’s famous savoury tea and the sweet baklava, which will raise your blood sugar levels just by looking at it.
If you want to try all the delicacies, the www.ReiseInsider.at can recommend two well-known restaurants in the city: The Shirvanshah Museum Restaurant https://www.instagram.com/shirvanshah/ is located near the old town of Baku. As the name suggests, its ambience is modelled on a living museum and simply conveys the Azerbaijani food and lifestyle culture in a sensational way. Surrounded by beautiful carpets, historic furnishings and heavy candlesticks, you eat with your eyes in two senses.
The Sumakh Restaurant https://www.instagram.com/sumakhrestaurant, on the other hand, is a newer type of Azerbaijani restaurant. Light-coloured rooms, dignified furnishings and white-clothed tables create a sophisticated ambience. The traditional cuisine on offer is unbeatably good and the cost of the food is extremely reasonable compared to Austria, as is the case everywhere in Azerbaijan.
Between rock carvings and mud volcanoes
Land of fire, land of mud volcanoes… Azerbaijan has many different names and the country is not only rich in natural resources but also rich in culture and history. To delve a little deeper into the background to the names, we recommend a day trip to the outskirts of Baku. Several day trips are available here. As the ‘Land of Fire’, natural fires have been emerging from the ground in numerous places in the country for centuries. These so-called ‘eternal flames’ are a unique natural phenomenon and have earned Azerbaijan its nickname.
However, during my short 4-day stay, I decided to visit Gobustan National Park http://www.gobustan-rockart.az/en, which is only around an hour’s drive from the capital. Gobustan National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is known for its prehistoric rock art. These ancient drawings, reflecting people, animals, depictions of boats and abstract symbols and geometric patterns, possibly with ritual or symbolic meaning, offer a fascinating insight into life over 40,000 years ago. The ancient engravings provide invaluable insights into the history and culture of the region. They shed light on the way of life, beliefs and artistic expressions of prehistoric people. Our tour guide Anar goes into raptures as he explains the meaning of each drawing during our private tour. But it is not only the rock carvings that fascinate us, but also the view over the breathtaking rocky landscape of the Gobustan National Park, which was opened in 2007.
We pass canyons on our way to the next stop on our day trip, the Mud Volcano Tourism Complex https://mud-volcanoes.heritage.org.az/en. There are 1600 mud volcanoes worldwide, around a third of them in Azerbaijan alone. These fascinating geological formations are not only a special feature, but also a testimony to the geological activity of the region. Mud volcanoes are not real volcanoes that eject magma from the earth’s interior. Instead, they erupt a mixture of mud, water, gases and sometimes oil, as our guide Sevinj tells us.
Sevinj is the right person in the right place! I couldn’t imagine a better guide through the ultra-modern exhibition complex, which only opened this year. In the information centre, you not only learn all about the formation of the many mud volcanoes, but you can also examine various stone samples or visit a natural history exhibition. On a tour of the site, Sevinj then shows us her ‘new babies’, as she calls them, small mud volcanoes that were formed overnight and which she will now nurture and care for. Once again, our trip shows how important contact with the local population is. Our guide Anar, who accompanied us for two days through Azerbaijan together with our driver Emil, and Sevinj from the Mud Volcano Tourism Complex, all three are the best and most honest example of Azerbaijani hospitality.
Conclusion
Azerbaijan is home to a large number of interesting UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are worth exploring. The links between Austria and Azerbaijan are stronger than you might think, as I was able to see for myself. The country is still considered a relatively exotic travel destination, although it has to be said that thanks to the good English language skills of the locals (especially in Baku), it is extremely easy to travel the country individually. However, if you want to make it easy for yourself, you should perhaps use the services of a qualified tour guide and driver due to the heavy traffic in the cities.
Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is an extremely clean and well-kept city that really impressed me. Both the extremely interesting old town and the modern new town are well worth a visit. If you love good food, this is also the place to be. On the other hand, Azerbaijan is not yet a typical tourist destination, which at the same time offers the opportunity to gain authentic experiences.
Tourism in the country has been strongly promoted in recent years. The head of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board https://azerbaijan.travel/ is Florian Sengstschmid, an Austrian who can look back on many years of experience in Azerbaijan. In 2023, the highest growth after the end of the Covid pandemic was recorded with an increase of 21.8%, although only 2629 visitors from Austria came to the country and there is definitely much more potential here.
So take advantage of the direct connection to the Land of Fire that was launched last year, you will be thrilled and at the same time appreciate the low local costs.
Martin Dichler
Travel tips Azerbaijan
Entry/E-Visa
To enter Azerbaijan, Austrian/EU citizens need an e-visa, which can be requested at least 10 days before arrival via https://www.evisa.gov.az/de/. The cost is EUR 23. After completing the online application, you will receive your e-visa by email within 72 hours.
Travelling
Azerbaijan Airlines offers direct flights three times a week (Tue/Fri/Sat) from Vienna to Baku from around EUR 330 www.azal.az
Hotels
There is an extensive choice of accommodation in all hotel classes in Baku. Depending on your preference, you can either stay in the vibrant city centre of Baku, the old town or a little outside, in the somewhat quieter White City district. I opted for the latter alternative and stayed at the Marriott Baku Boulevard https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/gydmb-baku-marriott-hotel-boulevard/overview/. The 5-star hotel of the Marriott Group, beautifully situated on Baku Bay, not only has spacious rooms, but also offers a breathtaking view of Baku Bay thanks to its location directly on the famous Baku Boulevard promenade. Several restaurants and bars also offer a wide range of culinary delights, from international cuisine to local specialities, at a reasonable price.
Transfer/taxi
Baku has a well-developed public transport network with two metro lines, but as taxis, UBER (note that you need your own AZ app) and BOLT journeys are extremely cheap, I travelled around the ‘City of Winds’ almost every day. A BOLT ride from one end of the city to the other (around 6km) costs around EUR 5 one way, while BOLT XL rides to the old town are available from as little as EUR 3.
Weather/travelling time
Azerbaijan has a varied climate, ranging from subtropical on the coast to continental inland. Summers are hot and dry, especially on the coast. Temperatures here can reach up to 40°C. Even if it is still completely unknown in our latitudes, a beach holiday on the Caspian Sea can also have its appeal, which is why several new beach resorts are currently under construction north of Baku. In general, however, it can be said that between April-May and September-October the temperatures are ideal for sightseeing and exploring the city and the country. But don’t forget that Baku is also known as the ‘city of winds’. A windbreaker should therefore always be in your luggage.