Azerbaijan, and Armenia The Caucasus at a Crossroads August 23 to September 4, 2021

Once bound together under a Soviet banner—and often under Iranian sovereignty prior to that— Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia are countries with distinct cultures, histories, languages, religions and people. Although today’s traveler may consider them off the beaten tourist track, historically these locales were at the crossroads of civilization from ancient times to the Cold War. Join us as we explore the physical beauty of the Caucasus; the richness of each country’s artistic, literary and musical heritage; the political significance of each nation’s relationships with Russia and Turkey (and hence with the United States and nations of the Middle East); and the importance of the region’s natural resources to the global economy. Venture into these fascinating lands with us.

FACULTY LEADER

Abbas Milani Born in Iran to a Muslim family, Abbas Milani was trained by French nuns and Jesuit priests before leaving Iran for the United States as a teen. After earning his PhD in political science at the University of Hawaii, he returned to Iran to teach first at the National University of Iran and then at the University of Tehran. Since 1986 he has lived in the Bay Area. At Stanford, Dr. Milani is a research fellow and codirector of the Iran Democracy Project at the Hoover Institution, the director of the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies and a professor (by courtesy) in the division of Global Studies. Throughout his career, his focus of study has been the cultures, politics and societies of Central Asia and the Middle East through the prism of scholarship. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including The Shah (2011).

— Adjunct professor, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Stanford University, since 2016 — Director, Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies, Stanford University, since 2005 — Research fellow and codirector, Iran Democracy Project, Hoover Institution, since 2003 — Chair and professor, department of history and political science, Notre Dame de Namur University, 1987–2003 — Research fellow, Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley, 1998–2003 — Assistant professor, law and political science faculty, University of Tehran, 1977–1987 — Recipient, Richard W. Lyman Award, Stanford University, 2017 — BA, political science and economics, UC Berkeley; PhD, political science, University of Hawaii

ITINERARY

Monday, August 23 BAKU, AZERBAIJAN Upon arrival in Baku, transfer to our hotel. FOUR SEASONS BAKU

STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY | (650) 725-1093 | [email protected] FRANCES C. ARRILLAGA ALUMNI CENTER | 326 GALVEZ STREET | STANFORD, CA 94305 AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA AND ARMENIA August 23 to September 4, 2021

Tuesday, August 24 BAKU Embark on a tour of Baku, starting in the World Heritage–listed Old City, with its ancient walls, medieval gates and winding streets lined with shops. Visit the 13th-century Shirvanshah’s Palace complex, a showpiece of local architecture. Next view the iconic Heydar Aliyev Center, designed by one of the world’s most influential architects, Zaha Hadid. End the day with a welcome reception at the Nobel Brothers Museum, then relish authentic Azeri dishes at a welcome dinner. FOUR SEASONS BAKU (B,L,D)

Wednesday, August 25 BAKU / GOBUSTAN / SHAMAKHI / SHEKI Head south from Baku along a section of the Silk Road. Examine the ancient petroglyphs at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, then admire Shamakhi’s Juma Mosque, one of the first mosques in the Caucasus, before arriving in Sheki this evening. SHEKI PALACE HOTEL (B,L,D)

Thursday, August 26 SHEKI Among the oldest towns in Azerbaijan, Sheki was moved to its present location after a mudslide destroyed it in 1772. Explore the historic center of Sheki, including the UNESCO World Heritage site of Khan’s Palace. Then visit the village of Kish, the original site of Sheki, where archaeologists discovered a 3,000-year-old cultic site and Bronze Age skeletons beneath the centuries-old Albanian church of Saint Elishe. Before dinner admire the massive stone caravanserai that served as a Silk Road hotel. SHEKI PALACE HOTEL (B,L,D)

Friday, August 27 SHEKI / , GEORGIA / TSINANDALI / This morning cross into Georgia and the Kakheti region, which has been producing wine for 8,000 years. Savor local wine and a traditional Georgian lunch in a local village, then visit the village of Tsinandali and the restored family estate and museum of Alexander Chavchavadze, a 19th-century aristocrat and poet who founded the country’s first winery, still in operation today. Arrive in Tbilisi in the evening. TBILISI MARRIOTT HOTEL (B,L)

Saturday, August 28 TBILISI Take a tour of Tbilisi: the red-roofed Old Town set beneath the 4th-century Narikala fortress; the sulfur baths, built in the 7th century; and the oldest church in the city, the Anchiskhati Basilica. Walk down Agmashenebeli Avenue to gaze at the baroque, Mauritanian, pseudo-Gothic and rococo buildings that line both sides, then browse the Dry Bridge Market. Attend a private concert of Old-World Georgian polyphonic music over dinner. TBILISI MARRIOTT HOTEL (B,L,D)

Sunday, August 29 TBILISI Take in the spectacular collection of ancient gold decorative art at the Georgian National Museum. Later learn about the impact of Soviet rule, first at the Museum of Soviet Occupation, created to commemorate those killed or deported during this time, then at the Georgian National Gallery, featuring work from the modernist art movement.

STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY | (650) 725-1093 | [email protected] FRANCES C. ARRILLAGA ALUMNI CENTER | 326 GALVEZ STREET | STANFORD, CA 94305 AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA AND ARMENIA August 23 to September 4, 2021

Conclude the day with a tour and reception at the house museum of artist Elene Akhvlediani, best known for her paintings of Tbilisi. TBILISI MARRIOTT HOTEL (B,L)

Monday, August 30 TBILISI / MTSKHETA / TSEROVANI / GORI / UPLISTSIKHE Today we venture into the countryside. Our first stop is at the for an expansive view of the Kura and Aragvi rivers, then we drive to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Mtskheta, capital of Iberia in the 3rd century BCE and the epicenter of Georgia’s conversion to Christianity. See the refugee village of Tserovani, where thousands of people displaced by the 2008 conflict with Russia live in small cottages. Continue to Gori, the birthplace of Georgia’s most infamous native son, Joseph Stalin, and drop by the Joseph Stalin Museum. From Gori we travel to the ancient cave town of Uplistsikhe, once an important destination along the Silk Road, before returning to Tbilisi for dinner and an evening of Georgian music and dance. TBILISI MARRIOTT HOTEL (B,L,D)

Tuesday, August 31 TBILISI / YEREVAN, ARMENIA Today cross the border into Armenia, the first country in Europe to embrace Christianity as a state religion. The Armenian landscape is dotted with stone churches and khachkars, elaborately carved basalt crosses. Drive past Lake Sevan, one of the largest alpine lakes in the world, and view the lakeside Sevanavank monastery. Arrive in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, this evening. ARMENIA MARRIOTT HOTEL (B,L,D)

Wednesday, September 1 YEREVAN Begin today at the Cascade complex and Cafesjian Center for the Arts, which features a collection of glass art pieces by Seattleite Dale Chihuly and the Czech duo Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová. At the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, remember more than one million Armenians who lost their lives in the early 20th century. Later browse the 5th-century Matenadaran, a book repository that contains more than 17,000 manuscripts and 300,000 archival documents. Then enjoy a tour-and-taste visit to the Yerevan Brandy Company, from which Winston Churchill purportedly ordered 400 bottles a year. ARMENIA MARRIOTT HOTEL (B,L)

Thursday, September 2 YEREVAN / KHOR VIRAP / GARNI / GEGHARD Today explore the monastery of Khor Virap and take in its fantastic views of Mount Ararat. Tour the Greco-Roman Temple of Garni and attend a private concert of sacred a cappella music. Our final stop is the Geghard monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with its monks’ cells and churches carved into the side of a mountain. ARMENIA MARRIOTT HOTEL (B,L)

Friday, September 3 YEREVAN / ETCHMIADZIN Travel to the town and cathedral of Etchmiadzin, today a pilgrimage site for Christian Armenians. Return to Yerevan and enjoy an afternoon at leisure to explore before gathering for a festive farewell reception and dinner. ARMENIA MARRIOTT HOTEL (B,L,D)

STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY | (650) 725-1093 | [email protected] FRANCES C. ARRILLAGA ALUMNI CENTER | 326 GALVEZ STREET | STANFORD, CA 94305 AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA AND ARMENIA August 23 to September 4, 2021

Saturday, September 4 YEREVAN/ HOME Transfer this morning to the Yerevan airport for flights home. (B—TIME PERMITTING)

INFORMATION Covid-19 and Travel With travel requirements and local Covid-19 conditions changing weekly, travel protocols for specific destinations will be shared with confirmed travelers closer to departure. To read more about Travel/Study’s approach to ensuring traveler health and safety, visit our Covid-19 Travel page.

Size This trip requires a minimum of 12 participants and is limited to 34. Travel/Study is committed to providing a low-density experience on all programs and will implement protocols to do so, including social distancing on transportation, as well as during lectures, meals and excursions. Single accommodations are limited—please call for availability.

Cost* $8,995 per person, double occupancy $10,395 per person, single occupancy *Stanford Alumni Association nonmembers add $300 per person

Included ● 12 nights of deluxe hotel accommodations ● 12 breakfasts, 11 lunches and 7 dinners ● Welcome and farewell receptions ● Gratuities to guides and drivers for all group activities ● All tours and excursions as described in the itinerary ● Fees for visas into Azerbaijan ● Transfers and baggage handling on program arrival and departure days ● On-tour quarantine-related trip-cancellation, -interruption and -delay insurance coverage ● General medical, accident and evacuation insurance ● Educational program with lecture series and predeparture materials, including an education resource list and travel information ● Services of our professional tour manager to assist you throughout the program

Not Included ● Your personal flights to and from the program ● Passport and visa fees other than listed above ● Immunization costs ● Meals and beverages other than those specified as included ● Independent and private transfers ● Nonquarantine-related trip-cancellation, -interruption and -delay insurance coverage ● Baggage insurance ● Excess-baggage charges ● Personal items such as internet access, telephone calls, laundry and gratuities for nongroup services

STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY | (650) 725-1093 | [email protected] FRANCES C. ARRILLAGA ALUMNI CENTER | 326 GALVEZ STREET | STANFORD, CA 94305 AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA AND ARMENIA August 23 to September 4, 2021

Air Arrangements You are responsible for booking and purchasing airfare to the start location and from the end location of the program. These air purchases are NOT included in the program cost. To assist you in making these independent arrangements, we will send you details with your confirmation materials on when to arrive and depart.

What to Expect We consider this program to be physically demanding and strenuous, and expect that participants will be a self-selecting group whose interest in the places we visit outweighs the need for creature comforts. Travelers need to handle their own luggage at airport customs and land border crossings where porters are not available. Daily activities include one to three miles of walking, often on uneven and rocky terrain. In many instances stairs do not have handrails, and elevators are limited. Our journey at times requires several hours of travel by motor coach, with some drives as long as 10 hours (with breaks for touring). Due to poorly repaired and, in some instances, unpaved roads, travel may be slow at times. We make occasional rest stops, but often toilets are not available, and nature’s facilities are more inviting and abundant than man-made ones. In many ways the challenges of this program are part of the learning experience. Visas are required for U.S. passport holders traveling to Azerbaijan, but those with Armenian last names may not be granted visas. If you have an Armenian last name and are interested in this program, please contact our office for further information. We welcome travelers 15 years of age and older on this program.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Deposit, Payments and Cancellations A $1,000-per-person deposit is required to reserve space on this program. Final payment is due 90 days prior to program start. Deposits and any payments are fully refundable until 90 days prior to program start. After that date, refunds can be made only if the program is sold out and your place is resold, in which case a $1,000-per-person cancellation fee will apply.

Insurance Stanford Travel/Study provides all travelers who are U.S. or Canadian citizens with minimal medical, accident and evacuation coverage, as well as on-tour quarantine-related trip-cancellation, -interruption and -delay insurance coverage, under our group-travel insurance policy. Our group policy is intended to provide minimal levels of protection while you are traveling on this program. You may choose to subscribe to optional nonquarantine-related trip-cancellation, -interruption and -delay insurance coverage and/or baggage insurance. Information offering such insurance will be included in your confirmation materials. The product offered includes special benefits if you purchase your insurance within 14 days of receiving your welcome email.

STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY | (650) 725-1093 | [email protected] FRANCES C. ARRILLAGA ALUMNI CENTER | 326 GALVEZ STREET | STANFORD, CA 94305 AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA AND ARMENIA August 23 to September 4, 2021

Eligibility We encourage membership in the Stanford Alumni Association, as the program cost for nonmembers is $300 more than the members' price. A person traveling as a guest paid for by a current member will not be charged the nonmember fee. To purchase a membership, call (650) 725-0692 or visit alumni.stanford.edu/goto/membership.

Responsibility The Stanford Alumni Association, Stanford University and our operators act only as agents for the passenger with respect to transportation and exercise every care possible in doing so. However, we can assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity in connection with the service of any automobile, motor coach, launch or any other conveyance used in carrying out this program or for the acts or defaults of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the program. We cannot accept any responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, force majeure or other causes beyond our control. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger, as tour rates include arrangements only for the time stated. We reserve the right to make such alterations to this published itinerary as may be deemed necessary. We reserve the right to cancel any program prior to departure, in which case the entire payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. We also reserve the right to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of the program. No refund will be made for an unused portion of any tour unless arrangements are made in sufficient time to avoid penalties. Baggage is carried at the owner's risk entirely. The airlines concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not on board their plane or conveyance. Neither the Stanford Alumni Association nor Stanford University nor our operators accept liability for any carrier's cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable ticket in connection with the tour. Program price is based on rates in effect at the time the brochure is published and is subject to change without notice to reflect fluctuations in exchange rates, tariffs or fuel charges. As a condition of participation, all confirmed participants are required to sign an Assumption of Risk.

California Seller of Travel Program Registration #2048 523-50

STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY | (650) 725-1093 | [email protected] FRANCES C. ARRILLAGA ALUMNI CENTER | 326 GALVEZ STREET | STANFORD, CA 94305