Focusing on Azerbaijan 10 www.irs-az.com Fadela BIRD Algerian journalist DISCOVERING AZERBAIJAN www.irs-az.com 11 Focusing on Azerbaijan THE TRIP TO AZERbaIJAN ORGA- NIZED RECENTLY BY DAR EL ATHAR AL ISLAMIYYAH Has BEEN A GREat DEAL OF FUN. WE HAD A VAGUE IDEA ABOUT THE COUNTRY’S HIstORICAL Past BUT WERE EAGER TO DISCOVER THIS NEW DEstInatION. fter arrival at the hotel, we were offered a beautifully Aprinted program, listing each event of the next nine days we were about to share with three members of the AzDipServis staff. First, we were taken for a short drive along the main road discovering, with the help of our guide, the old and new Baku, public gardens, the Government Palace, a string of different styles of architec- ture, medieval walls, luxurious build- ings and the magnificent view of the Sea and an Ottoman mosque with its to enter through their geometri- Caspian Sea. The planned program typical slim minarets. cal framework. Although they were was intriguing. Azerbaijan, known The roads in Baku, which means empty, we easily imagined the lav- to us as a crossroads along the Silk a City of Winds, are filled with olive, ish rugs, silk cushions and finest cur- Road, has been embellished from maple, pine and eucalyptus trees. tains described by our guide. Built the Muslim Era to the modern times. A couple of centuries ago, the No- between the 15th and 16th centuries, Several political changes, some pain- bel brothers decided that the bare the property was used as family ful, have affected the country since land has to be covered with soil and quarters and as an important official the break-up of the spices road trade. plants brought here in exchange for residence. The architect included a Different types of architecture spoke low tax. With the rise of the oil trade, bath-hammam and an underground silently of past occupations. Friends wealthy entrepreneurs started to reservoir. In those days water was a or foes, those contributions gave us build houses in the European and scarce commodity, so the system a hint of their impact. Today we were modern style. Despite the changes, was a practical contribution for the in a free country, ready to absorb all the old city still stands proudly, rec- needs of a huge household. the information given to us. ognized by UNESCO as part of the The nearby miniature book mu- After a copious breakfast on the World Heritage List and a major tour- seum exhibits unusual items com- first day, a coach took us to the Al- ist attraction. We walked through the posed by artists, mostly anonymous, ley of Martyrs and the Alley of Honor, 12th century ancient wall to discover who wrote verses of the Koran, his- where celebrated figures are buried. the Shirvanshah Palace built for the tory or poems in tiniest letters as We were given red carnations before 35th Shah. Our feet got to sample the small as a dot! We were curious to entering a garden filled with colorful cobbled pavement before reaching get a close look at such a working tulips, daisies and magnificent pine the gracious courtyard of the palace. dedication. A hundred meters away, trees. Our guide explained the role From the garden, we could see be- in a caravanserai restaurant, we were of important men and women who low a private mosque with a modest welcomed by a group of musicians have dedicated their life to arts, sci- minaret and a mausoleum before playing traditional Azerbaijani music ences or freedom of the country. We entering the dwelling made of sand as we entered. We sampled our first were overwhelmed by the peace- stone. Enriched with 52 rooms, each meal made of fresh herbs, vegeta- ful effect of the site and took many one was embellished by pointed bles and grilled meat – delicious! photos. A walk up the hill brought arch windows, protected by wooden We carried on with a walk into us facing the silver looking Caspian lattices and allowing natural light the old city. We loved those first floor 12 www.irs-az.com dwellings ranged next to one an- tective shields seen from far away. other along narrow streets. We could Azerbaijani authorities have see, above our heads, balconies built worked wonders in creating many in the Ottoman style and incredible museums to preserve their national carvings on the top of some win- legacy. The country offers more than dows. We were allowed to have a a hundred of them. We met a group look at an indoor courtyard which of children as we entered the State was shared by occupants of flats. We Museum of Azerbaijani Carpets and stopped at a fruiterer to look at his Applied Arts. On the first floor, we tiny shop selling a plenty of down- were taken aback by the wealth of to-earth goods. We admired the care woven rugs carefully hung on the and love with which local residents walls. Weavers are usually unknown have treated this location surround- but the patterns remain often identi- ed by modern Baku. The 12-centu- cal according to the region. The cura- ries-old city was, after all, the heart of tor kindly explained the meaning of Baku. Small mosques and five bath- piles, colors, motifs and techniques, houses provided all that was needed. pointing out differences between The mysterious Maiden Tower kept Kilim, Tabriz and basic rugs. In the us intrigued. Judging by its share, it olden days, people used them daily must have served as an enormous in their households. We were told observatory. The medieval site car- that one lived on a carpet and died ries so many centuries of history! The on one too! Decorated costumes, city was well defended with its pow- jewelry and objects of daily life were erful walls appearing like strong pro- a feast to our eyes. We did not miss www.irs-az.com 13 Focusing on Azerbaijan The Bibi-Heybat mosque Baku harbor. The proximity of the long boulevard to the Caspian Sea was so inviting that some of us walked back to the hotel. We were not tourists but people who enjoyed a night sea breeze – it felt like home. On Friday, we were already look- ing forward to more discoveries. This one, the 13th century Bibi-Hey- The State Philharmonic Hall bat Mosque, has been restored to the highest standard. We walked through a huge courtyard before entering this mausoleum. Golden and silver decorations along the walls covered with green tiles con- trasted with the gentle atmosphere of the well-wishers praying in si- the Theatre Museum upstairs which and Majun is a love story hugely rec- lence. Above the mausoleum, under deserved recognition for the artists ognized as a masterpiece. its enormous dome, the dark green who were inspired by stories, poetry We completed our day by an tiles shone softly. The Islamic stylistic or local and international music. Leyli agreeable dinner on a boat in the genre of the décor reminded us of 14 www.irs-az.com Museum of Contemporary Arts how small a world could be when art surprised the onlooker with the sil- travels. ver dome set between two narrow We were then taken to the Go- towers. Inside, we walked into a con- bustan archeological site located at cert hall with an elaborate gilded the foot of the Caucasian mountains roof and seats cleverly positioned in and recognized as one of the oldest a semicircle. As soon as the dances settlements in history. It surprised us started, we were engulfed in an ar- immensely. The sight of huge uneven tistic pleasure, admiring the long rocks justified the explanation of their floating dresses and head scarves of age of a million years! We watched the girls moving with gracious ges- different engravings depicting men tures. As for men, their different cos- and animals at different periods. Fur- tumes made them look both fierce ther up, there were Roman and Arabic and handsome. Their battle with inscriptions. Our guide showed us im- real swords required a lot of dexter- portant findings like bones, remains ity. What a skill! We appreciated the of food tucked in a corner and the performance of musicians playing amazing close up of a graffiti reflect- traditional instruments. Many of us ing a dance or collective hunting. We tapped their feet on the floor while were all impressed. the music was played. Needless to In the evening we were invited say that our group joined the crowd to the State Philharmonic Hall to at- wanting to take pictures of the su- tend a folk performance. This hall, perb artists. built in the renaissance style in 1912, A visit to the modern museum www.irs-az.com 15 Focusing on Azerbaijan train from the delightful architectur- al railway station in Baku. After set- tling in our cabins, we were excited like a bunch of schoolchildren. We were offered drinks by a female at- tendant before falling asleep under the soothing motion of the train. The Shaki Khan Palace Our guide awoke us around 6 a.m. the next morning. Some of us im- mediately glued their noise to the windows, admiring the spectacular scenery of the green land with early morning shepherds and flocks. How refreshing it was to look at acres of hills and a narrow river! We were in the heart of a country which has kept its landscape in a prime condition, al- most untouched by civilization. planned for the next day was some- kilometers away the city.