Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia – The Edge of Europe

Baku

Baku is a city with a split personality. Sitting on the edge of the Caspian Sea its fortunes have long been tied with the discovery of oil, and in the early 19th century the city provided half of the world’s petroleum. This boom led to a massive programme of construction, and in the streets of Baku today the visitor can find grand mansions and elaborate religious buildings harking back to the days of the ‘oil barons’.

Today this continues, with Baku in the midst of transforming itself into a city of the future – glittering glass faced buildings sprout up in the centre, their designs modern and brash, and some call Baku the ‘Dubai of the Caucasus’. Look beyond this though and you will find a much older city in the Icheri Sheher, the traditional quarter characterised by winding alleys and hidden mosques, bounded by robust city walls.

It is here that you will find some of Baku’s most interesting monuments including the enigmatic Maiden’s Tower, which features on just about every piece of tourist literature about Baku – stretching almost 30 metres into the sky its origins are unclear but have given rise to many theories. The Shirvanshahs’ Palace dates back to the 15th century, a large walled complex of domed roofs and quiet mausoleums that was the seat of rule in centuries past, while outside old caravanserais attest to the importance of Baku on the old Silk Road.

One of the few cities in the region to have escaped the predations of the Mongols, Baku is a fascinating juxtaposition of ancient and ultra-modern, reinventing itself but not forgetting its heritage.

Absheron Peninsula

Jutting out into the Caspian Sea, the Absheron Peninsula is home to some of the country’s finest sights, all within a day trip from Baku. One of the most unusual is the ‘flaming mountain’ of Yanardag, another of Azerbaijan’s bizarre geological features where natural gas seeps from the rock, accidentally ignited in the 1950s and burning to this day. At Ateshgah, the ‘temple of the fire-worshippers’ surrounds an eternal flame, another reminder of why this country is often called the Land of Fire. In Mardakan a fine medieval fortress stands, dating back to the 12th century and part of the defensive system of the peninsula, while all around the area smaller shrines, caravanserais and palaces attest to a rich history.

Gobustan

Gobustan is known for two very different things. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the rocky landscape holds a number of rather impressive petroglyphs depicting warriors, boats, camel caravans and battles dating back between several thousand years, as well as the remains of settlements and ancient burial sites. Equally impressive though are the mud volcanoes – there are almost four hundred here, which represent about half of the world’s total. Gases bubble up through the mud and belch their way to the surface, and every few years flames erupt from the earth. This is a rather otherworldly place and a real pleasure to explore.

Shamakha

One of the oldest towns in Azerbaijan, Shamakha was once the regional capital and a major centre for trade and commerce. It was the base and key city of the Shirvanshahs – the rulers of the area – from the 7th to 16th centuries with a mixed ethnic population of Persians, Azeris, Armenians and Georgians, but was finally annexed by Russia in the early 19th century. During its existence it has suffered numerous earthquakes with many buildings having been destroyed, and in previous times was famous for its traditional dancers.

Shekhi

One of the most historic towns in Azerbaijan, Shekhi lies on the forested slopes of the Caucasus Mountains amongst spectacular scenery. A centre of resistance against the Persians in the 18th century, it broke free to become its own khanate, and today its most impressive attraction if the Khan’s Palace with its attractive garden and colourfully decorated exterior. The building was constructed without the use of a single nail and is one of the most attractive monuments dating back to this era.

Not to be missed are the caravanserais – only three remain out of an original five but their state of preservation means that it is not difficult to envisage life here hundreds of years ago. Sheki also holds a number of museums and old mosques within its historic centre, and not far from the town lies the Albanian church at Kish, reputed to be 1500 years old.

Tbilisi

Georgia’s rather charming capital is a bewildering combination of cultural influences, from Soviet Russia to ancient Persia and Ottoman Turkey, but despite being located between these three giants it has managed to carve out a unique identity for itself. Straddling the Mtkvari River Tbilisi – formerly known as Tiflis by the Russians – has a rather easy going air, with wide boulevards and public squares where old men play board games under the shade of trees, and is a very pleasant place to explore on foot.

Georgia’s Christian heritage is evident here and the city is home to a number of fine churches and cathedrals, one of the most impressive of which is the Sioni cathedral dating back to the 13th century. As well as these, a stroll around central Tbilisi will bring you to old caravanserais and bathhouses, synagogues and mosques – Tbilisi is more cosmopolitan than one might think. The city is also home to some excellent museums – the National Museum in particular holds some exquisite examples of early gold jewellery which give credence to the theory that Georgia was the original ‘Land of the Golden Fleece’.

Svaneti

The remote region of Svaneti, high up in the Caucasus Mountains, is a throwback to a bygone age when this was a truly wild frontier of Europe. Populated by the Svan people, the medieval style villages here consist of stone built houses clustered around imposing watchtowers, most of which are between 800 to 1000 years old and served as a look out post to warn of potential invaders.

The Svan people make up a distinct ethnic group and have always been fiercely protective of their independence, functioning as a de facto autonomous state in the days before Soviet rule. They have their own complex set of traditions and customs, and in the past have been known as an aggressive and hostile group, suspicious of outsiders and renowned as warriors. Many of the churches in the region hold fine frescoes but the Svan are more traditional than the Georgians of the lowlands, and in places you can still find evidence of earlier, non-Christian beliefs. As Svaneti was never conquered by the Mongols during their rampage through this region, Svaneti became a repository for many of Georgia’s religious artefacts.

The scenery here is truly stunning, as you might expect from Europe’s highest mountain range, with snow capped peaks ranging up to 5000 metres, forests and gushing rivers, and offers excellent opportunities for hiking. Both the landscape and the cultural traditions have led to Svaneti being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Svaneti is also home to Europe’s highest permanently inhabited village Ushguli, situated at 1800m and with great views of the mighty Mt Shkhara, at 5201 metres the highest peak in Georgia. This is a rather magical place, full of the traditions of yesteryear and the hospitable ways of the Svans make this an experience you are unlikely to forget.

Haghpat

The monastery of Haghpat was constructed around the 10th century and is a delightful place to explore – a collection of buildings including a library, mausoleums and separate chapels complement the main church as well as an impressive bell tower. Overgrown with grass, the grounds surrounding it contain numerous examples of khachkars, a unique Armenian carving of a cross with intricate patterns.

Yerevan

Yerevan is one of the most attractive cities of the former Soviet Union, with a wide array of interesting monuments and an easy-going air that rewards casual exploration. There has been a settlement here since the 8th century BC, but it only became the capital of Armenia in the early twentieth century, when the country itself was subsumed into the Soviet Union.

Yerevan is characterised by broad avenues and some of the best Soviet architecture to be found anywhere, as well as old mansions, enormous public squares and numerous statues of locally famous figures. It’s difficult to miss the enormous sculpture of ‘Mother Armenia’ reaching 34 metres into the sky, which replaces the previous statue of Stalin. The cathedral of St Gregory the Illuminator was built with money from the enormous Armenian diaspora to celebrate 1,700 years of Christianity in Armenia.

It’s a surprisingly cosmopolitan city, perhaps a result of the large Armenian diaspora who return to the motherland to visit relatives, and the area around the Opera House is particularly lively. Yerevan is home to a number of good museums, including the Matendaran, devoted to ancient manuscripts and far more interesting than it may sound. The Genocide Museum gives the visitor an opportunity to understand the difficult and turbulent recent history of the Armenian people – not always an easy place to visit it is crucial in gaining an insight into current Armenian culture.

We have lunch at Aguletsi’s house-museum, a famous ethnographer and painter who preserves Armenian culture and traditions, as well as dinner in a local home. Overnight Hotel Imperial Palace or similar. (BLD)

Dilijan

Dilijan is a charming little town, in Soviet times a health resort and surrounded by woods in the Dilijan National Park. It is known for its well-preserved old houses, with elaborate wooden carved balconies overhanging the streets. Part of the town has been preserved and maintained as a historic centre, giving a great glimpse of what much of the region used to look like.

The Molokans

Molokans (in Russian they are called ‘Milk drinkers’) are Christian sectarians, the descendants of Russian peasants who refused to obey the rules of the Russian Orthodox church at the end of the 17th century. They call themselves ‘true spiritual Christians’ and were exiled to Armenia in the 19th century, basing themselves here from that point. Keeping more or less the same lifestyle since then they live in harmony with Armenian people, and there are just a small number of Molokan villages in Armenia – and not many more elsewhere in the world.

Echmiadzin

Often described as Armenia’s answer to the Vatican, the collection of churches and monasteries at Echmiadzin are the centre of Armenian Christianity. With some dating back as far as the 5th century this cluster of buildings have immense significance for the culture and heritage of the country and hold a number of relics, including the spear that reputedly pierced Christ on the cross. The area surrounding them contains some excellent examples of khachkars, the uniquely Armenian carved stone crosses. They are still used today for worship and ceremonies and you may be lucky enough to witness a wedding or christening taking place.

Geghard

Geghard means ‘spear’, and this church set in a narrow gorge is reputed to have once contained the spear, which pierced the side of Christ on the cross; the spear now lies in the treasury at Echmiadzin. Built up against a cliff face, the main cathedral was constructed in 1215, but the first monastery on the site is thought to date from the 4th century AD. The monastery is decorated with reliefs depicting animals, crosses and geometrical shapes.