We spent some the morning sightseeing in Baku. Baku has been a melting pot for many cultures and religions for thousands of years. The Atashgah Zoroastrian Fire Temple is an ancient castle-like temple complex once used as a Hindu & Zoroastrian place of worship. The temple-cult of fire appeared around the fourth century BCE. In Zoroastrianism, the temples of sacred fires were established on hills or high places. It is noteworthy, as commanded by their spiritual leader, the Zoroastrians do not consider themselves as fire worshippers. They simply believe the fire to be an instrument of purity and a symbol of truth and righteousness. After the introduction of Islam too Azerbaigan in the…. the Zoroastrian temple was destroyed. Many Zoroastrians left and went to India and continued their worship there.
The temple in its present state was constructed in the 17th-18th centuries and built by the Baku-based Hindu community.
Ateshgah is a pentagonal structure with a castellation and entrance portal. In the center of the yard, at the altar-sanctuary executed in the form of a stone bower, is a famous well, from which beat the “eternally” burning gas. From the angles of the center, more towers are located, surrounded by a yard with cells.
It is very beautiful but extremely hot. Next we go and see Yanar Dag a natural methane gas fire which has been burning for thousands of yesrs and was documented by none other than Marco Polo
Flames reach up to 10 meters high along a 10-meter stretch of the hillside
We are now off to Sheki , our overnight stop before leaving Azerbaijan. For lunch we stop at a large supermarket with a cheap and cheerful restaurant and I have a very yummy chicken doner kebab for the equivalent of $1.20.
The supermarket is very weird or patriotic depending on your point if view. It has A3 images of fallen soldiers hanging from the ceiling who have died between 2014 and 2020 (martyrs, according to our “dear ladies” tour guide). Apparently, the Bravo supermarket chain in Azerbaijan delivers holiday care packages and gifts to the children and families of “martyrs” (fallen soldiers from the Karabakh conflicts).
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was a long-running ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. While internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the region was governed for decades by the self-proclaimed, ethnic Armenian Republic of Artsakh. The conflict reached a definitive turning point following major military actions, culminating in Azerbaijan re-establishing full sovereignty over the entire territory.
Between 1988-1994, spurred by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the first phase of the conflict resulted in massive displacements of both populations and a decades-long deadlock. The second phase happened in 2020 when Azerbaijan launched a major military offensive, successfully reclaiming the seven surrounding districts and significant portions of Nagorno-Karabakh itself. A Russian-brokered ceasefire paused open warfare and deployed peacekeepers along the Lachin corridor. the region was internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but was governed and populated by ethnic Armenians (the Republic of Artsakh).
However, that is not the end of the story. In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, and faced with threats of ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan and 100,400 ethnic Armenians (representing 99% of the remaining population of Nagorno-Karabakh), fled by the end of September 2023, leaving only a couple of dozen people within the region.
This mass forced displacement of people has been described by international experts as a crime against humanity. 288 civilians died while fleeing. While the Azerbaijani government issued assurances that the Armenian population would be safely reintegrated,these claims were not deemed credible due to Azerbaijan’s established track record of authoritarianism and repression of its Armenian population. As you can imagine, “dear ladies”, we got a very different version of this story.
After lunch we climb up into the the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains and to Sheki, an ancient city, a northwestern Azerbaijan known for its architecture, Silk Road heritage, and traditional crafts. We visit a beautiful 18th- century caravanserai, an inn that once housed Silk Road merchants and camels. Very charming.
After dinner, we attend a wine tasting which is run by a vey knowledgeable sommelier.The standout wines are a white and a red from the volcanic mud part of Baku.
This producer went bankrupt over the COVID period and the operation is now for sale for anyone with euros 5,000,000. I bought a bottle of the white and am now waiting for an opportunity to taste it with Lay, my drinking buddy.
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