A Weekend In Baku
Discover this year’s Islamic capital of culture
OLD & NEW IN BAKU
Travellers who feel like they’ve done it all will still be surprised by Baku, a well-kept secret. And this year Azerbaijan’s capital takes on the crown of Islamic Capital of Culture 2009, making it even more fascinating than usual. We take a trip
WORDS | SARAH MARCUS
BAKU IS A JEWEL OF THE CASPIAN SEA COAST, A CITY SOAKED IN CULTURE AND HISTORY WHICH ALSO OFFERS AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO INDULGE ONE’S MORE HEDONISTIC SIDE. In short, whether you are extending a business trip for pleasure, or travelling for pleasure alone, Baku is the perfect place to mix culture and consumption.
As far as cultural context goes, Islam took root in Azerbaijan in the seventh century but the complexities of the country’s history – including 70 years of Communist rule – along with strong animistic and Zoroastrian traditions mean that today Azerbaijan and Baku are not staunch strongholds of strict Islamic practice. However, many Azeris do adhere to a greater or lesser extent to the faith and Baku is rich in Islamic culture and heritage.
Baku’s top two shopping experiences centre around special rugs and caviar. Rug connoisseurs say the city has some of the lowest prices in the world, so it’s worth checking out even if you can’t tell your woven looms from hand-knotted.
Rug shops offering rugs from Azerbaijan, Iran (Persia), Afghanistan and Turkmenistan abound in the old town, but a particularly excellent shop is the appropriately named ‘Flying Carpets’, situated down a flight of stairs just to the right and behind the central landmark of Maiden’s Tower [10 Gülla Street, old town]. If you’re serious about buying, allow at least two hours, as English-speaking Ruslan will show you rug upon rug, fascinate you with his knowledge of the history and provenance of the wares and gradually help you whittle down your choice. He will tell you whether he is offering you a first or final price. If it’s the former you are expected to bargain, but reasonably so – prices are not as inflated as in Istanbul, for example.
Once the precious rug purchase has been accomplished, why not walk around the corner to Chocolate Café [Böyük Qala Street, +994 (12) 4923526]. Here, in the interior of an old stone building, are tables decorated with fresh flowers and trusty Western-style sandwiches and burgers are on offer.
Buying caviar is a little more complicated than buying rugs. Admittedly, all wild caviar is illegal, fishing for sturgeon having been banned in order to replenish drastically low stocks. But you can have a look, and perhaps a taste, at Teze Bazar [Semed Vürgün Street – take a taxi for around 5 manats (£4) as it’s outside the centre], where caviar sellers will quickly beckon you over to show you their hidden stock.
BACK IN THE CITY CENTRE, WANDER THROUGH THE ELEGANT STREETS OF THE FIRST OIL-BOOM ERA, where the art nouveau buildings and leafy streets and squares, reminiscent of Paris or Brussels, are evidence of the wealth the magic liquid created when extraction was deregulated towards the end of the 19th century. Just walking and looking is pleasure enough, but there is plenty to entice you through the ornate doors too.
At 4 Tagiyev St you will find the Historical Museum [+994 (12) 4933648, 10am-5pm Monday-Saturday]. The displays, which tell the story of Azerbaijan from prehistoric times to the present day are fascinating. It’s worth paying extra for a guide, as there are limited English descriptions – but I liked the museum simply for the chance it gave me to imagine what life was like for the first oil barons, for one of whom it was built as a sumptuous home in 1896.
Round the corner at 7 Elizade Street is one of Baku’s best café-bars, Caramel [+994 (12) 4989353]. It serves great coffee and wine and has a good café menu, making it a relaxing dinner spot in the evening when the trees outside its windows twinkle with fairy lights.
And if you’re worried dining out in Baku is limiting, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Not only is there one excellent Azeri restaurant upon another serving national treats like lentil soup, stuffed vine leaves and kebabs, but there’s plenty of quality Italian, Lebanese, Russian and American cuisine too. For Italian, Scalinis is the best and very popular with well-todo locals and expats [2 Bakixanov Street, +994 (12) 5982850].
Beyrut does wonderful Lebanese delicacies in classy surroundings [2 Tagiyev Street, +994 12 5980065]. If it’s a burger or a good old steak you crave, head to Fashion Café where the backdrop to the delicious food and swift service is provided by luxurious diner-style retro decor [1-5 Mardanov Brothers Street, +994 (12) 4930398].
If you have any energy left after dinner head for a sundowner at the popular Open Space Café Bar at the Sultan Inn Hotel in the old town [20 Böyük Qala, +994 (12) 4372305]. A roof terrace with funky outsized red lamps and big white sun umbrellas affords stunning views of the old town and the Caspian beyond.
As your evening draws to a close and Baku lays down its head to sleep, return to the old city to take your own rest. Not only does it offer the chicest hotels in town but you will be sleeping in a Unesco World Heritage Site, too.
My favourite place to stay is Museum Inn [3 G Mahammad Street, +994 (12) 4971522, www.museum-inn.az]. Its rooms have real character with wooden floors covered with colourful rugs and original decoration throughout. It has a cosy little café and is opening a roof terrace restaurant later this summer. For a more economical option try the charming Noah’s Ark [Mammadyarov Street, +994 (12) 4373996, www.noahsark-hotel.com], which has compact, bright rooms with balconies and parquet floors.
But wherever you stay in the old town, when you head for your bed, walking past the glittering glass modernity of Baki Soviet metro station and stepping through the old gates in the city wall just beside it, you will pass from the glamour of a modern, wealthy city into the peace of ancient, atmospheric Baku.
CELEBRATING ISLAM
Because Baku is this year’s Islamic Cultural Capital, visitors will be able to see special performances and exhibitions celebrating this fundamental part of its past and present throughout 2009.
Details of all events may be found at www.baku-icc-2009.az . Dates and venues of all events are subject to change so do check the website for updates. Here are some of the highlights to whet your appetite.
THIS MONTH:
With Baku attracting gas and oil energy companies for the past few decades, it’s appropriate that one of the major attractions is the ‘inextinguishable fire’ in the Ateshgah Temple in Surakhany, situated approximately 12 miles to the east of the city centre.
A photo exhibition mounted there from 13 June will entice more visitors, intrigued by the concept of a fire that has been burning for centuries and seemingly can’t be put out. The more prosaic explanation for the temple is that the fire came from a pocket of natural gas that was protected by a vent. It was why Azerbaijan was historically referred to as ‘the land of the sacred fire’ and fire-worshippers congregated here for centuries.
NEXT MONTH:
What promises to be a fascinating and colourful three-day Islamic dance festival featuring international performers is planned for July.
Exact dates and the venue are as yet unconfirmed, but more details should be available on the website listed above or from the tourist office.
LATER THIS YEAR:
From 25 September the Shirvanshah Palace will mount an exhibition of armour and battle garb of the once mighty Shirvanshah dynasty.
The beautiful 15th-century palace in the magical old town is the centre of several events this year. For tickets, enquire in advance at the Shirvanshah Palace [76 Gyasr Street, +994 (12) 4928304] or the tourist office [6 Uzeyir Hacibeyov Street, +994 (12) 59 85 519]. Also, check out the city’s Museum Centre [123 Neftcilar Avenue, +994 (12) 4937287].
Enticing as these highlights and the other events planned are, don’t forget to make the most of the rest of the city’s plentiful charms.
