I’ve been intrigued by Baku in Azerbaijan since my grad school finance professor called it the most interesting yet
underwhelming place he’d visited. It is also recorded in Marco Polo’s journals as the “city of fire” due to oil extraction and his stops at various caravanserai, (the old name for rest stops for merchants on the Silk Road) which I had to learn about in AP World History. Visiting the modernized versions in Baku’s old town was nice. I found Baku a mix of modern buildings like the Flame Towers wrapped in an old city flavored with ancient culture.
Fun Fact: Baku is the world’s lowest-lying national capital, sitting 92 feet (28 meters) below sea level. In ancient times, people built seawalls to keep the sea out. Now, with climate change and a decrease in water in the Caspian Sea, it is not as big of a problem.
What stood out?
The wind
It seems fitting the wind would be intense as Baku is ancient Persian “bad kube”, meaning “blown upon by mountain winds”. And blow it did. We planned for the cold but not for the intensity of the wind, which made it exponentially colder. Our guide asked us why we came at this time of year due to the cold and winds. We heard the wind showing in the hotel at night, and it nearly blew us over a few times, especially in the open plains of the petroglyph park.
The Multicultural Influence Vibe
Traveling around Baku, I could see many cultural influences over the centuries: Turkey, the Middle East, old Russia, New York, and even Paris. From the top of the Virgin Tower, one of the oldest remaining structures, you can see the walls of the old town boarded by numerous futuristic buildings.
Just outside the walls was the start of a thoroughly modern city that could be anywhere in the world. Adjacent to Old Town, it was like being on 5th Avenue, with nearly every luxury brand you can imagine. It was bordered by the Four Seasons hotel, a massive French Beaux-Arts-style building straight out of Paris and a long wide boulevard converted for pedestrians.
We spent most of our time in and around the old town, which still offers a medieval village feel with carpet shops, souvenir stalls, local restaurants, coffee shops, and the occasional ancient bath house.
The historical timeline
We will visit the Petroglyphs Park, where a 10,000-year-old carving of a bird has been found in caves in
Utah and Japan. I’m unsure if it is on the tour, but we will see.
The friendliness of the people
Friendly Tour Sales
If we happened to stray a few feet from our guide or stop to take pictures, we were immediately approached by someone offering us a city or a day tour. It was remarkable that we simply pointed to our guide, and they politely thanked us and moved away rather than the relentless harassment we often have in other cities.
The desire for tourism
Baku’s government seems to be trying to become a destination for sporting events. From hosting the Asian games to bi-annual F1 racing, they have doubled down on creating an infrastructure for sports tourism.
Day 1 – Exploring Old Town
Old Town – We spent most of our time in and around the old town, which still offers a medieval village feel with carpet shops, souvenir stalls, local restaurants, coffee shops, and the occasional ancient bath house.
Day Trips
Gobustan National Park: This was part of our tour but could be done as a side trip to give you more time in the city. It is about an hours drive outside Baku. I almost cancelled it for more time in the city. We were glass we didn’t because it was very interesting seeing the ancient carving on the wall and the museum showing the evolution of humans in the region.
Mud Volcanoes: These are just down the road from Gobustan park so no reason not to visit. The wind nearly blew us over so it was not a interesting as it could be. On a nicer day I would say it would be interesting to watch the bubbling mud. They do have a very interesting museum of the many animals, birds and incests that were and are native to the region.
What to Eat in Baku
Due to the quick trip and late arrivals, we only had time for breakfast and lunch so we tried to make the most of it. The first win of the trip was the breakfast at our hotel.
Azeri Breakfast—Apparently, Old Town Baku is famous for the “Azeri Breakfast,” which consists of tandoor bread with a plate of local cheese, cured meats, jams, honey, and butter. This was the standard at our hotel, along with the choice of eggs with herbs and tomatoes or an omelet with herbs. The bread was terrific, and it had local honey, figs, and apricot jam.
Pilaf/ Plov: This is basically rice with meat, normally lamb or chicken blended with dry fruits, typically pomegranate, apricots, spices, and herbs. We had hoped for the national dish of Stav Plo, which is the standard plov, served in a baked crust, but that was not offered during lunch due to the time it takes to cook. We settled for this chicken version.
Dolma – These are vine leaves stuffed with meat and vegetables and one of the family favorites. My daughter and I always order this at a Middle Eastern restaurant in NYC.
Qutab—We are required to sample the local dumplings everywhere we go. These are typically stuffed with meat, cheese, and greens. We went with the chicken and greens with walnuts.
Dushbara – We started with this soup since we were all cold from the strong winds. It was a tasty broth with lamb meat dumplings cooked to perfection.
Pakhlava – Closing out the meal with Baku’s version of Baklava, similarly named Pakhlava. There were more walknuts and a bit thicker than the Turkish version.
Local Tea – Typically served with a fruit jam. The glass was interesting and learned that locals build a tolerance to the heat from when they are children.
