FORMER Soviet, Silk Road petrostate, Azerbaijan wasn’t that interesting. A couple of nice places, and maybe some more I didn’t see, but there are more interesting countries, both in the Caucasus and on the Silk Road.
After Saudi Arabia Baku seemed like a fresh burst of vitality. At first.
A city where the ultra-modern rubs up against the historic.
The capital of a country squared in between east and west, Islam and Christianity, 21st and 19th centuries.
But the old city was small, not that spectacular, full of touts and tourist tat and quickly bored me.
Not that it was bad. It just wasn't that interesting.
The Caspian waterfront boulevard with its ridiculous oil-corruption buildings makes for a nice stroll.
The Carpet Museum's design makes it look AI generated- and a few carpets are interesting, but not a whole building's worth.
The tour of the peninsula, a day of my life I will never get back. 70% driving. 45 minutes at an oil rig, some cows carved in rocks, and the famous "mud volcanoes". They're fucking puddles, couldn't drown a cat in that.
Old town, mosques, Jewish quarter, historic somethings, Quba sounded worth a few days. It was worth a few hours, maybe.
The Jewish district was almost entirely empty. Lifeless. The mosques barely worth walking to. And the village further up the mountains we'd planned to spend a day or two at, was going to cost petro-dollar prices....to see some sheep?
We did get to see some sheep. Two buses away, in Lahic, the first "nice" place we'd been to in over a month.
Lahic has a small but interesting old town street (or two).
It's famous for it's metal works, and tinkers can be heard tinkering away throughout the day.
None of the metal workers seem to mind people popping in to their workshops.
Some carry on as of you're not even there, engrossed in their toil.
Others pause to chat, stand for a photo, maybe even hope for a sale.
The one-street market sells weird souvenirs, as well as dried herbs and fruits from the nearby farms and forests.
There's some pleasant walks in the hills outside town, or for the hardier, 3 day walks across the mountains.
Further north towards Georgia, the town of Sheki is the best place in Azerbaijan to see the remains of the Silk Roads.
Nestled in the mountains, the town contains numerous mosques, a functioning and lively bazaar, two caravansarai and some decent views.
Both the old and new parts of town are good for aimless wandering.
You might come across an old Ottoman era hamman with painted signs....
...or a forlorn dolphin guarding an abandoned hotel.
Şəki Xan Sarayı (The Palace of Shaki Khans) is the cultural highlight of Sheki, but the ornate interior can't be photographed. Among the many historical buildings on site, seek out the glass works museum.
The largest caravansarai in the Caucasus was built here 200 years ago. Not all of it has been restored.
The main structure is now a hotel, but non-guests are welcome to wander through the grounds.
A short stroll above, the Khan Mosque is over 50 years older, but seems to get few visitors.
The madrasa on the grounds is now a museum, but there is no charge to see the mosque or the grounds.
The silk roads were all about trade.In the historic area, you'll generally find the usual fridge magnets and funny hats, along side some household items.
The real action happens in the lower part of town, in the Tepe Bazaar.
Along side mountains of fresh fruit and veg, meat, sits an extraordinary array of pickled goods.
Perfect for those month long camel journeys, dried fruits and nuts are fixture of central Asia.
And walnuts are the main ingredient of Sheki halwa, that desert which is sold (and given as samples) all over town.
Almost at the Georgian border, Zaqatala is another one-time silk road outpost, whose glory has faded and crumbled with time.
Also built around a centuries old square, Zaqatala is largely overlooked these days. The domed structure of the abandoned Albanian church gets visits from stray dogs and kids skipping school.
The town bazaar was a friendly place, but like much of Azerbaijan, there's really not much need to linger.