Azerbaijan
Escape the heat of the city beneath the deep shade of these thickly wooded gardens, where a mix of conifers and ivy-wrapped palms create a balmy sub…
Must-see attractions in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
The former palace of the Naxçivan khans has been so enthusiastically restored that it might as well be new. It's an attractive structure, however, and…
Baku
Worth a quick stop en route to Qobustan, this 1998 neo-Ottoman-style mosque replaced a 13th-century original demolished by the Soviets 'for road widening'…
Azerbaijan
This pair of gigantic brick gateways dates from 2014 but is designed to evoke the idea of ancient Gəncə's long-lost citadel portal. The portal's original…
Azerbaijan
With nearly 20 varietals, Savalan is Azerbaijan’s best-known wine brand. Visits, which must be pre-arranged, include an explanation of production, a…
Azerbaijan
A superb collection of carpets from the Naxçivan region are clearly labelled, illustrating a remarkable range of styles. The rugs are interspersed by old…
Azerbaijan
This remarkable rural site comprises over a dozen close-packed grave excavations from the 2nd to 7th centuries BC, presented underground in the states…
Azerbaijan
One of the most dramatic stretches of the Quba–Xınalıq road starts when it enters a deep, narrow canyon at around Km 34.5. It emerges over 2km later at an…
Baku
Designed like an eight-petalled flower but five stories high and made of steel and glass, this giant project has been under construction since 2007 and…
Baku
Tahir Salahov is probably Azerbaijan's greatest living painter, best known for bringing deep emotional intensity into Soviet Realism. The Baku house where…
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan's 'oldest' and most splendid mosque has been a place of Islamic worship since 743 AD, and although though the current version dates mostly from…
Azerbaijan
The Şəki Khans' little-publicised 'other' palace is a slightly smaller, older version of the Xan Sarayı set in its own rose garden. While five of the six…
Azerbaijan
One of rural Azerbaijan’s best-preserved castle ruins, Çirax Qala's spindly, three-storey keep rises on a forested bluff, high above Qala Altı, a big,…
Baku
Several gleaming towers are under construction at Crescent Bay opposite Port Baku, including a potentially phenomenal architectural attention-grabber in…
Baku
Housed in two century-old oil-boom mansions, Baku’s foremost collection of classical art ranges from 17th-century French landscapes to Meiji-era Japanese…
Azerbaijan
This 200-year-old mosque is easily spotted thanks to its tapering octagonal minaret, freestanding with red-brick patterned facets. The mosque itself is a…
Baku
Though it appears relatively squat seen from outside, the interior of the Old City's carving-festooned 'Friday' mosque contains beautifully patterned…
Baku
The grandest historic mosque in central Baku, Təzə Pir was built between 1903 and 1914, funded by a female philanthropist. More-recent renovations added…
Azerbaijan
An eye-catching area of vivid pink-and-white striped hills is commonly nicknamed the 'Candycane Mountains' by Baku expats. Look carefully and you find…
Azerbaijan
Even if you don’t stay here, do peep inside this historic caravanserai whose twin-level arcade of sturdy arches enclose a sizeable central courtyard…
Azerbaijan
This photogenic village was built for semi-nomadic shepherds whose families only live here during the summer. Get off the ropeway between the third and…
Azerbaijan
Dating from 1876, this tile-roofed brick mosque is archetypal of the region with its coloured-glass windows set within large pointed arches. Its pair of…
Azerbaijan
The most impressive of Qırmızı Qəsəbə's surviving synagogues is a two-storey brick structure dating from 1888, pimpled with six spired minidomes.
Azerbaijan
The 1606 Cümə Mosque features a disconnected double minaret and is credited to Persian Shah Abbas, in whose reign it was built.
Baku
Baku's most striking Soviet-era building is a gigantic stone construction fronted by an impressive series of layered stone arches and topped by rows of…
Azerbaijan
In the unofficial 'Top Park' competition between Azerbaijani cities, Gəncə's vast Heydar Əliyev Park wins hands down. Along with a fairground, modern-art…
Azerbaijan
Although lacking any real 'sights', this unique hilltop village is culturally Russian-Molokan and is about the last place in the country to maintain its…
Baku
Of all the free-to-enter commercial galleries in Baku's atmospheric Old City, Q has the finest collection of 20th-century Azerbaijani art. It often stocks…
Azerbaijan
This spindly suspension footbridge was designed to help villagers reach the hamlet of Zərnava but these days its users are mostly selfie-snapping tourists…
Azerbaijan
Gəncə's central square is dominated by the arcade-fronted City Hall, a powerful example of Stalinist architecture that contrasts with the tree-shaded 17th…
Azerbaijan
Car is a chocolate-box village half-hidden in blossoms and greenery. Picturesque houses are tucked away behind mossy dry-stone walls in abundant orchards…
Baku
When active, this excellent commercial minigallery tends to highlight some of the city's more-interesting contemporary artistic trends. Check out their…
Baku
Private gallery with changing modern-art exhibitions. It's tucked between a pretty shaded garden and a section of city wall that features a medieval-style…
Azerbaijan
The city's most-appealing 'stroll street' has attractive sculptures and a succession of restored brick facades mostly dating from around 1900.
Baku
No, it's not Lenin. This truly gigantic Soviet-era statue actually honours Nәriman Nәrimanov, Azerbaijan's first communist-era leader.
Azerbaijan
One of Azerbaijan’s most intriguing shrines, this complex is topped with a beautifully patterned Central Asian–style dome and has an interior spangled…
Azerbaijan
Naxçivan's antiquity of human habitation is witnessed by a series of Bronze Age petroglyphs near the summit of remote Mt Gəmiqaya, thought to date as far…
Azerbaijan
In stark contrast to lowland Naxçivan's arid semideserts, the upland lakes of Batabat are set in high, rolling grasslands. They make for cooling family…
Azerbaijan
This stylishly designed, relatively well-endowed little museum, opened in August 2018, attractively displays several antique grave sites and finds from…
Azerbaijan
This 22m square-plan tower is a very dramatic construction yet it somehow manages to lie almost entirely hidden in a series of old village-style…
