Central Azerbaijan

Introducing Central Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s monotonous central plains consist of drearily flat steppe, semi-desert and salt marsh. The scenery gets much more interesting in the beautiful Lesser Caucasus mountains, southwest of Azerbaijan’s second city Gəncə, where the originally German village of Xanlar is a minor highlight. However, the finest areas beyond are in (or sensitively close to) Armenian-occupied Karabakh. The occupation renders huge swathes of central Azerbaijan inaccessible from the rest of the country, including the ancient cultural centre of Şuşa. The ceasefire line is mined and the only access to Nagorno-Karabakh is through Armenia, a trip that’s considered illegal trespass under Azerbaijani law. Refugees remain a big political issue and police are often suspicious of foreigners snooping around anywhere much south of the M27 Yevlax–Tbilisi highway.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009