Have you ever gone somewhere you knew nothing about? That’s what Azerbaijan was for me — the unknown.
My friend Matt and I decided to travel there in a ‘Why not?’, spin-the-globe sort of way. We wanted to go somewhere different.
What we found was a former stop on the Silk Road, a one-time Soviet Republic, and one of the birthplaces of the oil industry. I enjoyed visiting a place in which I had no expectations, where all I knew about it came from a single James Bond movie (The World Is Not Enough, anyone?).
In these photos, you’ll see Soviet-era rustbuckets, gorgeous oriental rugs, Zoroastrian temples, and lavish afternoon teas (do Azeris love their tea). They all represents different facets of Azerbaijan, a country that feels like a jumble of contractions: where ancient history meets oil money meets the Caucasus.
(Note we visited Baku (the capital), Lahij (a small mountain town), and Sheki (former Silk Road city) on this trip).
Have you visited Azerbaijan? Do you want to?
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Love these pictures! Sounds like a fascinating trip xx
Thanks, Veena! It was super interesting :)
Loved this post! Your photos are beautiful. And really interesting, as I would’ve had no idea what to expect! Also love that you just casually travel with Nomadic Matt. Lol. I hope y’all had fun! :)
Thanks! Glad you liked the photos. And we did — Azerbaijan and Georgia were firsts for both of us!
I’ve never been to Azerbaijan?
Would I want to?
With those brilliant photographs the only answer is Yes!
Yes, please!
What gorgeous pics. I love all of them. I think whether I should come to Azerbaijan after reading your post. Thank you so much for this amazing post!
Love the photos! We almost bought tickets to Azerbaijan when we got a notification from Scott’s Cheap Flights, but decided to pass because the dates didn’t quite work out. It look beautiful! Can’t wait to read more about your trip there!