Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
The Caspian sea (Xəzər dənizi) is no sea, it is the largest lake on the planet. It has no connection to an ocean, is 371,000 square kilometres large and one kilometre deep at the lowest point. Countries around the lake are Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran. The Caspian sea is an important economic resource for those countries; it is used for fishing but especially for gaining crude oil and natural gas.
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The Dağüstü park of Bakı is located on one of the highest hills of the city and close to the city center. Most people get up there to enjoy nice views on the old town (İçərişəhər) and the Caspian sea. But the area has more to offer than that: up there you’ll find the parliament building, the Flame towers, a Turkish mosque with rich decorations and the alley of the martyrs (Şəhidlər Xiyabanı) which includes around 15,000 graves.
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The most impressive modern building at Bakı is the Heydər Əliyev Mərkəzi: a cultural center built until 2012 and named after the former president Heydər Əliyev (reigning from 1993 to 2003). It was designed by star-architect Zaha Hadid and opened by president İlham Əliyev, the son of Heydər Əliyev. It looks like a giant sculpture without right angles and flat surfaces. The cultural center includes the national museum, exhibition and concert halls as well as a library.
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The modern icon of Bakı has been built between 2007 and 2013 on a hill close to the old city center. The three Flame Towers are between 160 and 182 meters high and copy the structure of – surprise: flames. In daytime they’re just strangely shaped skyscrapers dominating the skyline. After sundown they become screens that show three things continuously rotating: the Azerbaijan flag, people weaving the Azerbaijan flag and most impressive, huge flames.
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Bakı, the capital city of Azerbaijan, has in most parts a very modern face: mostly the money gained by SOCAR (the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic) which owns all oil and gas resources of the country has driven the development of high skyscrapers and special architectures often created by international architects. And that is nothing new: it started with the first drilling for oil in 1846. The Nobel family (today known for the science and peace prizes of Oslo) came to Bakı and founded the Nobel Brothers Petroleum Producing Company.
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The palace of the Shirvanshah at the historic city center (İçəri Şəhər) of Bakı is the perfect place to re-enact the folktales of One Thousand and One Night. It is a wonderful palace on a hill with strong fortifications, Arabic decorations, a garden, the mausoleum, a mosque and the beautiful Murad gate. Very good reasons for a visit and for including it into the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the year 200.
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One of the places often visited first at Bakı is the Maiden’s tower or Qız Qalası. It is part of the fortifications of the old city center İçəri Şəhər and together with it a UNESCO World Heritage site. The foundation of the tower seems to date back to the 5th century CE, it is nearly 30 meters high and the walls are five meters thick. The top has been rebuilt several times as it was the place where cannons were stationed to protect the harbor.
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The highest mountain of თბილისი is easy to spot: on top of the holy mountain (Mtatsminda) the TV tower with its special shape is located and it is illuminated at night. The 750 meters high mountain is holy because Davit came to Georgia in the 6th century CE to teach Christianity to the Georgians. He was living in a cave within the Mtatsminda and often went to the city to preach. Later the inhabitants turned against him and went to the David Gareji monastery until the end of his life.
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It is one of the coziest places of თბილისი: the Leghvtakhevi canyon. From the Metechi church you can see the spa quarter on the opposite side of the Mtkwari river. A tiny stream runs through this quarter and you can follow it on narrow paths and by passing on several bridges. Atop the high rocks next to it houses are standing directly at the chasm and their balconies are also reaching out; a really nice view. At the end of the canyon you will find the small Leghvtakhevi waterfall.
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It is one of the lesser visited sights at თბილისი, probably because it is located outside the city center on a hill and you need to travel by taxi to get there. You can also reach this place by metro and bus if you like to accept the challenge – it takes you to the suburbs of the capital city and shows you ordinary life. The Chronicle of Georgia is an impressive monument created by Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli in 1985, still during Soviet time. The massively high columns were never fully completed and show the history of Georgia at the top and the story of Christ at the bottom.
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