Our trip to Baku was very restful and enjoyable for me; a lot of work for Cindy. The old part of town (Icherisheher) has been settled since the 5th Century B.C. At one time Baku produced over half of the world's oil; it is still the main source of Azeri income. Baku started producing oil commercially in the 19th century; by the turn of the century it was a wealthy place. Outside of the Old City it is Parisian architecture, laid out with parks and boulevards and French-styled buildings and fountains. Then beyond that is the Soviet part, which is pretty drab and unimaginative.
Friday afternoon the Azeri prosecutor who had been coordinating and presenting the Azerbaijan government positions took us on a tour, and this is one of the places we went. This is a good brief website for further info. http://www.sputnik.in-baku.com/inbound/atesh.html
Atashgah Temple on the Apsheron peninsula.
This is also from our Friday afternoon tour. It is a defensive position now on the outskirts of Baku. Our guide told us that when the Russians took over Azerbaijan in the 18th and 19th centuries, they tore most of these down. He said something like 30 to 40 large ones were torn down. They left this one because it is so small and they didn't feel threatened by it.
The view back towards the city and the Caspian Sea from the castle above. It overlooks some of the oilfields, which I think are pretty polluted. Not much in the way of environmental standards in the 19th Century, or during Soviet times either. Stalingrad, now back to Volgograd, is not too far north of here. The World War II battle of Stalingrad was initiated because Hitler, against the advice of his generals, decided to try to capture the Baku oil fields before he finished his capture of Moscow. Bad decision -- he lost both.
The Maiden Tower on the Caspian Sea in downtown Baku, in the Old City. This is taken from our hotel balcony restaurant, which fortunately had an inside part as well.
The new theatre. Modern plays as well as Shakespeare were on the marquee.
The view back towards the city and the Caspian Sea from the castle above. It overlooks some of the oilfields, which I think are pretty polluted. Not much in the way of environmental standards in the 19th Century, or during Soviet times either. Stalingrad, now back to Volgograd, is not too far north of here. The World War II battle of Stalingrad was initiated because Hitler, against the advice of his generals, decided to try to capture the Baku oil fields before he finished his capture of Moscow. Bad decision -- he lost both.
The Maiden Tower on the Caspian Sea in downtown Baku, in the Old City. This is taken from our hotel balcony restaurant, which fortunately had an inside part as well.
The new theatre. Modern plays as well as Shakespeare were on the marquee.
The minaret at one of the old mosques in the Old City. Much of the city is built with sandstone, which is carvable without a lot of difficulty, which accounts for the delicate carvings all over.
Dave on the top of the Maiden Tower. The guard wanted to take my picture; then he asked me if I had any cigarettes. When I said no, I offered him about $1 in coins, but he wouldn't take it.
Old city wall. The entire wall around the old city is still almost entirely intact. it used to extend to the Sea, but in this century the "beach" was extended a hundred meters or so and is now a long promenade.
Dave on the top of the Maiden Tower. The guard wanted to take my picture; then he asked me if I had any cigarettes. When I said no, I offered him about $1 in coins, but he wouldn't take it.
Old city wall. The entire wall around the old city is still almost entirely intact. it used to extend to the Sea, but in this century the "beach" was extended a hundred meters or so and is now a long promenade.
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