Monday, July 30, 2018

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN: SITES AROUND TOWN

Warning. Long post, but LOTS of pictures, not so much text.

1. THE WORLD'S FIRST INDUSTRIALLY DRILLED OIL WELL

. . . is in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Who knew??
This well hit oil at only 21 meters deep. By 1901, Baku was producing 11 million tons (212,000 barrels) of oil per day, more than 50% of what was being produced worldwide. During the first year of the World War, Azerbaijan produced a record 25.4 million tons of oil. Hitler aimed to capture Baku so as to control this vast resource, but the Nazi defeat at Stalingrad in 1942 forced a retreat from the area, and Hitler never realized his goal. 

Production declined after the war, but oil production is back up now, and crude oil is pumped to Europe in the second-longest oil pipeline in the world, which has the capacity to transport 1 million barrels/day.  These days they are producing about 875,000 barrels of oil/day. That doesn't touch the 10 million barrels/day produced by the US in 2107, but remember, it's a country the size of South Carolina. 

Considering all the natural gas leaking out of cracks in the rocks in the area, it shouldn't be a surprise that there is plenty of petroleum down there as well.

Marco Polo wrote: "Near the Georgian border [somewhere in Azerbaijan] there is a spring from which gushes a stream of oil, in such abundance that a hundred ships may load there at once. This oil is not good to eat; but it is good for burning and as a salve for men and camels affected with itch or scab. Men come from a long distance to fetch this oil . . . ."

Our guide showed us one of the original 19th century birch plywood pipes made for transporting oil for the Nobel Brothers Oil Production Company:

There are oil wells in some interesting places in Baku, reminding us a little bit of Oklahoma, where there is an oil rig in front of the state capitol:



2. SOME DELICIOUS FOOD 

. . . made its way into our bellies in Baku. We ate at several unique venues, and my favorite was Seki, a restaurant that served traditional Azeri food in an atmospheric setting:

. . . complete with entertainment providing by talented local musicians:

We ate thinly sliced eggplant rolled around a nut and herb mixture and then roasted:

. . . a variety of savory crepes:

. . . an incredibly good soup called piti, considered to be the national dish. It includes fatty mutton and chickpeas:

. . . various types of meat cooked on skewers, and the Azeri version of baklava--sticky and rich (but we've had better):

We washed it all down with "Georgian lemonade," which was actually pear juice:

For a little contrast with the elegant dining above, how about this street food? The vendor is making fried potato twirls (tornadoes?) on a stick using a machine that is a lot like my apple corer at home.  Scrumptious!


3. THE YASIL BAZAAR, OR GREEN MARKET

. . . was quite a bit more upscale than the markets we had visited in the Stans. There were no bargains to be found here, and not a lot of people either.  I think I would have preferred one of the larger, louder, messier markets in Baku, but this one was at least photogenic:






No, I don't think this is the pet section:

Of course, Bob had to try this motal cheese, made of unpasteurized sheep or goat milk and packed into an inside-out sheep or goat skin. Note the fur on the inside of the bag:

These bird carcasses (chicken?) look like something out of a horror movie:

But apparently people do eat them:

More meat:

The best part of the market was a little bakery in a corner where two women were making a vast quantity of bread in a more-than-industrial-sized mixer:



As in The Stans, the bread was baked in a clay oven:

Maybe it was because we saw it being made, or perhaps it was because it was fresh out of the oven, but this was some of the best bread of the whole trip:


4. THE SHIRVANSHAH'S PALACE

. . . was built and occupied during the 12th to 15th centuries and is "a unique masterpiece of medieval architecture" (according to the sign at the entrance).

I've heard about the Armenian Genocide of 1914-1923 where the Ottoman government killed 1.5 million Armenians, but I had never heard of the Azerbaijani Genocide of 1918, where (according to a sign next to this wall splattered with bullet holes and faded blood) "12,000 innocent civilians" were killed by Armenian terrorists:

Inside one of the palace rooms:

Looking out through a small window at the Caspian Sea:

A detailed model of Old Baku:

This mausoleum for the royal Shirvanshah Family was built in 1435 to hold the bodies of the king's mother and his six-year-old son. Later, he was entombed here himself, along with his wife and three more sons:


The Shah Mosque, built in 1441-1442, has two main rooms, a large one for men and a smaller one for women:

The outside of the mosque:

This bath house was also built in the 15th century:


I love this little pointed tower:

. . . and these male and female horse statues, which were the mascots for the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games, held in Baku in 2017:


5. WALKING AROUND THE REST OF OLD TOWN

. . . needed much more time than we had to give it.  There is SO MUCH to see!

Where to go next? It was hard to decide:

This is the Baku Fortress Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in about 1138:




Various periods and cultures in the life of this city can be seen the the strata of buildings:



The 12th-century "Maiden Tower" is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a symbol of the city that can be found on its currency and official letterhead. It is exactly what I picture Rapunzel's tower to look like:



Off in the distance is modern Baku:

More passageways leading to . . . ?



A twelve-spigot water fountain is a centerpiece in the park:

We saw several people drinking out of it. I wonder if you are supposed to drink from the spigot under your sign? Here is mine, but I didn't take a sip:

If you stay in mesmerizing Baku too long . . .

. . . it will steal your heart . . .

. . . as it did mine:

Next up: Art and Architecture in Baku

1 comment:

  1. Nice way to deal with various places, eating, etc. I really liked Baku, although I didn't love the old palace. The food was very good, perhaps the best of our trip. Certainly, the bread was better than any we had in Central Asia.

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