Warning. Long post, but LOTS of pictures, not so much text. 1. THE WORLD'S FIRST INDUSTRIALLY DRILLED OIL WELL . . . is in Baku, th...

Azerbaijan is almost completely Muslim (99.2%, according to the Pew Research Center), with two-thirds belonging to the Shia branch and one...

We visited two national parks back-to-back in Azerbaijan: Shirvan and Gobustan. 1. Shirvan National Park is a small (about 200 squar...

If you ever think about taking a 3:30 AM flight, I have three words for you (take your pick):        • You are crazy.        • Don't...

Our tour group of 90 people (divided into three groups of 30) had been together for three weeks. We had traveled through six countries toge...

Many countries have a Monument to Independence , but Turkmenistan's, which commemorates their independence from Russia on October 27, 1...

On a cold, blustery day we visited Old Nisa , an ancient fortress built in about 250 BC and, as of 2007, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Loc...