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From
Trabzon in Turkey, we flew to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Our GPS track
in Azerbaijan is in red. |
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In the old town of
Baku is the so-called Maiden Tower (100ft). It was originally built in the 7th
and 8th c. The original function is not known. One of the more
popular theories is that the tower was a Zoroastrian temple, perhaps even a
tower of silence where the dead were laid while the vultures stripped the
flesh from their bones. They knew the need
for recycling and tried to compensate for the carbon footprint of their fire
temples... |
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View from the Maiden
Tower to the Caspian and, below,… |
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..toward the old
town. |
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The palace of Shirvan
Shahs is one of the main sights in Baku. It was built in the 15th
c. The minaret above and the mosque below belong to the complex. |
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South of Baku we
found this inscription done by a soldier serving the Roman emperor Domitian (81-96
CE): IMP DOMITIANUS CAESARE٠AUG GERMANIC L٠IULIUS MAXIMUS LEG XII FUL The above is an
abbreviation of: IMPERATOR
DOMINITIANUS CAESARE AUGUSTUS
GERMANICUS LIVIUS IULIUS
MAXIMUS LEGIO XII FULMINATA Translated: Emperor Domitian, the
blessed Caesar Germanicus. Livius Maximus,
Legion XII Fulminata We will encounter
Domitian again in Armenia. |
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If the above is a
reminder of the long history of the region, the petroglyphs of Gobustan (some
40 mi south of Baku) dating from 10,000 BCE are even much older. |
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Thor Hyerdahl, after
visiting the caves, developed a theory that Scandinavians originated in
modern Azerbaijan, as reed-boat petroglyphs like the one on the left have
been found in Norway. |
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Shemaka is the
former capital of the Shirvan Khanate from the 6th to the 15th
c. This is Yeddi Gumbaz where the Shirvan Khans were buried. |
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The following
pictures are shots of people in a typical village market. |
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Only after we took
this picture of Yvonne holding up one of the super-fashionable elongated,
pointed-toed men’s shoes did we notice that the salesman in the background
had also showed one to be photographed! |
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About 3 mi north of Sheki
is an Albanian church that dates back to the 5th c. |
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We stayed in this
nicely restored caravanserai in Sheki. |
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Our guide
entertained us on the last evening in Azerbaijan. |
