A Baku celebrity

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15 minutes of fame

I chose to buy two large sunglasses today, so that I can really look like a celebrity! The reason is that our visit and language course has been quite a lot in AZTV. Firstly, we appeared at a pressconference, where all of us had to tell why we had chosen Azerbaijan and how we liked it so far! Later on, a tv crew came to our language course to film us while having class, and afterwards I was chosen for an interview. Some of the other participants have been interviewed for the radio or been at the live morning show on tv. This has resulted in most of Azerbaijan knowing that we are here by now! Furthermore, we have been recognised on the street. The most amazing experience was when we went for our walk in the mountains outside Ganja and came by a small refugee village where a lot of young men and boys sitting outside a house, started pointing, laughing and trying to make conversation with us. They had seen us on tv!
Today, a Hungarian girl and I went to the farmacy to get antibiotics as she has a cold. In the farmacy, there happened to be a camera crew. As we went in, they started filming our every move. Since we had quite a few problems understanding the system of the farmacy, the girl holding the microphone began explaining us where to go, what counter and so on. When we were about to leave, she asked me if it was really me who was the girl from Denmark.

Men Azerbaycanda mehsuram

Qobustan and the mud volcanoes

Today I've been on an excursion to Qobustan, south of Baku.
It is always fascinating to see proof of previous life, life from before civilization as we know it. And Qobustan is truly a proof. The cave paintings go back 4000 years and all the way up to when the area became Muslim. They are quite unique and feature amongst others; bulls, pregnant women and ships.

To me as a Scandinavian the ships in particular are interesting. Even in my Lonely Planet guide does it say that Norweigian ethnologist Thor Heyerdahl, after having studied the ships in comparison to similar drawings in Norway, has come to the conclusion that the Scandinavians originally came from Azerbaijan.
I don't buy it, or at least I need more info than LP and the tour guide in Qobustan!

But what interests me, is whether the Vikings made their way all the way to the Caspian Sea, whether their trading rutes went that far. Among the cave paintings is an inscription by a Roman soldier. It is the easternmost recognised roman grafiti to date. Did the Vikings travel just as far East? I know that Vikings travelled on the Volga and other rivers in Russia. There even is a story that the name Russia derives from a Swedish Viking called Rusr. So, did they go all the way to the area of Baku? If you know something you are welcome to comment on my blog, also about Thor Heyerdahl!

After having a guided tour around some of the petroglyphs and cave paintings (as normal people call them), we went to the area of the mud volcanoes not far from Qobustan. I don't think many of us re-entered the bus after our meeting with these volcanoes without having stains of mud on all our cloth. At the same time I discovered that the mud was actually an excellent cure against the itching of my thousand mosquito bites. The mud volcanoes are a definite must! They might not seem of much from far away, but this strange phenomenon is rather intriguing and quite fun to see! Plus the surrounding area with the Caspian Sea in the background is beautiful.

Stories about Azerbaijan

I am adding here a bit of stories about Azerbaijan that I learned on my travel!

The first Azeri Quran
The first Quran in Azeri was sponsored by a rich business man in the oil industry in the beginning of the 20th century. I believe his name was Ilham. There is a story that during the translation there was one line in the Quran that Ilham tried to delete. It is the sentence that you can loose all your possessions, all that you own in an instant. But after speaking to the wise men who carries knowledge of Islam, he chose to translate it anyhow, as you can not choose among the prophets words. Then entered the Soviet Union and Communism. And the Soviet leaders went to Ilham to confiscate all that he owned. When he didn't want to give it up, they placed the Quran translated into Azeri under his nose and pointed at the sentence. He then had to give up everything he owned. He lost it all in an instant.

Valentine's Day
Another story vivid from the Soviet era is the story of Valentine's day. In difference to most other countries who celebrate in the month of Interflora, February, the Azeris celebrate Valentines Day on the 30th of June. This comes from the story of a young couple in love who got married on this day in 1989. Half a year after their marriga, on the 20th of January 1990, the young man was amongst the more than 300 people (189 officially) who got killed by the Soviets as they tried one last time to keep their provinces. The woman, afterwards, committed suicide. This is usually a sin according to Islam, as you are not allowed to take away the life that Allah has given you. But in this case the anger towards the Soviet and the sadness of the story overshadowed the holy words, and Azeris celebrate this day, the wedding day of the couple as a a day for love.

Ali and Nino
Another love story from Azerbaija is that of "Ali and Nino". If you ever go to Azerbaijan and is interested in culture, religion, tradition and differences between the Caucasian people, then read it. It is a truely beautiful story about the love between Ali a Muslim boy and Nino a Christian girl from Georgia. The plot takes place during WWI and is also very much about the changes that happen in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus at the time. Reading it can only make you closer to understanding Azerbaijan, and if you feel opposite after having read it, you will at least have a wonderful topic to talk about with any Azeri. They all know and love "Ali and Nino". It is their classical love story as England has Jane Austen, yet with more similarity to Moby Dick, or so I heard.
One passage in the novel says the following A woman has as much sense as an egg has hair. For some reason I can't get this sentence out of my head. I find the comparison between eggs and women to be rather bad, but still I love the saying and, trust me, when I come home I will use this phrase as often as I can.

Well this was all from Azerbaijan

Next time I write will be from Tiflis, the home of Nino.

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Photos

The beach
At the shore of the Caspian Sea

Million dollar shot
The celebrity enjoying her large sunglasses next to a cavepainting in Qobustan.

Mud volcanoes
Bubbling mud volcanoes outside Baku with the Caspian Sea in the back.

Our driver
Our driver enjoying the last sun on the beach near Baku.

sunflower seeds
Elder people gathering around to sell sunflower seeds to tourists.