Cheap flights to Azerbaijan from FT19,890*

Straddling Eastern Europe and Western Asia, Azerbaijan is awash with beauty, both man-made and natural, that just begs to be discovered. It’s everywhere you go: from Baku’s flowy, hyper-modern Heydar Aliyev Centre to the unspoilt shepherd villages of the Caucasus Mountains; from the lush Hirkan ironwood forests to the Quba region of carpet-weaving fame; from the glittering Caspian coastline to post-apocalyptic Gobustan. Azerbaijan (officially the Republic of Azerbaijan) proudly calls itself the Land of Fire but it’s clearly not lacking in other elements, either. It’s set against the dazzling Greater Caucasus mountain range in the north, it’s home to one of the region’s most scenic lakes, the cobalt-blue, crystalline Lake Goygol, and its capital is just as famous for its Art Nouveau mansions as it is for Khazri and Gilavar, the forceful winds that constantly sweep over them. Easy on the eye and easy on the wallet, this off-the-beaten-track gem is about to become the next trending destination.

 

Travel to Azerbaijan to:

• Climb up to the remote historic villages sprinkled across the Great Caucasus to discover Mountain Jew communities and the magic that is Azeri carpet-making.
• Gaze into the impossibly blue water of Lake Goygol at the footsteps of Jurassic-period Murovdag, the highest mountain range in the Lesser Caucasus.
• Help develop the Transcaucasian Trail, a 3,000-kilometre-long hiking trail across the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountains and some two dozen national parks.
• Look behind 12th-century walls to explore Baku’s magnificent Old Town, from the 12th-century Palace of the Shirvanshahs to the 16th-century Murad’s Gate.
• Follow Baku’s Art Nouveau trail: visit the former homes of 19th-century oil tycoons that earned the Azeri capital the “Paris of the Caucasus” sobriquet.

 

A land full of fire and awe-inspiring beauty

Azerbaijan’s name was only adopted after the birth of the independent Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918 but its story goes back as early as the First Persian Empire. It comes from dynasty-founder King Atropates, meaning “protected by fire”. But that’s not the only reason why flames have even made it to the country’s national emblem. The Ateshgah or Fire Temple of Baku was once a pilgrimage site and philosophical centre of Zoroastrians and a sanctuary for fire-worship. No wonder: Azerbaijan’s oil and subterranean natural gas reserves are so vast, they even fuel the country’s (literally) eternal flames. The most famous one is Yanar Dag (“burning mountain” or “fire mountain” ), a continuously burning natural fire on a hillside just outside Baku, sometimes shooting flames several metres high into the air. Its name is not the most ancient thing about Azerbaijan by a long chalk, though. In the lowest layers of the six-cave Azokh complex, archaeologists found proto-human traces dating back two million years.

 

A treasure trove of hidden gems

Besides being a stunning backdrop to northern Azerbaijan, the Caucasus Mountains are also peppered with charming villages, frozen in time and steeped in thousands of years of history.

Visit Quba, the country’s carpet-weaving centre on the eastern slopes of the Greater Caucasus. The former capital of an 18th-century Safavid khanate, today the city’s fame rests on its delicious apples and ornate, Chi-Chi- and Konaghend-patterned carpets. Dating back to the Caucasian Albanian period, nearby Khinalug is one of the continent’s highest-perched villages at 2,350 metres above sea level, known for its traditional rituals and artistry, such as wool shawl-making and embroidery. Or book a guided tour to explore the Juhuro (Mountain Jew) community of the East Caucasus. Stretching on the northern bank of the Kudiyal River, their centre, Krasnaya Sloboda (Red Town) is believed to be the world's last surviving shtetl and the world's only all-Jewish town outside Israel and the US.

 

Out-of-this-world landscapes

To say that Azerbaijan has a varied geography would be quite an understatement: nine out of the world’s eleven climate zones are present in the country. It boasts a splendid, several-hundred-kilometre-long shoreline along the Caspian Sea, aka the largest salt lake in the world. Hop on a bus in Baku to reach Shikhov Beach in just 15 minutes or drive some 40 kilometres to relax on the sandy shores of Bilgah Beach. The country’s real showstoppers, in terms of natural scenery, can be found well above sea level. Sixty percent of Azerbaijan is carpeted by dramatic mountain ranges, including the Greater Caucasus, the Lesser Caucasus and the Talysh Mountains. Bridging Daghestan and Azerbaijan, Mount Bazardüzü soars the highest at 4,467 metres. The 5th-century fortress of Chirag Gala is a less challenging but equally rewarding hiking spot, with mesmerising views of Caspian coastal plains north of the Azeri capital. If it’s solitude you’re looking for, climb up to the Gelersen-Görersen fortress for untamed greenery and breathtaking vistas.

 

Something old, something new, something fiery, something blue

Baku, Azerbaijan’s bustling capital is part European, part Asian, part Art Nouveau, part Stalinist, part medieval, part high-tech, and all captivating. Wander around in Icheri Sheher, Baku’s UNESCO-listed Old Town, and marvel at the remains of medieval hammams and caravanserais, mosques and minarets, and of course, Baku’s symbol, the mysterious Maiden Tower. Step back into the 21st century in Azerbaijan’s latest source of pride, the sleek Heydar Aliyev Centre, designed by the late super-architect Zaha Hadid. Picture 19th-century Baku in its heyday as an oil boomtown, standing in front of the lavish Opera and Ballet Theatre or the legendary Palace of Happiness. Enjoy a late-night light show courtesy of the Flame Towers, a trio of skyscrapers mounting above the Azeri capital in the shape of blazing fire. Round off your sightseeing tour with a romantic walk along the promenade and watch as the glowing city lights fire up the calm waters of the Caspian Sea.