2019 Eurasia Adventure - Digging into History And Geology

One of the reasons I longed to come to this part of the world was its incredible depth of history. Yesterday we got a guide to take us to a few sites around the Baku area that totally epitomized that.

First the Drive Out

Baku is so modern and built up but like many places we have visited, when you get out of the main city things change dramatically. Of course this can be said for the US too!

In a weeks there will be a Formula 1 race in the streets of Baku so there are all kinds of fencing and barriers and stand. Seems to affect the drivers as they all are imaging themselves as in the race

Out from Baku

Into the suburbs

And into the countryside

Qobustan

Petroglyphs

The museum above tells the story of the geology of the area and its settlement by paleolithic and neolithic peoples on to the present. The whole are is replete with petrogyphic art which covers millennia with different styles and techniques. Much like the art in later times, when styles changed they just drew on top of the pre-existing ones.

One thing I have noted in the historical narrative here is a rather blunt attitude about what is known and unknown

I find this very refreshing

Our guide Layla

At each location the guide who was bringing us around hired a local site guide

There seems to be some professional ethic that one goes through the narrative in as fast a time as possible because that was the case with both guides we had. It was funny. But for the most part they had pretty good information even if they tended to repeat the same things over and over.

She actually has a secret desire to be a Rock Musician

The site itself was a wonderful example of the beauty of limestone and sandstone erosion

And some pictures of petroglyphs

To be honest, you can go overboard with these

And there is a similarity to these all over the world (like the ones we have in Albuquerque) which I thinks speaks to the universality of culture those millennia when mankind spread over the world

  Man made holes for cooking

(Build fire within. When whole thing is hot, put food in and cover)

And some spring flowers

Mud Volcanoes

The whole area around Baku is noted for its geologic activity

It became known for oil because oil and natural gas just naturally are coming to the surface here often being put alight by natural causes - hence the nickname here 'The Land of Fire' as burning land has been seen for ages

The mud volcanoes are an example with the pressure from the volcanic gases pushing deep buried sediment to the surface

Getting there was a long trek over muddy roads

 

The area itself is quite eerily attractive and definitely brings out the photographer

 

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Our guide and Wife

A lovely couple

Gastronomic interlude

We drove back into Baku for lunch and ate at a local place picked out by our guide

We had a fried fish which was wonderful, a lamb dish with chestnuts and sour cherries also quite good, roasted potatoes and sauteed mushrooms. As is so often the case when we travel, we are stunned at how well one can eat for so little compared to in the US. This meal with a beer for me was $29

Atashgah

This was high on my list to see for historical purposes

REALLY!

 

Briefly, this region was under the influence of the Persian empires for almost a thousand years. 

The religion was the first monotheistic faith, Zoroastrianism 

Since I most likely as an American of Jewish descent never get to visit Iran, this will be as close to ancient Persia as I will get

The Fire Temple was a fixture of Zoroastrian worship

This particular temple originally was build during ancient Persian times, was destroyed after the Arab conquest and conversion to Islam, was rebuilt by Indian traders plying the Silk Road in the 17th century and became a pilgrimage site for both Indian Zoroastrians and Shiva worshipers (who also worship fire) until the 19th century when it was finally abandoned. Then it was restored in the late 20th century as a museum

It is not particularly impressive as a monument but it is the historical significance that I was interested in

 

State Logo of Azerbaijan - Land of Fire for many reasons

The main fire alter

Secondary alter and inscription in Hindi

Symbol of Shiva

Yanar Dag

One of the only currently burning fire mountains supposedly ignited by a shepherd in 1950 and still going

Taking pictures of fire is a lot like taking pictures of running water

I have show restraint here...believe me

And of course

SIGNS OF THE WORLD

I told you they were serious about the effort to be put into opening and closing doors

This will be a great relief for you dog lovers 

I think this means no food or drink made out of dogs allowed