Azerbaijan - The Land of Thousand Cultures

Breakfast at the hotel.

• At 10:00, begin your tour with a visit to Highland Park, located on a hill in the western part of the city. This is the perfect place to enjoy panoramic views of Baku and the beautiful Baku Bay.
• Continue to the Old City (Icheri Sheher), surrounded by fortified walls, historic buildings, and narrow cobbled streets. Visit the city's most famous landmarks, including the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the iconic Maiden Tower. As you walk through these ancient streets, imagine the centuries of history preserved beneath your feet.
• Enjoy the unique atmosphere where the scent of the Caspian Sea blends with the aromas of oriental spices and traditional kebabs from nearby restaurants. While modern Baku is vibrant and energetic, the Old City preserves a peaceful atmosphere that reflects centuries of history.
• 13:00 – Lunch (optional, at an additional charge).
• The tour continues with a visit to the Heydar Aliyev Center, an architectural masterpiece designed by the world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. The center includes a museum, exhibition halls, conference facilities, administrative offices, and a large auditorium.
• 18:30 – Return to the hotel.

Overnight in Baku.

Breakfast at the hotel.

• Departure for a trip to Guba.
• Krasnaya Sloboda is a unique place in the Caucasus, where 3000 mountain Jews live compactly. This settlement has existed in Guba since the 13th century. In 1742, the local ruler Falihan permitted the Jews, persecuted by Islamic fundamentalists, to settle on the left bank of the mountain river Kudial-chai opposite the city itself. At the moment, there are seven synagogues in the village. All of them are made of brick, and the largest ones are decorated with domes. Red roofs, carved limestone panels, sheer cliffs near the village - these are the distinctive features of this settlement.
• 13:00 Lunch in the village with traditional dishes (for an additional charge).

• After lunch, there is a trip to the Khynalyg village (visiting of Khynalyg is possible only under appropriate weather conditions) - an island of ancient culture among the Caucasus Mountains. Not far from Krasnaya Sloboda, the village of Khynalyg is located, where 2,000 Khynalyks live. They are a small ethnic group that has preserved their own special language, rituals, and traditions. The small, magical Khynalyg is located high in the Caucasus Mountains, at an altitude of 2350 m above sea level in the Guba region. Khynalyg people have lived in the Caucasus for thousands of years. Until 2006, Khynalyg was out of reach for nine months a year due to the bad road conditions. However, the situation has changed in recent years, and now more and more local and foreign travelers visit this remote village.

  The village is inhabited by 2000 fair-skinned, blue-eyed people who consider themselves descendants of the prophet Noah. The people of Khynalyg are usually referred to as the 26 Albanian tribes described in Strabo’s “Geography”. The main reasons for this are the distinctive Albanian cemeteries in the village, as well as a language similar to the language of other Albanian tribes.

• Dinner in the village with traditional dishes (for an additional charge).
• Departure to Baku.

Overnight in Baku.

Breakfast at the hotel.

• A trip to Ivanovka. Ivanovka is a village and municipal unit of the Ismayilli region. Today it is the last collective farm remaining in the country. Located 200 km from Baku in the north of the Ismayilli region, Ivanovka today has about 3,000 inhabitants. Being cast away from their lands, the Molokan people did not lose their enthusiasm and quickly settled down in a new place. As soon as you get to Ivanovka, you will immediately notice that this place is not like all the others. Many locals are blond and have blue eyes. Many houses are built in the style of log cabins, and the roofs are covered with red tiles. Interestingly, the nickname Molokane is directly related to the word “milk” in Russian. In the 18th century, this was considered an insult, since the Molokans drank milk during the Great Lent, when the Orthodox fasted. Later, the term was re-interpreted as drinking the sacred milk of God, and the word ceased to be offensive. Molokans adhere to exclusively Puritan mores - they avoid smoking, fighting and icons. Instead of churches, religious meetings are held in prayer houses, devoid of any decorations.
• Lunch in the village with local dishes (for an additional charge).
• A trip to Nij:
  The small town of Nij, located 40 km from Gabala, is the only place on earth where Udin people live. Its population is only 6196 people. The ancestors of this small nation, called Utians, were one of the 26 Albanian tribes and played an important role in the creation of the state of Caucasian Albania in the 4th and 3rd centuries. BC. According to the latest research, the Udi language was the basis of the language of Caucasian Albania. This tribe, the ancestors of the modern Udins, was mentioned in the works of Herodotus, Strabo, and Pliny the Great. According to these historians, the Utia became politically active due to their participation in the Persian invasions of Xerxes I in Greece. The Udis, being the most ancient people in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, have many privileges that help them to preserve and develop their culture. As a result of the efforts of the Azerbaijani Government, the cultural and educational society of the Uray of Orayin (Source) resumed its activities. This community promotes the history and culture of the Udis.
• Dinner in the village with local dishes (for additional charge).
• Then a trip to Gabala city.

Overnight in Gabala.

• A trip to the village of Ilisu, which is full of sights, nature reserve, architectural monuments, and waterfalls. Ilisu is a small place where all the houses are built along a single street, but it still recalls the days of the past glory, when Ilisu was the capital of an independent kingdom, which was later annexed to the Russian Empire. In addition to the charming village houses, several other buildings in Ilisu recall the past of it: a fortress of Sumuggala from the 16th century, which was almost destroyed, the 19th-century Galaja tower, and a well-preserved 18th-century mosque. Here you can buy natural honey collected by local beekeepers, take a walk to the waterfall and enjoy drinking tea from a samovar outdoors. Drive to Lekit. Lekit is one of he attractions of the Gakh region. Locals claim that the village is 1600 years old. Here the guests will see the ruins of a temple complex of the 12th century and a waterfall completely covered in moss. The area is famous for its dense forests, mountain rivers and springs, as well as a complex of mountain fortresses. The village is inhabited by Tsakhurs, a Caucasian ethnic group with an ancient history and traditions.
• Next, A trip to Gakh and dinner (for an additional charge).
• Drive to Sheki city.

Overnight in Sheki.

Breakfast at the hotel.

• Sheki was one of the most majestic cities of the East in the past and one of the most ancient cities of Transcaucasia. There are many historical and architectural monuments in Sheki. Since ancient times, the city produced weapons, jewelry, and copper items, engaged in pottery, silk, and carpet weaving. A lot of Sheki handmade masterpieces were known not only in Azerbaijan. A visit to the magnificent palace of Sheki Khans, a silk shop, a workshop for the production of delicious Sheki pakhlava, and a workshop for the manufacture of Shebeke (a mosaic of glass and wood decorating the Palace of Sheki Khans). Then we will visit the ancient hotel "Karavan-Saray" where caravan traders of ancient times loved to rest on their road.
• Arrival in Baku.
• Free time.
• Lunch or Dinner (for an additional charge).

Overnight in Baku

Breakfast. Check-out from the hotel and transfer to Baku Airport for your departure flight.