 | | | |
|  | AZERBAIJAN COUNTRY SNAPSHOT AND INTERESTING FACTS | Azerbaijan is bordered by the Russian Federation, Georgia and Iran. The country is divided by the Republic of Armenia into a smaller western part in the Lesser Caucasus and a larger eastern part, stretching from the Greater Caucasus to the Mugan, Mili and Shirvan Steppes and bordered by the Caspian Sea in the east. Due mainly to the presence of international oil companies, the standard of accommodation is changing rapidly and there are now at least two 5-star hotels. Within Baku, the medieval walled city - Icheri Sheker - has been restored and it retains a distinctly Middle-Eastern and relaxed atmosphere, with its tea-houses and busy street-life. Its attractive narrow streets and stone buildings spread up from the waterfront, where the 12th-century Maiden's Tower (Gyz-Galasy) looks out over the bay. Azerbaijani food combines Turkish, Georgian and central Asian elements with lamb as the staple dish. If dining with a local host, visitors should be aware that going to restaurants is treated as much as an opportunity for competitive toasting as to eat and talk. Many restaurants, late-night bars and English-style pubs have opened in Baku, catering largely for the foreign business community and wealthy local business people. Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population - regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and must support some 571,000 internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous and the promise of widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources remains largely unfulfilled. Azerbaijan's number one export is oil. Azerbaijan's oil production declined through 1997 but has registered an increase every year since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with foreign firms, which have thus far committed $60 billion to long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed to spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company, began in November 1997. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the former Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and structures are slowly being replaced. One obstacle to economic progress is the need for stepped up foreign investment in the non-energy sector. A second obstacle is the continuing conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics is declining in importance while trade is building with Turkey and the nations of Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location of new pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its oil wealth. | Open here a detailed map in a new window. Map Server Travel-Island.com. | 
|
| | | RESORTS AND EXCURSIONS | Baku & the Coast
The medieval walled city - Icheri Sheher - within Baku has been restored, and retains a distinctly Middle-Eastern and relaxed atmosphere, with its tea-houses and busy street-life. Its attractive narrow streets and stone buildings spread up from the waterfront, where the 12th-century Maiden's Tower (Gyz-Galasy) looks out over the bay. Locals claim that the view from the top of the tower rivals the beauty of the Bay of Naples. Nearby are two caravanserais (inns), one dating from the 14th century, the other from the 16th century, originally built to accommodate travelling merchants from northern India and central Asia. The caravanserais, with their courtyards and vaulted roofs, have been restored and now function as restaurants. There are also a number of mosques located in the medieval city, one of which, the Dzhuma Mosque, houses the Museum of Carpets and Applied Arts, with a fine display of Azeri carpets, as well as jewellery, embroidery, woodcarving and filigree metalwork. The Synyk Kalah Minaret dates from 1093 and is the oldest building still standing in the city. Beyond the minaret is the 15th-century royal court complex, the Palace of the Shirvan Shahs. The palace, mausoleum and law courts are all open to the public. Equally distinctive are the opulent houses and public buildings built during the Baku oil boom at the turn of the century. Millionaire oil merchants indulged themselves with neo-gothic, mock oriental and pseudo-renaissance fantasies in stone, developing a local architectural confidence which spilled over into the Soviet period: the Sabuchinsky railway station for example, dating from 1926, is designed to resemble an enormous madrassah (Islamic religious academy).
Excursions
A number of tourist sights are located near enough to Baku for one-day excursions to be feasible. Some 20km (12 miles) northeast of Baku is the Surakhany Temple, established by Parsee fire-worshippers living in Baku in the 18th century. The temple was predated by a much older Zoroastrian shrine on the same site. Surakhany remained a popular destination for Indian pilgrims until the revolution. Some of the pilgrims' cells now house a wax museum, intended to introduce the rudiments of fire worship to the uninitiated. The Apsheron Peninsula, stretching out into the Caspian Sea beyond Baku, has several 14th-century fortresses, built by the Shirvan shahs fearing attack from the sea. Best preserved are those at Ramana, Nardaran and Mardakan. Ramana also features the remains of ancient oil fields where Zoroastrian fire-worshippers still occasionally stage ritual dances, leaping over the flames which rise from the oil-soaked ground over natural gas vents. The tip of the peninsula is a nature reserve. The village of Gobustan, about 70km (43 miles) south of Baku, has a unique array of rock paintings, some of them 10,000 years old and spread over 100 sq km (39 sq miles) of caves and rocky outcrops. The subject matter includes hunting scenes, ritual dances, religious ceremonies, ships, animals and constellations, and many of the rocks are further adorned with signatures and remarks added by visiting Roman soldiers in the 1st century AD, suggesting that the area has a long history as a tourist attraction.
The Caucasus
The city of Shamakha, 130km (80 miles) west of Baku in the foothills of the Caucasus, predated Baku as the principal trading centre and capital of the Shirvan shahs. Repeated earthquakes, most recently in 1902, and the ravages of invading armies, have destroyed most of the ancient city which was founded in the 2nd century AD. A 10th-century mosque and a ruined fortress dating from the same period, the Seven Domes Royal Mausoleum and a modern carpet-weaving centre where traditional techniques are demonstrated, provide the main focus of tourist interest in the city. Sheki is located 380km (236 miles) west of Baku close to the Georgian border. Archaeological evidence suggests that the city may be one of the oldest settlements in the Caucasus, dating back 2500 years. Tourists can still visit the 18th-century frescoed summer palace and the fortress built by a local warlord who declared Shekhi the capital of an independent khanate. Shekhi was famed for its silk, which is still produced locally, and the bazaars and caravanserais testify to its importance as a trading town. Some of the caravanserais have been restored and now function as hotels and restaurants. | PASSPORT AND VISA APPLICATION Furthermore, in order to get into many countries on the stay abroad you will require a visa of some type, even if you are just visiting. This is usually an insert, stamp or sticker which is placed in your passport and the duration of its validity varies from place to place. If you do intend to work or study in the country to which you are traveling, however, you should organize your visa even further in advance as this can take longer to process.
As well as your passport you should ensure that you have at least one other form of identification with you. This may be a driver’s license, birth certificate or any other form of ID which is acceptable worldwide. As with passports, bring at least two copies of all forms of identification in case of loss or theft.
Help to Passport and Visa Application Forms. How to find the right one(s)?
A passport is issued to you by your home country as proof of citizenship. Visas are stamped into your passport to allow you entry into other countries. Although there are exceptions, you are usually required to display your passport when entering or leaving a country. Once you arrive at your destination, carry a photocopy of your passport and keep the original in a safe place.
A visa is an endorsement or stamp entered into your passport by a foreign government. It allows you to enter that country for a specific reason and period of time. Start applying for visas as soon as your passport is available so that all your documentation is completed well before your departure date. To receive a visa you need to send your passport to an embassy or consulate of the country you want to visit. Most countries have embassies and consulates worldwide, and travel agents can usually tell you where the nearest ones are located. Keep in mind that your passport may be tied up for days or weeks until the paperwork is done, so plan accordingly. In addition, some countries require proof of yellow fever vaccination before they will issue you a visa. The amount of time spent mailing your passport to the various agencies involved can really add up if you are visiting several countries. Plan ahead if possible. If you only have a few weeks to prepare, a commercial visa service can often speed up the process. |
| |  | |
More Resources
