Azerbaijan - Day 4

 

Day-4 30/10/24

The day started with the breakfast brought in by the owner of the Villa we were staying in. Breakfast had boiled eggs, Tandir (flat Azerbaijani bread also called as Tandoor in English) , cheese, butter, sour cream, honey and freshly cut cucumber, tomatoes with a hot tea pot. When I looked at the plate with 5 boiled eggs and we were six, before I said anything, the owner made blown up sign with his hand, and “phoosh..” with his mouth, enough to explain what must have happened to the missing egg. We left the nice cool place at 9:30 am on our way back to Baku. On the way we were to visit Juma Mosque and Sheikh Diri Baba Mausoleum.

Samaxi: Şamaxı, or Shamakhi or Shamakhy city, is East-central Azerbaijan. It is located at 76 miles (122 km) West of Baku and is one of the oldest cities in the republic, dating from the 6th century AD, but the modern city was not incorporated until 1824. From the 9th to the 16th century, it was the residence of the Shirvan Shahs. There are numerous historical buildings, including a mosque and a mausoleum, which have been damaged by the frequent earthquakes. Şamaxı is now a centre of food industry and is especially noted for wines. 

A brocaded, flat-stitch carpet with mosaic-tile patterns is covering the area inside Juma mosque.

The Juma Mosque of Shamakhy was Constructed in 743.
It was seriously damaged in the aftermath of earthquakes of 1359 and 1902.
During the March genocide of 1918, Armenian Nationalists set this mosque on fire. In 2010-2013 it has been extensively restored and rebuilt in accordance with the decree of President Ilham Aliyev

SHEIKH DIRI BABA MAUSOLEUM (1402)
The Diri Baba Mausoleum is one of the most significant architectural monuments associated with the history of medieval Azerbaijan. This historical building located in Qobustan (pronounced as Gobustan) is protected by the state as an architectural monument of national importance. Along with the ancient cemetery, the caves around the tomb are considered a holy pilgrimage site for the population of the Shirvan region.
According to the epitaph on the Diri Baba Mausoleum, this monument was built in 1402 (805 in the Hijri calendar) by order of Shirvanshah Ibrahim - the ruler of the State of the Shirvanshahs (1382 1417). The inner wall of the tomb has the inscription 'Ustad bin Haci' (the son of master Haji).
This monument, which is located on the historical Silk Road, has attracted the attention of European diplomats and travellers visiting the Shirvan region for centuries. In the 17th century, the monument was visited by the European traveller Adam Olearius and the Ottoman traveller Evliya Chelebi, and in the early 18th century by Cornelius de Brun. Their engravings, drawn by experts, are valuable sources for the former appearance of the monument.

TRANSLATION OF THE HISTORICAL INSCRIPTION ON THE MAUSOLEUM
"In the period of the reign of the Greatest Ruler, the leader of the nations, the son of a king, grandeur of the world and religion in the reign of Sheikh Ibrahim Khan (may Allah grant kingdom and authority and glorify his power over the world). The inscription was written in Dervish in 805 AH (1402 AD)".

MYSTERIOUS CAVES
There are nine caves in the rock where the Diri Baba Mausoleum was built. Some of these caves are formed naturally, while others were created by people carving into the rock. Scientific research has shown that these caves were once used for both living and worshipping purposes. It is believed here were hidden passages between the caves which were closed by landslides later. We visited all the caves there wasn't anything but open spaces.

ANICIENT CEMETERY

Medieval cemetery near the Diri Baba Mausoleum contains several historic monuments which are excellent examples of the art, stone carving and engraving found in Azerbaijan. The inner edges were designed with engravings of various patterns and symbols, prayers from the Holy Quran, wise quotes, parts of different poems in various languages and many different ornaments.
Entry fee is 9 ₼ per person.

We walked out for lunch, across Nizami street to one restaurant named Biryani house. The Chef was Indian but was good at preparing Pakistani recipes. We had vegetable jalfrezi, mutton hundi, mutton biryani, roti, nan and sweet lassi. The food was reasonably priced.

We continued our walk towards Baku Funicular. Funicular is a cable railway system that connects two points on a steep slope using two counterbalanced carriages that move along a haulage cable system. It connects a square on Neftchilar Avenue and Martyrs’ Lane. It is the first and remains the only funicular system in the country. Length of railway track is 455 meters (1,493 ft). It consists of a single-track part and a passing place. Two coaches – BF-1 and BF-2 are exploited. Carrying capacity is about 28 people. It was a nice experience.
The funicular ticket one way is 1 ₼.

On reaching top it was cold and windy. We were at the base on flame towers, the business center. They are three in numbers and it is entirely covered with glass panes. As it starts getting dark the flame towers are lit up. We could see a panoramic view of Baku city spread around in half circle. Ideally if you manage to be there at sun set it will be great.

We came across The Mosque of the Martyrs (Azerbaijan: Şəhidlər məscidi), also popularly known as the Turkish Mosque. It is a mosque in Baku, Azerbaijan, near the Martyr’s Lane.
Construction started in 1990, financed by Turky. Now it is official residence of religious attaché of the Turkish embassy. On the front wall the 154th ayah from Al-Baqara chapter of Quran is written on the façade of the mosque in Arabic and Turkish:

"Do not say "Dead!" about those, who died for the sake of Allah No, they are alive! But you do not feel."

After coming down by Funicular we decided to walk up to Baku eye. Baku eye or Baku Ferris Wheel or Devil’s wheel is a slow-moving giant wheel in Seaside National Park on Baku Boulevard. The wheel is of 60 meters diameters with 30 cabins, each with capacity of 8 passengers. It gives beautiful view of the city in the evening. On one side there is a lotus shaped Deniz Mall (Caspian Waterfront Mall). It is another architectural highlight of the modern look of Baku (Azerbaijan). The shopping and entertainment mall has 70+ shops and restaurants. Water front is to your left and city lights on the right. The entry is 10 ₼ . It takes 20-30 minutes to complete one round. The movement is not much felt, unless one focuses on some stationary point.

We returned to our apartment in a taxi which was a 5-seater. Six of us somehow managed to get in. Paid 20 ₼ for the ride. It was a different kind of vehicle. Enjoyed the ride.