CARPET WEAVING
Carpet weaving is one of the oldest and most widespread types of folk art and craft in Azerbaijan. In 2010, the art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving was added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. There are seven major carpet weaving schools distinguished by patterns, composition, colour palette and techniques in Azerbaijan: Quba School, Baku or Absheron School, Shirvan School, Ganja School, Gazakh School, Karabakh School and Tabriz School. If you would like to witness the splendor of Azerbaijani carpets you can visit the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum located on the seaside boulevard. You can also see rare examples here. Established for researching, keeping and displaying carpets and carpet items, as well as applied art works, the Museum has the largest collection of Azerbaijan carpets in the world.

NAFTALAN
The “Miracle Oil”, Naftalan is a rare type of oil from Azerbaijan that is used only for medicinal purposes. Naftalan is named for a resort city, and the name means “oil buyer” in Azeri. Azerbaijani doctors have prescribed it for years to successfully treat various skin, joint and bone diseases such as psoriasis, arthritis and rheumatism. Naftalan is extracted from only one place in Azerbaijan: the north-central part of the country, not far from Ganja. Today Naftalan resorts provide treatments for more than 70 diseases in healing Naftalan baths.

ALPINISM
Mountaineering and rock climbing is growing rapidly today. The Azerbaijan Mountaineering Federation is working to develop both disciplines. Since 2010, Azerbaijani alpinists successfully joined various mountaineering, sky running and rock climbing challenges and festivals. Great attention is paid to the secure ascents and preparation of new instructors. Even if you’re not a real mountaineer they offer some fabulous climbs. You’ll need an experienced guide, one or two porters/camp guards, a horse to carry your load, and good weather, as there is no shelter on the flinty upper slopes.

ICHERISHEHER
The Old City, at 22 hectares (54 acres) in size, contains hundreds of historical monuments, four of which are of world importance and 28 of which are of local importance. Visit souvenir, carpet and antique shops, and workshops of local handicrafts. The Old City became the first location in Azerbaijan to be classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. You can see Maiden Tower, Market Square, Karvan Saray Bukhara, Karvan Saray Multani, Baku Khan’s Residence, Shirvan Shahs’ Palace, Aga-Mikhail bath house, Double Gates, and several old mosques in the Old City.

ATESHGAH FIRE TEMPLE
The Temple of Eternal Fire – Ateshgah – is an authentic Azerbaijani site. It is well-known all over the world. It is located 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the centre of Baku in the suburb of Surakhany. This territory is known for such unique natural phenomenon as burning natural gas outlets (underground gas coming onto the surface contacts oxygen and lights up). The temple in its present state was constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was built by the Baku-based Hindu community related to Sikhs. However, the history of the Temple is even longer. From times immemorial this was the holy place of Zoroastrians – fire worshippers.

YANARDAG
Also known as “Burning Mountain”, Yarnadag is true to its name. The mountain has been burning for as long as anyone can remember, and the fire isn’t showing signs of going out any time soon. Situated on the Absheron Peninsula, 25 kilometres (16 miles) northeast of the capital city of Baku, Yanardag is a 116-metre (380-foot) hill located on top of a pocket of natural gas that constantly erupts into flames. These flames jet out at least three metres (10 feet) into the air, through a porous layer of sandstone. Unlike the other mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan, Yanardag has no seepage of mud or liquid, so the fire always burns. A 10-metre (33-foot) wall of fire continuously burns alongside the edge of the hill. This makes for the most spectacular view, especially at night. The air around this open fireplace is always thick with the smell of gas. The heavy Absheron wind, twisting the flames into bizarre shapes, adds to the mystery of the region. Tongues of fire also rise from the surface of the streams located around the hill.

GOBUSTAN AND MUD VOLCANOES
About 6,000 mysterious rock paintings and scripts describing people and animals, and unique, active mud volcanos: That's the historical-artistic reserve, Gobustan – one of the rarest monuments of world culture and one of the first centres of human civilization. This archaeological reserve is a flatland located 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Baku and provides a cultural view of drawings on rocks covering an area of 537 hectares (1,325 acres). The Gobustan mountains offer a unique perspective into the Stone Age and later inhabitants of the region.

GALA OPEN AIR MUSEUM
Forty kilometres (25 miles) from Baku there is Gala, the well-known open-air historical and ethnographic museum. The museum – founded in 2008 at an archaeological site located in the village by the same name – is dedicated to the history of the Absheron Peninsula. Here, you can see how the Azerbaijani lived, what they ate and drank, and how they managed their households during the period from the 16th to 19th centuries. The territory of 1.2 hectares (3 acres) hosts old-time houses – portable tents made of animal skins, subsequently replaced by stone and beaten cobworks with cupolas – along with an ancient blacksmith shop, market, pottery, bakery, threshing mill and other interesting medieval buildings. You can see, touch and take pictures of all of them. You can even try to bake bread in a common oven, weave a carpet, make pottery, or feed the camels, horses and donkeys peacefully resting in their stalls.

BAKU MUSEUM OF MINIATURE BOOKS
The museum has several thousand fairy-sized books, including miniature editions of the works of Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, Gogol and Chukovsky. The books originate from around the world, and are written in numerous languages, including Azeri, Russian, English and German. The oldest book in the museum is a miniature copy of the Quran, dating to the 17th century, while the smallest tome (6 x 9 milimetres, or 1/4 x 2/5 of an inch) is the Russian book The Most Miraculous Thing, which can be read only by using a magnifying glass. It is the first and so far the only museum of miniature books in Azerbaijan and in the world.

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
The Museum of Modern Art opened in 2009. About 1,000 works of Azerbaijani painters and sculptors, mainly working in avant-garde style, are collected here. Visitors can familiarize themselves with works of painters and sculptors whose names represent Azerbaijani culture. Contrary to classical museum traditions, the exposition expands beyond the exhibition space, reaching into the art cafe and restaurant, and included in the Museum structure. The Museum also hosts an exposition of children’s fine arts, promoting the development of children’s interests and teaching them about the world of beauty; a video hall presenting documentaries; an exhibition hall for private shows; and a library and bookshop offering a collection of books on world art, architecture and sculpture.