Throughout the Old City there are a number of boutique hotels, one of which I stayed in (the Sultan Inn Hotel) and loved it. Most of these buildings are two to three stories, so be prepared to climb stairs because there are no elevators. Throughout the city there are little shops that line the narrow cobblestone streets, selling Azerbaijani carpets and souvenirs, usually by men from a bygone era, patiently waiting for tourists to stop and take a look. And there are amazing restaurants serving the Azerbaijani cuisine, which is part Greek, Turkish, Armenian, and Georgian with a little Russian sprinkled in. It all adds up to traditional Azerbaijani cuisine. Outside of the Old City Castle walls is another part of the tapestry – streets that are straight out of Paris, with the grand stone buildings and rounded metal rooftops. These were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a result of the money that began pouring in from
the oil discovered in Baku. In fact, the very first oil well in the world was drilled in Baku in 1847, which has made it a much-contested area throughout the 20th century. The Parisian area is where most of the high-end stores are, like Gucci, Dior, Armani, and the likes, and it is where you will see a lot of Range Rover and Mercedes Benz vehicles. But the shiny car image is in sharp contrast to the somewhat popular old Soviet cars that look like an early, boxy Datsun from the 1970s. I was in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2015 and that city has managed to completely white-wash the old Soviet ways of life away. Certain areas and people in Baku, however, look like old photographs of the hard working Soviet people of the 1920s and '30s. That image is in sharp contrast with a young, very hip and affluent group that look like they just got back from a shopping spree on rodeo drive in Beverly Hills.
Baku is a city of visual contrast, but it all works and is reflected in the people. The last part of the thread that makes up this visual tapestry is their investment in the future. Azerbaijan took back its independence from the Soviet Union in 1992 after the communist economy and government collapsed. Since then, the President, his son, and the First lady are in the driver's seat, and are investing in beautiful contemporary architecture that is being designed by the best architects from around the world. They are also investing in the arts and culture. For example, two years ago they built a museum dedicated to the history of Azerbaijani Carpets while also building a museum for contemporary art; again, a beautiful blend of the old with the new. The reason for my trip to Baku was actually for a museum exhibit of my artwork, which traveled there from a museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, where I spent five weeks in the summer and
The ancient is nestled with the old – eastern designs and patterns framed by European elegance, all while being watched over by the recently built towering flames made of glass and steel. S H A N E
G U F F O G G
The Nizami Museum of Azerbaijan Literature in Baku. The statues are of famous Azeri writers.
A main boulevard in Baku showing the European influence in the architecture.
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A Gucci store in the Paris area.
The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center.