Photo Tour – Part II

Sunflowers

I am back to blogging! I returned from Azerbaijan a month and a half ago but have been buried in the work on my cookbook (we are almost there!), hence “abandoned” my blog for some time. Before you say “this girl always does that, I am outta here,” please pause and think about all the wonderful posts that are waiting in line to be be posted here for you. I have tons of recipes that I can’t wait to share with you.

I hope you enjoyed my first virtual photo tour from my trip to Azerbaijan. Here’s part II. What can I say? I had a fantastic time back there. Saw a lot of friends, traveled around with my family, sampled delicious food everywhere we went, met wonderful people, and made new friends.

I also took lots of pictures. Some of them found their way here. Here they are, in no particular order. For you to enjoy and maybe plan your own trip to Azerbaijan, too. I can’t wait to hear what you think about the photos.

Samovars in Old City Teahouse

Baku, the capital. Samovars, big and small in one of Old City’s tea-houses.

Traditional Caps

Baku’s Old City. Traditional caps for women on sale. Tourists love them!

Sweet Omlette Cake

Here’s the first food teaser. Meet the most unusual omelet I have ever seen. A jumbo SWEET omelet. Served as a dessert. This is a traditional “cake” of the Ordubad region. Great news! The recipe will be in my cookbook!

Carpet Weaving in Baku

Carpet weaving demonstration. Gala village, Baku.

Meat-Stuffed Flatbreads, Gutab

These flatbreads filled with meat and sprinkled with sumac (gutab) are beyond delicious. We sampled them in the region of Zagatala in the northwest.

Gakh, Azerbaijan

Mountains surrounding the beautiful village of Ilisu of the Gakh region.

Historic Mosque in Ilisu Village, Gakh

A historic mosque in the village of Ilisu in Gakh.

Surhullu - Pasta with Dried Meat

The village of Ilisu is famous for its boat-shaped pasta served with dried meat. Mostly a winter time meal, but we didn’t say no to it in the summer! Sampled in the dish’s  birthplace. A-m-a-z-i-n-g taste!

Gakh, Azerbaijan

In the village of Ilisu in Gakh.

Arts and Crafts for Sale in Old City

Jumping to Baku again. This is me happy posing with beautiful pieces of art and carpets for sale in Baku’s Old City.

Fireworshippers Temple

Ateshgah, an ancient fire-worshippers temple, not far from Baku.

Palace of Shirvanshahs in Baku

A historic palace of the Shirvanshahs in Baku’s Old City.

Crafts for Sale

For sale. Beautiful, colorful, very traditional. Baku.

Old Door in Ordubad

I love old doors! This one was spotted in the region of Ordubad. Who knows how many stories it guards behind!

Old Door in Ordubad

Here’s one interesting door in Ordubad. Very old. Look at the door knocks on the left and right. In the past, the one on the left was used by men so that a man would open the door, while the one on the right was knocked by a woman for a woman of the house to greet the visitor. Notice how the knocks differ in shape.  They also differ in weight. Men’s’ knock is heavier hence produces heavier sounds than women’s knock. These “gender differentiations” in door knocking is, of course, a thing of past. But the locals have preserved these doors as part of their history. There are many of them in the region.

Market in Gabala

“Bucket bazaar” in the region of Gabala.

"Lady's Fingers" Dessert

On our way to Baku from the northwest, we stopped in the city of Shamakhi, about 2 hours from the capital. My cousin, who lives there, treated us to this unusual dessert (note that this is not a traditional Shamakhi dessert). Strips of home-made cookies, reminiscent of ladies’ delicate fingers (definitely not mine!), buried under luscious cream, and sprinkled with shaved chocolate. I am yet to get the recipe from my cousin. Consider this to be another teaser.

Dried Mulberries

Dried mulberries. Ordubad.

Albanian Church

Historic Albanian church high on a hill in the Gakh region.

Lavash Bread

Lavash bread made by my Ordubadi relatives.

Fresh Grapes

Fresh from the vine!

Teapot at the Door

In the region of Ordubad one can spot teapots hanging high at the entrance. These teapots are believed to bring luck to the household and protect it from evil eyes.

History Museum in Ordubad

Museum of History. Ordubad. Used to be a covered marketplace in the past.

Market

A glimpse of farmer’s market in Zagatala.

Village of Nusnus, Ordubad, Azerbaijan

My paternal grandparents come from the village of Nusnus in Ordubad. This is an old village, as if frozen in time. But beautiful in its own way.

Crossing the River in Ordubad

Our kids had a lot of fun back there. They especially loved crossing makeshift bridges a zillion times.

Baku's Old City

Palace of the Shirvanshahs in Baku. A glimpse of it, to be precise.

Local Wine Display in Baku

Local wine for sale. Note that big blue bead above. It is to “protect” against “evil eyes.” Azerbaijanis are rather superstitious.

Baku's Old City

Kids playing on the narrow streets of Baku’s Old City.

Kids in Ordubad, Azerbaijan

Beautiful children of Ordubad.

16 Comments

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  1. Chox, gozel, ela, adama nece gozel tesir edir bele dogma sheyleri gorende? Inanilmaz gozel hisslerdir. Xususen xaricde yashayan azerbaycanlilar uchun.. Teshekkurler Feride, bele keyfiyyetli ishi erseye getirdiyin uchun.

  2. What a cutie! And so big a sunflower head! I enjoy your posts – keep them coming.

  3. Lovely, lovely photos Farida! So nice to see you back again! Looking forward to your delicious recipes!

  4. Such lovely photos! And it’s great to have you back here, and posting your blog. I enjoy it tremendously. Thanks!

  5. Thank you for the beautiful photos. What an interesting place. I would love to visit there one day.

  6. Gosh… I want to go visit. I think I may not return. I would want to stay 🙂 Thank you for sharing your world with us. So very appreciated. So educational and fun!

  7. Lovely photos. If possible. would you be able to send me some privately of the countryside ( not of your children)as I would like to put them in an album, for my son who cam e from Baku. I did not get to take many photos when i did the adoption. Thanks, Kathy

  8. THANK YOU – Leyla, Angie, Jasmine, Anita, Karen, Cynthia, and Kathy! Glad yo liked the tour.

  9. Very much looking forward to the book, and definitely loving the travel photos. I’ll make it there soon I hope….

  10. KIRK – Thank you very much for your support. Enjoy your stay in Azerbaijan!

  11. Salam m?nd? Ordubadl?yam.M?n? xo. g?ldi Ordubadin fotolar?na baxmaq.Maraql? haz?rlam?s?n?z.?vv?ll?r Bak?da qurbetde yashayanlar menim sehifeme baxardilar menden yeni fotolar isteyerdiler ordubad haqqinda mende deyerdim ne isteyir e bunlar ne var e Ordubadda.Ozum orda oldugum ucun cox maraqli gelmirdi menim ucun Ordubad ama 6 aydir ki Ordubaddan uzaqlashmisham ureyim esir Ordubad ucun.?nshallah bu yay qismet olarda Ordubad ucun super filmler hazirlayacam…Polad TAG?OGLU

  12. Salam Feride,

    I am a fan of your website since 2009; I was born in Colombia and I am married to an Azerbaijani for almost 9 years….and I remembered one time for novruz, I was looking to make something spacial for my husband, when I found your blog; the only one, I guess, back then. Since then I keep using your wonderful recipes for some of my daily meals… Thank you very much for been there in the web, I love the food and traditions!.. And also, I like the new look, and the new photos addition. It is a great thing that you are howing some of the Azerbaijani culture and traditions.. I have three girls and they love the traditional Azeri customs dress.
    Thank you for sharing your work …

    Lorena.

    • What a sweet comment! Thank you, Lorena. Glad you like my blog and find it useful. Çox sa? olun!:)

  13. hi ple for me antique picture

  14. Thank you for the beautiful photos. What an interesting place. I would love to visit there one day.

    bizim buralarda k?z?n elindeki ay çekirdegine kalpak derler

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