Visiting Azerbaijan, a country at the crossroads of everything 

Admittedly, this country wedged between Russia to the North, the Caspian Sea on the East and Iran to the South is hardly the first destination one considers when planning a trip.

For me, that was the allure. 

Azerbaijan is such an off-the-beaten-path destination that most people, including readers of this column, couldn’t find it on a map. While little known, Azerbaijan is also a country that’s literally at the crossroads of civilizations and the center of geopolitical tensions that dominate today’s headlines. 

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

This ancient land in the Caucasus is where North and South, East and West have long met. Alexander the Great, Persians with their pre-Islamic, fire-worshiping religion of Zoroastrianism, Silk Road traders on their way to and from Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and Russians under the czars were all here at some point or another. 

Another interesting chapter of history came at the turn of the last century when vast oil deposits attracted immense Western investment, including the Nobel brothers (of Nobel Prize fame). In fact, oil was drilled here well before the Texas oil boom kicked off in Beaumont. More recently, the Soviets occupied the country for 71 years from 1920 until 1991. 

What all the cultures, civilizations and powers left behind eventually mixed together and created an incredibly diverse country that defies many stereotypes. 

Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital and with 2.4 million inhabitants is the biggest city, could be the TV double for a random European city. 

Except for the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old City, which is encircled by centuries-old crenulated walls, much of the historic architecture at the heart of the city center was heavily influenced by Paris and pre-war Berlin. Then, there are modern developments that are replicas of the Haussmann blocks in Paris. They’re so authentic that you would be forgiven for thinking you took a time machine back to France’s Second Empire.

Complementing the historic and replica historic architecture are numerous modern edifices with futuristic designs. Notable examples include the National Carpet Museum, which is designed to resemble a rolled-up carpet, and the Flame Towers, a complex of three glass skyscrapers designed by St. Louis-based architects HOK. (Speaking of carpets, I’m reliably told that Azerbaijan’s centuries-old weaving tradition surpasses the carpets of other countries within the broader region.) 

One of the best places to admire the cityscape is the miles-long promenade paralleling the Caspian. The postcard-perfect view is a mix of quaint and modern cool, the latter feeling like a more restrained version of Dubai or Las Vegas.

As noted by Townhall columnist Scott Morefield, a friend who joined me on this trip, the promenade, parks and gathering spaces were spotless. There was no litter, overflowing trash cans, graffiti, vagabonds and certainly no homeless tent encampments. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was able to visit a public park and sit on a bench.

In the Old City and within the shadow of the 12th century Maiden Tower are the ruins of an Orthodox church, the Church of St. Bartholomew. Destroyed by the Soviets, it was built at the location where tradition holds that pagans martyred St. Bartholomew the apostle in the first century. (Relics of Bartholomew were later translated to the Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Myrrhbearers.)

Azerbaijan’s religious landscape has notably improved since Bartholomew’s gruesome martyrdom, when, according to the hagiography, he was flayed alive. 

While 96% of Azerbaijanis are Muslim (primarily Shiite Muslim), there’s a remarkable degree of tolerance and pluralism ingrained in the culture — particularly when you consider its proximity to Iran with its Islamic regime.  

Case in point is Azerbaijan’s well-established Jewish population, including the so-called Mountain Jews. 

Dating to at least the mid-18th century, the all-Jewish village of Red Settlement or Red Village (depending on the translation) is located about 100 miles from Baku near the border with Russia’s Dagestan in the foothills of the southern Caucasus Mountains. Just how long the Jews have lived around here and worshiped in their synagogues is debated, though there are claims of a Jewish presence in the Caucasus since the destruction of Solomon’s Temple.

Meanwhile, back in Baku, the number of Christians is rising. 

Roman Catholics and assorted Evangelical Protestants, including charismatics associated with Vineyard, can freely worship and proselytize despite reports to the contrary. 

I know this because not only did I attend Protestant and Roman Catholic services in the build-up to Holy Week, but I literally and figuratively broke bread with several Christian leaders. Yes, the whole Armenian subject is complicated, but hopefully, a proposed peace deal will resolve the matter if Armenia is willing to move out of Vladimir Putin’s orbit.

The Vineyard church gathers in the Church of the Savior, a late 19th century Gothic revival church built for German and Swedish Lutherans during the days of the Nobel brothers. Repurposed by the Soviets as a concert hall, three other Protestant congregations use the brick building every Sunday, including a descendant of the original Lutherans. Fundraising plans are in place for Vineyard’s space as the historic church is too small. 

Meanwhile, Roman Catholics have outgrown the modest Church of the Immaculate Conception, which also serves as the pro-cathedral for the apostolic prefect (think missionary diocese) under Rome’s prelate, the Most Rev. Vladimir Fekete. A new and significantly larger church, dedicated to St. and Pope John Paul II, is under construction with the full support of the Holy See and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev. 

Sure, getting to Azerbaijan can be hard, but those who do go are rewarded with a country that punches well above its weight.

If you go

Azerbaijan Airlines, the country’s surprisingly excellent flag-carrier, flew to and from New York’s J.F.K. Airport until flights were canceled during the pandemic. While connections in several European hubs are still possible, the easiest routing is probably via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.

In Baku, four-star and five-star hotels are more affordable than equivalent hotels in major European capitals. I stayed at the modern J.W. Marriott Absheron, which has one of the best breakfast buffets I have ever seen. If my budget allowed me, I would have booked the Four Seasons. Despite resembling a Parisian or Viennese grand hotel from the Belle Epoque era, the capital’s most luxurious hotel is only 13 years old. One of the more budget-friendly options is the Baku Marriott Hotel Boulevard, which directly faces the Caspian Sea.

For those visiting Red Settlement, a must-visit is the Museum of the Mountain Jews. Housed in a former synagogue closed during the Soviet era, it opened a couple of years ago after the building with its beautiful brickwork was restored.

Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post.