Azerbaijan was one of the Soviet Union Republics that gained independence after the dissolution of the USSR. Even though nowadays one can easily buy a ticket and go to any place in the world, there are many people who don’t know much about Azerbaijan. Apart from the long-standing traditions that are followed by the majority of the native population, the everyday life of the country is rather interesting. You’re thinking of travelling to Azerbaijan or simply want to learn something about this country? If so, this article will be useful to you. We’ve gathered a set of facts that will definitely spark the interest of our readers in the unique culture of this country. Let’s see what these facts are…
Azerbaijan: 8 interesting facts about the former Soviet Republic
1. The country’s population loves tea
Tea is the most popular drink in the country, and it plays a very important role in its everyday life as well as during special occasions. All meals finish with tea that is always sweetened with jam. In order to make the drink more delicious, Azerbaijanis add lemon, mint or thyme in it. By the way, tea is served while families are discussing the future wedding of their children. In fact, the taste of tea indicates whether the discussion is going smoothly or not. If the tea served is sweet, the wedding will certainly occur. If the tea served has no sugar in it, more negotiations are needed, an interesting fact about Azerbaijan.
Apart from tea, Azerbaijanis love pancakes that are their national dish. While staying in Azerbaijan, don’t miss out on the opportunity to try Kutabi, pancakes filled with vegetables, meat or herbs.
2. Azerbaijanis believe carpets to be a part of their culture
All Azerbaijanis have carpets in their homes. Carpets are not only a beautiful decoration but also part of the Azerbaijani culture and history. The Carpet Museum of Azerbaijan where one can see carpets of various styles and ages is one of the top places to visit during a stay in the country. The building the museum is located in is easy to recognize because it is designed in the shape of a rolled-up carpet.
3. The capital of the country is worth visiting
Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is often compared to Dubai because of its buildings that have interesting architecture and have golden decorations. When walking in the streets of Baku, it’s impossible not to notice big number of skyscrapers and pay attention to the awesome architecture of buildings.
Apart from many beautiful places and buildings, Azerbaijan offers an opportunity to travel to the so-called Little Venice. It’s comprised of numerous little islands connected by bridges and walkways. If you don’t want to walk, you can pay for a ride in a gondola.
4. The natives of the country believe bread to be a sacred meal
How often do you kiss a piece of bread that has fallen on to the floor? We guess the answer to the question is never. Believe it or not, but Azerbaijani do that in order to apologize for throwing this food on to the floor. Bread is considered to be a sacred meal that is to be honored and respected. Instead of throwing stale bread away, Azerbaijanis put in in the bag and hang the bag on the wall, a fun fact about Azerbaijan.
5. Azerbaijan is the country where one can have an oil bath
Have you ever dreamt of bathing in oil? If so, then Naftalan is the town you need to visit. There are many spas in the town, offering an opportunity to bath in a special oil and feel like a wealthy person with a big bank account. Don’t worry as this is not the oil meant for cars.
The procedure takes no more than 10 minutes because longer exposure to oil can be harmful. Be sure to take your time scrubbing the oil off your skin after the bath. The spas themselves are not the kind of spas one can see in urban cities. They remind more of sanatoriums rather than of luxurious health centers.
6. The country is famous for its mud volcanoes
Having a bath in a mud volcano is an authentic experience one can get only in this country, an interesting fact about Azerbaijan. Locals believe that the mud in the multiple volcanoes around the country has healing properties and a positive effect on health in general. They often come to the places where these volcanos are located and enjoy washing themselves in the dirt.
7. One of the country’s interesting places is a rail station
At a glance, the rail station that was renovated in the middle of the 20th century doesn’t have anything particularly interesting. If you decide to visit it while travelling in Baku, you’ll see that the station is now the location of the biggest KFC in the world. It was designed so that to fit as many as 300 people and is rather popular among both natives and travelers.
8. Azerbaijan is the country where Noah’s Ark landed
In order to show respect for the place where the Noah’s Ark landed, natives built Noah’s tomb in the town of Nakhchivan. An interesting fact about Azerbaijan is that the very name of the town translates as “Noah’s town”. As for the tomb, it is a rather odd-looking building standing lonely on the edge of the town.
Truth be told, there is no evidence proving that the town really is the place Noah landed after the flood.
Conclusion
The information provided above certainly doesn’t cover all the interesting spots and traditions of Azerbaijan. We hope that these facts will encourage our readers to travel to Azerbaijan and continue discovering its culture and entertainment opportunities by themselves. When getting acquainted with new people and learning more about their lifestyle, one will definitely find out that their culture is rather different from Western culture.
I hope that this article on Azerbaijan facts was helpful! If you are interested, visit the Country Facts Page!
