Novruz Trip

Last week of March was a holiday, so time to travel around Azerbaijan. A little tour, told in pictures, in the posts under this one... naturally, technically minded as I am, they are in the reverse order.

Our trip took us (10 to start out with) from Baku to Ismailli

In Ismailly, one friend left, but we gained another, our host crazy enough to give us floor space to crash and join the trip

Ismailly was the base for some to explore the old village Lahij, and others to go to the last remaining Kolxoz, Ivanovka.

The next day, all of us jumped into 2 taxi's to Qebela, to fill the bus to Nic, an Udi based village that stands out for me.

The weather was great (t-shirt time), both women and men friendly, helpful and greeting us, the feel different, the location- stunning! Sites to behold apart from this incredible natural beauty are 3 old churches (2 Armenian, 1 Alban), and an old graveyard, and very nice houses with large gardens and not closed fences. The village is originally Udi, one of the orginal Alban people with their own branch of Christianity. This village has suffered lots of religious suppression, and now has a mix of animalistic and Christian beliefs, no longer practiced in the churches which are now shells. The plan to go back in May… and I am excited already. Another highlight of Nic was our lunch. In the blazing sun, pork shashliq with Tutovka, salad, bread, cheese…

Three churches in Nic, the oldest Cotari (Alban church) and two churches subject to Armenian Catholicosate in Echmiadzin: 19^th century Göyűn Kilsә (situated in schoolyard, waiting for reconstruction and currently closed, interesting feather construction on the door) and Bulun Kilsә, 1890, now functioning as a shed.

From here, 2 taxies- still 10 people- were chartered to drive us to Mingeçevir (through stunning landscape!!!), where we were hosted by peace corps volunteer who lives in nearly finished, funky looking, apartment, though she sadly has to move out soon. Mingeçevir is situated at the river Kur, and it ownes its existence to the creation of a huge dam in the 1940s and the creation of a water reservoir. Apparently, most of the electricity requirements of Azerbaijan are produced here. It’s a new, Soviet town, constructed around the electricity plant and a big lake. This lake was our destination.

After the Mingeçevir tour, 8 people left back to Baki, so from the original bunch, only 3 were left. One headed back to Ismailli the next morning, while the left over original 2, together with 4 others, made our way to Yevlax for a very specific sight. After this sight and lunch, goodbyes were said, and the original 2 headed to Sheki and Kish, to stay there 1 night, and then back to Baku, tired, yet very satisfied.

Yevlax

What would bring someone to Yevlax... nothing more than the mere curiousity to see a statue that was once found in all over Azerbaijan. A statue now carefully removed from the streets, to be replaced by the faces of new heroes. Indeed, we had to seek out the statue of Lenin, to alledgedly be found in half, proudly sitting out his days in a scrap yard...
surrounded by crumbling factories and some great old junk . My favorite, the victory of nature over man-made...

Mingeçevir

Mingeçevir is situated at the river Kur, and it ownes its existence to the creation of a huge dam in the 1940s and the creation of a water reservoir. Apparently, most of the electricity requirements of Azerbaijan are produced here. It’s a new, Soviet town, constructed around the electricity plant. Straight, build like a raster, it has many parks, and even more flats.

Nic

This town was the highlight of my trip. In the distance the snowy Caucasus mountain peaks, bright blue sky, open yards, friendly people, great food, stunning old houses, old and new grave yards, old churches and good company!

Ivanovka

Kolxoz Ivanova, the only kolxoz left in Azerbaijan. Very successfull, quite rich, producing everything from dairy products to wine. Predominantly Russian speaking.

Ismailli

Jumping the fire- novruz in Berda

Novruz in Bərdə

Probably the most exciting thing in Febr/March has been Novruz. Novruz here is considered the start of the New Year. It signifies the beginning of spring, and thus the beginning of new life. Four weeks prior to Novruz, on each Tuesday, bonfires are built, each one for one of the
different elements. Every person is to jump over it three times, uttering:
With every jump, you drop your worries and sadness.

So after 4 weeks of jumping, you are without a worry in the world. And to make this state complete, the morning following the earth jump (the last jump), you gather fresh water, sprinkle it over people, pets, cars and the house, and you also jump over it. This time, you announce your coming to the New Year, welcoming yourself to it. All too welcome, this cleansing. And it is fun to walk around the city with bonfires everywhere, seeing people jumping fires, feeling the excitement, and getting to jump too! In addition, Novruz equals holidays, thus the start of a week of traveling.

Karabaģ people celebrate Novruz on the last fire jump, while people from Baki celebrate the day of Novruz (21-22 March) itself. So we went to Bərdə to celebrate the last fire jump. Bərdə is a cities which has (proportially) one of the largest IDP communities in Azerbaijan. Our hosts are one such family: Murad is one of my students living down in Baku. His family invited us to join the festivities. They are liing in what was once a school, and have two classrooms to their disposition. The space is nice, if you are a student on anti- squad housing, but …. no running water, no toilet, and quite damp. The family quite ingeniously made little water reservoirs with taps. They also build a shed for the car, and have a key to a toilet together with some other people. There is also a keyless toilet, with separate rooms for men and women, but it is not a happy place. Not that it has shit on the walls, but the reservoir is simply full and overflowing. This sais something for a whole in the ground- what we call Soviet (French) style toilets. In neither toilet taps nor water, so you go with your little bucket… Somehow 20 years of living like that has not been enough to build some decent sanitation. But this does not stop people decorating their trucks. The one on the picture has written on it: Don't forget Qarabagh, and Agdam citizen.

Our reception was incredible. Novruz is the feast of cakes, cookies and baklava, but also a good reason for great pilaf (rice dish), shashliq, … just too much food. Men are to sit, women to serve… and if a man helps, this is laughed at.






The Bərdə tour: once a city of great historical importance, but little to show for it due to floods and earthquakes. There are the ruins of what was once a stone bridge, Nűşabә Qalası Mausoleum (1322-unfortunately not open that day), the tomb of Imam Zadə/ Bəhman Mirzə Qacar, and another brick mosque in which we unbelievers were not welcome (cűmə mosque). Other than that, the usual war memorials and some nice houses, colorfull bazar, and nice surroundings (forests, ruins) but it was too rainy and muddy to venture out. Novrus signs, and the building of big fires were the other highlights.



So after the tour and tea in the tea house, we head back 'home' to build the fire, to do the fire jump, and to meet the extended family. The next day we travelled back home again.