Australian tourist visited Nakhchivan / Land of prophet Noah

Australian tourist visited Nakhchivan for 2 day. He discovered land of prophet Noah.

Древний город Нахичевань

Нахчыван - один из красивейших уголков Азербайджана. Он необычен по своей природе, архитектуре. Завораживающая панорама величественных гор, своеобразный ландшафт притягивают взгляд и захватывают дух.

Древний край Азербайджана Нахчыван имеет богатое культурное и историческое наследие. В этом краю под каждым камнем, под каждой скалой находятся памятники, воплощающие в себе культуру, традиции и обычаи, богатое прошлое азербайджанского народа, здесь можно встретить пещеры, древние места обитания людей, наскальные росписи, великолепные крепостные сооружения.

В Нахчыване 1162 историко-культурных памятника, из которых 58 имеют мировое значение. В пещерах Газма, Ашаби-Кеф и Килид были найдены следы культуры эпохи каменного века. В конце IV тыс.лет и начале II тыс.лет до н.э на территории Нахчывана для проживания были основаны такие города-крепости как Оглангала, Карабаглар, Чалхангала и Говургала.

Памятники изобразительного искусства наподобие рисунков Гемигая отражают образ жизни и религиозно-идеологическое мировоззрение древних племен Нахчывана. 

Предполагается, что Ашаби-Кеф - пещера из суры Кехф в Коране. 

Еще одним великолепным памятником Нахчывана является лучшее творение Зодчего Аджеми - Мавзолей Момине Хатун. Этот мавзолей также называют нахчыванским Тадж-Махалом. Мавзолей считается одним из самых изящных и высоких памятников не только в Азербайджане, но и во всем мире. Он был возведен в 1186 году над могилой Момине Хатун - жены основателя государства Атабеков Шамсаддина Эльдениза. В народе мавзолей получил название «Купол Атабеков». 

Другой историко-архитектурный памятник, относящийся к Зодчему Аджеми – мавзолей Юсифа ибн Кусейра. Построенный в 1162 году, этот мавзолей также именуется в народе как «мавзолей Отца и деда». На корпусе памятника почерком куфи написаны аяты из Корана. 

Еще одна ценная память средневековой архитектуры Нахчывана - мавзолей Карабаглар. В комплекс памятника Карабаглар входят мавзолей, минареты и расположенные между ними развалины помещения для молитв. Возможно, минареты были построены в конце XII - начале XIII века. Фасадное украшение минарета состоит из повторяющихся слов «Аллах». 

Другой привлекающий внимание архитектурный памятник Нахчывана - Бузхана. Он относится к XIV веку и расположен в центре Ордубада. Здание состоит из большой комнаты, 36 ступеней и подвала для хранения льда. Высота - 11 метров, а толщина стен - 80 см. В зимние месяцы в подвал заливали воду, получая т.о лед. В летние месяцы местные жители использовали его, чтобы хранить продукты питания. 

Хан сарай, относящийся к XVIII веку, считают одним из величественных построений Нахчывана. Он также является местом, которые с интересом посещают туристы. Предполагается, что дворец в конце XVIII века построил Келбели хан Кенгерли - отец последнего нахчыванского хана Эхсана. Памятник до начала XX века был домом для ханов Нахчывана. Сейчас в этом дворце находится Музей ковров Нахчывана. 

Восточная баня, относящаяся к XVIII веку - один из историко-архитектурных памятников, который охраняют власти Нахчывана. Этот архитектурный комплекс был построен вблизи протекающей когда-то через центр Нахчывана реки Базарчай. 

Нахчыван давно славится соляными пещерами, которые привлекают людей с разных концов земли своими лечебными свойствами. 

В центре созданы все условия для больных с заболеваниями органов дыхания, также туда организовываются экскурсии для желающих посмотреть на это чудо природы.

Лечебница состоит из надземной и подземной частей. Первая расположена в Дуздаге и в отеле «Дуздаг», а вторая — под горой на глубине 300 метров.

Tomb of Noah and 4 more reasons to visit Nakhchivan during European Games

Nakhchivan has recently hosted many international events. Nakhchivan is indeed one of the places tourists should visit during the upcoming European Games.

The First European Games will be held in Baku from June 12-28. More than 6,000 athletes from all over Europe will represent their countries within 17 days. Baku was honored to hold the European Games by the European Olympic Committee (EOC) in December 2012.

Nakhchivan is the birthplace of the National Leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev. Famous scholars, statesmen, writers, artists were also born here.

Aside from that, Nakhchivan has a number of tourist attractions, which would be of interest to, basically, anyone.

For example, Nakhchivan is one of the oldest settlements in the world. The toponym "Nakhchivan" has several etymological meanings. According to one of the versions, the toponym "Nakhchivan" is associated with the name of the legendary Prophet Nuh (upon the Old Testament - Noah), who escaped after the Great Deluge. So, the legend says that "Nuhchivan" is the settlement of Noah’s supporters, that is, the area of Noah.

The word ‘Nakhchivan’ consists of three parts: ‘Nakh’ (Nukh or Noah), the Turkic suffix ‘chi’ and the toponymic formant ‘van’, which means ‘place’. The city’s name is translated as ‘a resting place of Noah’ or ‘the place where Noah appeared.’

In the 19^th century the Russian researcher, K.A.Nikitin wrote, “According to legend, after the flood, the prophet Noah lived in Nakhchivan and was buried there... There are still parables about how the prophet Noah worked in local salt mines ...”

The place name ‘Nakhchivan’ was first mentioned as ‘Nakhsuana’ in Ptolemy’s work on geographical knowledge, the Geography (2^nd century BC).

In the run-up of the first-ever European Games, the tourists coming to Azerbaijan are invited to make a fascinating journey through the country’s unique places, among which is Nakhchivan, full of mysteries and legends.

There are 1,162 cultural and historical monuments in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Of them, 58 are of the world significance, 455 monuments are of national importance, and 649 monuments of local importance.

The historical and cultural sites include 663 archaeological monuments, 285 architectural monuments, historical monuments, places of worship and so on.

Below are five historic sightseeing spots you should check out:

Noah's Mausoleum, also known as the Tomb of the Prophet Nuh, is located in the southern part of the city on the territory of the Old Fortress. It was built in 2006 on the remains of an ancient temple. It is believed that there are the relics of Noah in the crypt of the tomb.

Cave of As-hab al Kahf (in Arabic “companions of the cave”) is located about 12 kilometers from the city of Nakhchivan, between the Ilandagh (Hachadagh) and Nahajir mountains at 1,665 meters above sea level. The place is mentioned in the Quran in the Surah Al-Kahf (Cave). As the legend says, seven people, who believed in one God, seeking refugee from the tyranny of an idolatrous ruler, fled him and found a cave to rest in. They fell asleep there and woke up after 300 years.

After waking up and coming of the cave, they saw a changed world, where they felt as strangers. Then they asked God to take them to his kingdom, and the mountain helped them disappear. Since then, the place is called As-hab al Kahf. As-hab al Kahf, along with such architectural monuments as the Mausoleum of Momine Khatun, Geysariyya, is a symbol of Nakhchivan. This sanctuary is revered not only in Azerbaijan but also in countries of the Middle East.

Yusif ibn Kuseyir Mausoleum was built by architect Ajami ibn Abubakr Nakhchivani in the 12^th century. The mausoleum is made up of eight facets and it has a pyramid-shaped roof. It is one of the oldest monuments in the city.

Momina Khatun Mausoleum – another work by the well-known architect Ajami Nakhchivani. Originally, the height of the mausoleum built in the 12^th century, was 34 meters. The mausoleum was built in honor of Momina Khatun, wife of ruler Jahan Pahlavan.

Khan Palace is the sightseeing of the later period - it was built in the 18^th century. It was created by the father of the last khan of Nakhchivan. Starting from 1998, the Khan Palace became Nakhchivan’s State Carpet Museum.

*Photos shot by Mirnaib Hasanoglu, head of the board of Azerbaijan Photographers Union, during a solemn event dedicated to the arrival of the torch of the First European Games to Nakhchivan city.

By Vugar Imanov, Elchin Huseynov/Trend Agensy

Some impressions of our stay in Nakhchivan

We are two Swiss women, one who teaches German and the other Geography, who travelled along the Silk Road during our Easter holidays in April 2015. Our travels took us to Azerbaijan, a country nestled between East and West, shaped by past traditions, yet focused on the future. Since we love exploring places off the beaten track, we also decided after having spent a couple of days in Baku, to visit the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan, an exclave of Azerbaijan, which borders on Turkey, Armenia and Iran.

Our stay was memorable in all respects. During our arrival on the early morning plane, the spring sun bathed the beautiful Nakhchivan City in a warm glow. Our driver Niyazi, who was already waiting for us at the airport, met us with a hearty welcome. After a short stop at the Grand Hotel, he drove us to Ordubad through beautiful landscapes with flowering trees and fields of red poppies. In this small town near the Iranian border, people made us feel at ease straight away. We were invited for tea in the Central Square, and a journalist who was making a television report (a TV special to promote tourism in the Ordubad region) kindly put together a a list for us of the most important sites, places of interest and the museums of his region. On his advice, we decided to set off for the Alinja fortress.

It took us a bit of an effort to climb the endless stairs in the heat of the afternoon. Niyazi abandoned us half-way. Once we had arrrived at the top of the fortress, the view of the surrounding landscape was breathtaking, which more than compensated for all of our exhausting physical efforts.

We then continued on to the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, a place of pilgrimage hidden in the rocks. We were again offered a cup of tea on a shady terrace before going back to Nakhchivan City. In the evening, we strolled along the streets of the capital and savoured a tasty lentil soup in the restaurant on the top floor of the Tabriz Hotel with a dramatically beautiful view of the city and the mountains. The city seemed to be neatly arranged around the central square, modern and dynamic, yet restful. On our return to the Grand Hotel, we met Elcin Qurbanov who, fortunately for us, spoke English fluently and offered to guide us the following day.

After a good night's rest at our comfortable hotel, we were looking forward to discovering other parts of Nakhchivan, to learn more about its past, its traditions and its expectations for the future. Elcin and Niyazi picked us up and drove us in the direction of the Turkish border. We stopped at the village of Garabaglar and visited its complex, consisting of two minarets and a mausoleum, erected in honour of Gudi Khatun, the wife of the grandson of the emperor Genghis Khanand. They even let us climb up one of the towers, which offfered us a clear view of Mount Agri.

We next visited the Duzdag salt mines (Duz Dag = Salt Mountain), the oldest in the world, to which is attached a sanatorium for people suffering from respiratory problems. We were served a refreshing thyme tea in the tea shop at the entrance of the mine, then walked along a long corridor leading to bedrooms deep inside the mine. Breathing the salty air turned out to be quite refreshing.

Elcin then chose to lead us to Bicelak, a holiday resort high up in the mountains located a short distance from the border of Armenia where we enjoyed an impressive winter landscape. We reached a lake which was partly frozen; the surrounding countryside was still covered in snow. It was pure magic.

After this privileged moment, we returned to Nakhchivan City to visit its famous monuments. Thanks to Elcin, the mauoleums of Momine Khatun and Huseyn Javid, as well as the Khan Palace, soon held almost no more secrets for us. At the end of the day, Niyazi and Elcin invited us for dinner in a typical restaurant before we took the evening flight back to Baku. It was not without some regret that we left Nakhchivan, its dazzling beauty and its friendly, hospitable and generous people.

We would like to heartily thank all those who made our stay in Nakhchivan unforgettable, above all Niyazi and Elcin. We highly recommend this destination to our family, friends and colleagues, and to all people seeking authenticity, and hope that Nakhchivan will become a prime destination for foreign visitors.

visitors.

Diane Projer and Marina Morard

May trip with Nakhchivan/Azerbaijan

May trip with Nakhchivan

 Text & Photos © K. Gauger 

Again I did my every year's spring trip and it turned out to be one of the best ever! Manly because of my visit to Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR) with Mario Camici and others. But more of that later... Already the time in mainland Azerbaijan was great with 215 species in 11 days!

Just a few images here:

Fortunately Christian Gönner borrowed me his camera. Although it was not the newest one it was essential to have it for Nakhchivan.

It was my first visit to the exclave and it was even better than what I dreamed of for years!Here are some landscapes and the appendant birs.

Long-legged Buzzard

Batabat region. At above 2000 m asl the lakes hold breeding Redshanks, Common Sandpipers, Black-winged Stilts, Little Grebes, Sedge Warblers... We didn't see Raddes Accentor, which Pavel Simeonow had here two years ago but many other subalpine birds.

Ruddy Shelducks

On the way to Batabat at about 1500 m asl, the typical habitat of Irania which is very common here.

these Lesser Whitethroats occur in the mountains and look very much like althea

at several places we saw Upcher's Warbler

View from the Alindja castle mountain towards the lowland.

Grey-necked Bunting, common in the lower mountains

In cultivations in the lowland we found many Desert Finches, the first breeding records for Azerbaijan.

In the negram mountains, the lowest and driest part of Nakhchivan. Probably the best place to see Mongolian Finch.

Mongolian Finch, we saw several in Negram region.

Persian Wheatears are widespread in the lower mountains and the Negram.

flock of Black-bellied Sandgrouse, also seen or heard at several sites

 quite common as well, Eastern Rock Nuthatch

Trumpeter Finch, there were families at different places

 In the mountains of Ordubad region. Dry mountain slopes and lush vegetation in the valleys.

  Steppes around Ilandag. Rich  in flowers and only slightly grazed compared with the mainland.

See-see Partridge, widespread in the dry regions

 Bimaculated Larks are very common in the steppes

Pale Rock Sparrow, found at two places only but likely also widespread

Upcher's Warbler, typical for open habitats with small bushes

 The symbol of Nakhchivan, Mount İlandag.

female Wild Goat, there seem to be many of them and we also saw a Moufflon with offspring

The place where we wanted to see Caspian Snowcock. Although our local guide has see them here before, we could not find any. Anyway, there are several places where they should occur.

Nakhchivan is absolutely great, not only the species but also the landscape! I'm already looking forward to our next year's trip ;-)