| 
Who wanders near that palmy glade,
Where the fresh breeze adds coolness to the shade?
‘Tis Majnun – he has left his father’s tomb,
Again mid rocks and scorching plains to roam,
Unmindful of the sun’s meridian heat,
Or the damp dewy night, with unshod feet;
Unmindful of the forest’s savage brood,
Howling on every side in quest of blood;
No dread has he from aught of earth or air,
From den or aerie, calm in his despair:
He seems to court new perils, and can view
With unblench’d visage scenes of darkest hue;
Yet is he gentle, and his gracious mien
Checks the extended claw, where blood has been;
For tiger, wolf, and panther gather round
The maniac as their king …
We invite you to discover Ganja – the motherland of the great poet of Azerbaijan – Nizami Ganjavi and also visit the pearl of mount Kapaz – Goygol lake that was newly opened for tourists in recent time.
Program:
Day 1. Baku
Arrival in Baku – check-in
Baku | with the English speaking Guide
Excursion to the Old City tour begins with a visit to the Upland Park.
Upland Park is located on a hill in the western part of the city. This is the best place to see the city and the Baku Bay.
The tour proceeds with the visit to the Old City – with its fortress walls, historical buildings and narrow paved streets. The tourists will see and appreciate the main attractions of the Old City, including the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the famous Maiden Tower. Just imagine that the bricks under your shoes for centuries keep memory of city’s history, its fame and glory, its grieves and sufferings. During the walk you will definitely feel that the air smells like a magic – salty and oily odor of the Caspian Sea mixes up with the flavors of Oriental spices and kabab from the numerous restaurants. Baku is a young girl – it is full of energy, beautiful, bright and vivid. It is ready to change but nevertheless follows the traditions of ancestors. Behind the walls the city life sparkles like a melting pot, while in the Old City everything is calm and dutiful as it was for centuries. Baku people do not like to live in hurry.
We continue our city tour showing you the most interesting historical and architectural monuments.
We continue with Cultural Centre named after Heydar Aliyev. Heydar Aliyev Center is a cultural center, projected as a complex structure that includes the Auditorium (convention center), a museum, exhibition halls, administrative offices. The project center has been designed by renowned architect Zaha Hadid. Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre is considered to be one of the symbols of modern Baku.
On the first floor of the Centre the exhibition “Masterpieces of Azerbaijan” is presented. It demonstrates unique exhibits reflecting the inexhaustible natural wealth, long history of the country and its cultural heritage. This exhibition draws attention as a modern interactive means to study the history and culture of Azerbaijan. One of the main features of the exhibition is that it presents all periods of the history of Azerbaijan, demonstrates exhibits relating to different areas of Azerbaijani culture. Thus, the exhibition includes unique examples of ancient crafts; in particular the Azerbaijani carpet weaving school, a special interest is the demonstration of copper products. Ancient Azerbaijani musical instruments are presented in the original – the sound form.
The exhibition presents traditional clothes and old coins. The attention of visitors attracted to the holy books of different religions, representatives of which live in Azerbaijan, the exhibit is known as the space tolerance.(you can visit any of this exhibitions for additional payment).
Overnight in Baku
! In case of late arrival we provide night excursion without museums entry.
Day 2. Baku – Ganja
Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out. Trip to Ganja.
Ganja is the second largest city in Azerbaijan, a monument of the ancient culture, industrial center of Western Azerbaijan. This city played an important role in the history of Azerbaijan, being located at the crossroads of caravan routes, where the travelers and world-name scholars stopped. The history of the country is riddled with significance of this city, which for centuries was the capital of the country and a trading hub, attracted merchants from different countries, who traded silk, fur, spices, Damascus steel and other treasures of the Middle Ages. No wonder that the name of the city means “treasure”. At the entrance to the city you are welcomed by poet Nizami’s Mausoleum. Ganja is inseparably linked with the name of the poet, so there are a lot of images of tis famous man in the city. The mausoleum is a place of pilgrimage for poets from around the world till nowadays.
Arriving in the city. Check in at the hotel.
The visit of Sheikh Bahauddin architectural ensemble will be truly unforgettable. This monument of architecture of the XVII century includes a caravanserai, Shah Abbas Mosque (Friday Mosque), medieval bath (Chekyak-Hamam).
Juma Mosque was built in the time of Shah Abbas, its architect Sheikh Bahauddin was an astronomer, so the mosque has an interesting feature. At noon the shadow falling on the western wall of the building disappears. This means that it is time to midday prayer. Cheyak-Hamam (bath) consists of two interconnected rooms. This room is particularly popular among residents and worked until 1963. Today Cheyak Hamam is primarily a cultural monument, since 2002 is under the protection of UNESCO.
Bottle House – one of the strangest sights of Ganja. This two-storey house is decorated with approximately 50,000 glass bottles and stones brought from different parts of the former Soviet Union.
In the evening, guests can take a stroll in the park in the center of the city – the residents cherish these ancient trees from the 16th century.
Return to the hotel. Overnight in Ganja
Day 3. Ganja – Khanlar (Goygol) – Goygol National Park
Breakfast at the hotel. Excursion.
On the way to the national park, we will visit the city of the same name Goy Gel a former German settlement of the 19th century on the territory of Azerbaijan – during the times of the Russian Empire it was called Elenendorf. It is a small island in the East German architecture – houses from the early 20th century built by German architects are still preserved here, as well as the Lutheran Church. Next we will go to Goygol Lake Nature Reserve. This lake is relatively young – it was formed in the 12th century as a result of the fall of the mount Kapaz summit during the earthquake. However, the lake is most beautiful in whole Azerbaijan. Situated around the woods, the lake was not available to visit for several years – there were arrangement works in the park. Now, this oriental beauty re-appeared in full glory In front of the tourists.
Return to Ganja
Overnight in Ganja
Day 4. Ganja – Gobustan – Baku
Breakfast. Extract from the hotel.
Departure from Ganja.
On his way to Baku, we will make a stop in the historical and archaeological museum in Gobustan. The reserve is well known with its perfectly preserved rock paintings – petroglyphs – a kind of artistic “archive” of human evolution on the Earth. “Documents” of such archives is the first human’s presentation of his/her “I” to the outside world.
Gobustan Rocks are not just the brightest witnesses of the prehistoric period of human existence. They reflect the history of this region for nearly 15,000 years – since the end of the era of the Upper Paleolithic till the Middle Ages. Of particular interest are the images multi-oar boats, with a light source at the stern. They were drown above the level at which people had been portrayed, and this phenomenon set up a lot different interpretations. Today Azerbaijani scientists found, described and studied more than 4,000 petroglyphs (rock painting in the stone carving art) and this important work continues.
Before the start of the tour around Gobustan guests will visit the interactive museum with the same name, where with the help of special programs and multimedia touch screens you will get information about the nature, the flora of Gobustan.
Arrive in Baku.Hotel accommodation.
Overnight in Baku
Day 5. Baku
Breakfast to the hotel.
End of tour.
