Editors’ note: This weekly travel column does not report or focus on global conflicts. As such, this travel log does not discuss the persecution of Armenian Christians, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, or the reports of ethnic cleansing of Christians in the region. To read CP’s numerous news articles and opinion pieces on those concerning developments, read more here, here, here and here.
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 the 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.
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.
The streets of Baku’s Old City. | Dennis Lennox
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.)
The ruins of the Orthodox church at the location where St. Bartholomew the Apostle was martyred. | Dennis Lennox
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 interior of the Church of the Savior, a 19th century Lutheran church that today hosts assorted Protestant congregations. | Dennis Lennox
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.
