By Vestnik Kavkaza
The German site of Euronews published an article headlined “Baku: on the way to the future” within a series of articles devoted to Azerbaijan. Vestnik Kavkaza presents a translation of the article.
Azerbaijan is a country of flames. Flames coming right from earth – burning natural gas deposits – have been known here for centuries. Fire is a symbol of the country. Its capital is Baku, an Eastern city on the bank of the Caspian Sea.
The earliest written records on Baku are placed by scientists to the 1st century A.D. Since that time the city experienced many sieges and had many times been a battle field. Even in modern Baku one can see that many cultures left their imprint here, on the crossroads between Asia and Europe.
The guide for foreigners, Khanum Babayeva, is sure that Baku is a very interesting city. “Tourists should come here because one can find here examples of various eras and cultures. One city is a collection of everything which you can see separately in Spain, North Africa, and Central Asia. We call Baku a city of contrasts due to the combination of modernity and antiquity. On the one side, you see the Maiden Tower and a palace with a minaret; one the other side – three skyscrapers which are a symbol of new Baku,” she says.
The new symbol of the city is the so-called Flame Towers which dominate over the city horizon. Other impressive buildings have been constructed nearby. Walls of the old city – Icherishekher – are recognized by UNESCO as an object of the World Heritage. A unique private museum which has more than 5000 miniature books from 64 countries is situated here as well. Zarifa Salakhova, the owner of the museum, is proud of it: “Miniature books is an art. The tinier book is, the more difficult art target is set.”
However, there are problems in the Caspian Sea: less and less sturgeon is left in the sea. It means – less black caviar is produced. The government is trying to save Caspian sturgeon from extinction. The authorities are working on the program of artificial breeding of sturgeon and saving the caviar industry on the Kura River which comes to the Caspian Sea.
Sturgeon caviar is thought to be one of the best. But now its resources are under a big threat. The program of artificial breeding is aimed at helping them to survive. Each fish is under a strict control. In five years they will be let in to the sea.
