Special correspondent of the Scottish newspaper The Daily Record Brian MCiver visits the host city of the inaugural European Games and checks out discovers why Azerbaijan is known as the Land of Fire
The volcanic surface is bubbling away ominously at the top of the mountain.
A gruesome viscous liquid is dripping over the top of the ridge and gradually seeping down the hill, just a few feet from where I stand.
It’s an awesome spectacle, but I’m not in Iceland or Polynesia staring into an active heap of magma.
Instead, I’m in rural Azerbaijan, on the very eastern tip of Europe, enjoying the amazing natural wonder of the nation’s famous mud volcanoes.
Just an hour from the fizzing capital city of Baku, the stunning Lokbatan volcanoes in Gobustan National Park are just one of the amazing attractions of Azerbaijan, the Land of Fire, which make this relatively
new nation a fascinating and gorgeous place to explore.
The eyes of the world are on the former Soviet republic this month as Baku plays host to the first European Games, a major sporting event which it’s hoped will put the bustling oil city on the map outside of the petrochemical and Eurovision community.
The city itself, easily accessible via London and regular BA flight connections, is something to behold.
Part of it is the beautiful ancient city dating back to Baku’s days as a key stopover between Europe and Asia on the Silk Road.
The walled city and gorgeous Maiden’s Tower of the old town, as well as the endless narrow lanes and streets decorated with tea houses and salesmen, all fill you with the romance of this port and trade capital’s past.
But just a few feet away, shiny and sky-piercing hotel blocks, offices and designer shops decorate the promenade next to the Caspian Sea.
It’s easy to say Baku is a city of contrasts, because they are everywhere. The country, which is sandwiched by Iran, Russia and the stunning Caspian Sea, has plentiful gas and oil reserves – and they have been cashing in.
Bentley, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton and Donald Trump have all moved in for a piece of the glitzy action, and there are amazing hotels, bars and restaurants everywhere you look.
Apart from hosting 6000 athletes and officials for the inaugural European Games, Baku is also home to a significant Scots population thanks to its booming oil industry.
About 100 more Scots have joined them in the country to work as temporary staff during the Games, which kick off today and feature 20 sports, from athletics, swimming, shooting and cycling to beach football, 3x3 basketball and the Russian martial art Sambo.
The city has built a set of stunning new venues, including an athletics stadium and aquatics centre, for the event, which is the biggest they’ve hosted since the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012.
Next year, it will also hold its first Formula 1 race, and Baku will be one of the 13 host cities during Euro 2020.
It all adds to the feel of a place on the move.
In the city, which has been compared by some to Dubai, ancient streets, towers and mosques dovetail massive skyscraper hotels and office blocks, while the bazaar markets compete with the Versace, Bentley and Armani stores on the seafront.
You could spend days exploring the old town, with the stunning walled castle home to many tiny shops, elaborate tea rooms (a bit like non-alcoholic speakeasies) and beautiful ornate architecture.
The Maiden’s Tower is worth climbing for the views and the history of tragic lost love, and you can enjoys hours walking the lovely streets near the Caspian shore.
The modern side of the city is less weighty but still worth seeing.
The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, named after the former president, is a stunning-looking curved modern exhibition hall designed by Zaha Hadid.
She was also the architect behind the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, and you can see the similarities.
Dominating the city’s skyline is Flame Towers, a three-pronged glass skyscraper designed as licks of fire. It houses a hotel and offices – and at night amazing art and designs are projected on to the walls.
But it’s also well worth getting out of the city. Apart from the fascinating mud volcanoes, the prehistoric cave
paintings in nearby Gobustan will blow your mind and are another must-see.
Also unmissable is Yanar Dag, a shrine not far from Baku where the gas pours out of the hillside, and once ignited burns away all day.
This dramatic display of the Land of Fire’s natural resources is a spectacular sight – and just one more of the genuinely breathtaking highlights of this fun, quirky, friendly and incredibly exciting destination.
