In the harmony of mountains

Vestnik Kavkaza following Russia 24

On the "Russia 24" TV channel the program "Special Report" dedicated to the attractions of Azerbaijan - "Harmony of the mountains" – was released. Russian journalists made a program about mountain regions of Azerbaijan in Khynalyg village, located high in the mountains, in the village of Krasnaya Sloboda in the Guba district, Nabran and Gusary.

According to the authors of the program, today Azerbaijan is literally growing rapidly - Baku skyscrapers look upon the Maiden Tower, oil rigs and the Caspian Sea. They offer a stunning view of the area. But there are in this country other heights that are equally impressive.

Here you feel on top of the world, it is breathtaking. There is the Caspian Sea, to the right the mountains are piercing the sky, and below, the deep gorges and waterfalls. A little closer there are apple orchards that feed not only Azerbaijan, but also other countries. All this is the Guba region. Guba is located in the north of the country, on the border with Russia. The city of Guba was founded in the 15th century and was the center of a Khanate with the same name. Now it is a regional center with a population of 150,000 people. Due to its amazing nature, this region became a favorite destination not only for foreign tourists, but also for the residents of Baku, who manage to escape for a weekend the frenzied rhythm of the metropolis. This area is famous for its waterfalls, some of which reach a height of 80 meters. There, being at one with nature, you forget about time. But even here, you can get caught in traffic. A new road has been built recently. It has greatly simplified the lives of local residents. Previously, it was possible to get here only on horseback.

Located at an altitude of 2.5 km, the village of Khynalyg is unique. Isolated and difficult to reach because of the mountains, the locals are rarely in contact with their neighbors, and therefore have kept intact their ancient language, unlike that of any of their neighbors’. It is spoken today by only about 2 thousand people, i.e. only those living in Khynalyg. But in spite of the small numbers, Khynalyg has its own literature and poetry. Because of its authenticity, Khynalyg is included on the World Heritage Site list by UNESCO. The way of life here, if you disregard the satellite antennas, remains the same as hundreds of years ago.

According to legend, Noah cast his anchor here. Was it like this or not? Who knows. But the dwellings of the locals are similar to the legendary Ark: people and animals in different compartments, but under the same roof.

In Khynalyg there are almost no streets, only roofs. That is, you walk literally across the ceiling. So here, no one pays attention to noisy neighbors. You can stomp, even gallop, or a herd of sheep can pass. The only wish is not to jump, because suddenly you can be in somebody’s home. But welcoming hosts would invite you anyway to feed a guest, to provide drink, entertain, lodging. Caucasian hospitality is not even a tradition, it’s a way of life. In a tiny village and in a restaurant the table will burst with food, and people make sure that you try everything. Of course there all possible types of kebabs, fresh vegetables, breads, greens, pasties and, surely, tea. Each area has their culinary secrets.

Kutabs with herbs are called Lezgin. Some spices only grow well in this area. Here is cilantro, onion, dill. Of course, kutabs, it's more of a winter food. By the way, in Khynalyg winters are cold. Valuable warmth is preserved by carpets. Here they are called "ptsy". And, of course, the lezginka helps highlanders not to freeze. The dance movements of it resemble a flying eagle.

In order to dance like this, one should spend months, if not years of hard training. But even that is not enough if you do not understand the soul of the dance. By the way, the competition for the lezginka between adjacent areas here is constant.

The journalists have also been on the Caspian Sea coast in Nabran.. Patterns that are drawn on the surface of the sea by scooters are also unique, as are the ornaments of famous Azerbaijani carpets. Manufacturing techniques remain the same as they were centuries ago. Lack of buyers has never been an issue.

In contrast to the secluded Khynalyg, here people have long been accustomed to tourists: mountain air combined with sea baths, what could be better for a quality holiday? Many residents of Baku come to Nabran for the weekend. There are Russians, every year more and more. Local residents, especially young people, are actively involved in the tourist industry: tasty food, drink and entertainment.

Nisim’s ensemble has 9 people: Jews, Lezghins, Azerbaijanis and Tats. Everyone plays different instruments. There is no selection criteria. The only thing you need to have is to passionately love your job. The more diverse the group of participants and cultures, the more effective the result. Nisim calls his band the country in miniature, where there is no shortage of inspiration.

Mubariz Agayev, chief executive of Guba, says: “My first deputy is a Tat. We handed in a petition to the president's office recently, a week ago, I learned that his nationality was Tat. We have no differences, we do not even think about it. Here, we have Jews. Krasnaya Sloboda it is called. They are my friends”.

Krasnaya Sloboda is another unique place on the map of Guba. An Israeli diplomat once said: "In the world there are only two places where Jews live safely. It is Israel and Krasnaya Sloboda in Azerbaijan." Before the Soviets came it was called Jewish Sloboda.

After World War II, German POWs built a stone staircase here that connects Guba and Krasnaya Sloboda. Local elders who remember it tell with what surprise the Nazis looked at the Jews living among the Caucasus Mountains, six-pointed stars and synagogues that have been here for centuries. Over the many centuries of its existence, and according to some sources, the early settlers came here in the first century, the locals managed to maintain its unique flavor of life. Today, the tradition has been protected by the state as well. Krasnaya Sloboda has been recognized as a center of preservation and development of the material and spiritual culture of the Mountain Jews, not only in Azerbaijan, but also worldwide.

“In Soviet times, these synagogues were not functioning”, Eliazar Nisimov, Rabbi, said. “The Soviet authorities confiscated all of the synagogues from the community. They used them for different purposes. There were synagogues that they used as warehouse storage, the one with 6 domes was used as a hosiery factory. In the 1990s, our President Heydar Aliyev returned all the objects that were confiscated during the Soviet era to the community, and we began to revive, to restore the synagogues that were already in a dilapidated state. And we are still repairing these synagogues”.

This is a Jewish island in the middle of the Muslim world. And never in the history of the community of the Mountain Jews was there a conflict with their neighbors on ethnic or religious grounds. But centuries of living together, of course, made some adjustments to the Jewish tradition. For example, in food. Although it is kosher, but with a mountain accent - lamb and greens.

On the day when Jews remember their ancestors, from all over the world natives come to Krasnaya Sloboda, including known businessmen and billionaires. They say that history itself showed them the importance of living in peace. And here, on the territory of another state, they do not feel like foreigners - in principle, anyone who happened to be in Azerbaijan feels that way.

In Krasnaya Sloboda nobody thinks about how to return the old name. A new chapter has been written, where nationality does not matter.

We should also talk about the attitude to Russians in these places. The language of Pushkin and Lermontov is held in high esteem. "Greetings to you, gray-haired Caucasus," the well-known lines of Lermontov for these places are not just empty words. The famous poet was here, and even lived for a time in a place with the telling name of Gusary.

They collected items he used in his everyday life, items from his desk. Visitors to our museum can get acquainted with these items.

A monument to the great Russian poet adorns the courtyard of one of the best schools in Guba, to study in which is considered a great success.

“Our school is a purely Russian school. Having graduated from our school, our graduates enter the higher educational institutions of our country, gaining a high score”, Sarah Mammedova, director of School number 3, says. “They go to the most prestigious universities in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Not only in Azerbaijan, they also go abroad”.

Azerbaijan has almost all climatic zones, the weather is a headache for farmers, with solid contrasts. For example, in March, it may be -7 at night and +12 in the afternoon. But fruits are used to growing in this climate, and the area is called an apple orchard. In a market when the seller wants to emphasize the quality of the goods, he is sure to mention that his apples are grown in Guba. The harvest of fresh fruits and vegetables lasts here from May to December. Mamed Kerimov, a farmer with 20 years of experience, says: “The farm is small, but harvests enough for themselves and for the market. 10-15 tons of apples, peaches, pears and nuts.The state helps us, it gives loans as you want. If you want, you plant an orchard, or get a cow”.

The following scheme is valid if you want to improve your farm: the state pays half, and the rest is paid in instalments by the farmer. Taking advantage of this, some breed trout, and someone ordered German cows. Foreign cows accustom themselves perfectly. The climate is good, you can even soak up sun on a beach. By the way, you can relax in these parts all year round, even in winter, for which there is a great plan.

After that, the journalists wanted to see another great project of Azerbaijan - the sport-tourist complex Shahdagh which will be one of the most modern in the world. And the first results are there already. Cable cars, a ski slope, a hotel for 300 people. And when the complex will be completed by 2020, there it will not be crowded even for 10 thousand tourists. It can be used not only in winter. The construction of the complex will cost about 50 million euros, the money is provided both by the government and private investors. And the complex has yet to build roads and communications. This money comes from the contingency fund of President Ilham Aliyev. Although construction is still not completed, dozens of new hotels have already met their first guests.

“In the last 5-6 years, there have actually been some very iconic things happening”, Leila Shikhlinskaya, director of a hotel, said. “Hotels are being built, some tourist bases are built, places that Baku residents like to visit are being put in good shape. It could be a lovely kebab place in some stunning location in the woods or in the mountains. Everything takes a different shape and rises to a different height”.

The numbers of foreign tourists, especially after the final of the Eurovision-2012 song contest, runs in to the millions. Luxury hotels have been built, and now local operators are shifting to the middle class, seeking to provide options to travellers on any budget”.