guba

Guba is one of the oldest cities of Azerbaijan, located in a picturesque corner of the North Caucasus. This place is amazingly diverse and rich in culture and history, which has left its trace in local architecture, religion, and traditions. In Guba you can enjoy the beauty of mountain nature, visit numerous attractions, get acquainted with unique ethnographic groups, as well as try your hand at various sports and enjoy the hospitality of residents.

MUST SEE

Guba, a couple of hours' drive from Baku, opens the way to the majestic Caucasus Mountains. Located on the northeastern slopes of Mount Shahdag at an altitude of over 600 meters above sea level, the city is noticeably cooler than the capital and opens a majestic mountain scenery. Founded in the IV century, by the end of the XVII century Guba became a major trade center, and in 1735 it became the capital of the khanate of the same name. Guba Khanate had its own arms production. Fruit and saffron were grown in local mountain gardens - by the way, Guba apples are still considered the best in Azerbaijan. The best carpets were woven in the villages - today some samples can be seen in museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The medieval fortress of Chirag-gala ("light-fortress") was once a key object in the defense system of Guba. The signal fire was lit on the towers of the fortress, unfortunately, nowadays only ruins of these towers have been preserved. The historic Gilgichay fortress was built even earlier, in the V-VI centuries by the Iranian Sassanid dynasty. Powerful walls more than 6 meters thick and about 9 meters high stretched along the Gilgichay river, rising into the mountains and descending to the Caspian Sea. In the city center there is the first Friday Mosque "Juma" (1802) and monumental multifaceted building of Sakina khanum mosque made of red brick, built in 1854. Tourists will be interested to visit the bathhouse called Chukhur hamam of XVIII century - a large dome that is crowning the red brick building allowed to keep humidity and temperature inside. The bathhouse was used for its intended purpose until 1980. From Nizami Park, a staircase with plenty of sculptures leads to the Gudialchay Bridge built in 1894. Behind the river is the village of Krasnaya Sloboda, the only community of mountain Jews in the Commonwealth of Independent States. The oldest synagogue in Garchaga houses the Museum of Mountain Jews.

Guba district is a great place for mountain hiking and ecotourism. You can see the Afurja waterfall, enjoy the coolness in the Tengealti valley. One of the popular routes leads to the high-mountain village of Khynalyg, where the ancient Zoroastrian temple of fire worshippers has been preserved at an altitude of 2300 meters - for a long time the village was cut off from civilization by steep cliffs. Representatives of several small peoples live in mountain villages, so it is a worth visiting place as a curious ethnographic open-air museum. The southern foothills of the Caucasus are home to a huge number of birds, which are entertaining to observe (the best time is from mid-May to mid-June). Lovers of luxury sports should visit the Azerbaijan National Golf Club on the territory of Quba Palace Hotel resort. This is the only sports complex of its kind in the South Caucasus.

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