Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

Mystical Azerbaijan…waiting to be discovered  

 

Real travelers love Asia. It is as though the continent was built for travel; a place that excites, thrills, challenges & infuriates. From the nomadic steppes of Kazakhstan to the frenetic streets of Hanoi, Asia is a continent so full of intrigue, adventure, solace and spirituality that it has fixated and confounded travellers for centuries. The Great Silk Road is the name of an ancient transcontinental trade trunk route that once integrated the East & the West. There are over 40 countries today alongside the historic Land & Maritime Silk Roads, all still bearing witness to the impact of these routes in their culture, traditions & customs.


One of them is Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, bounded by the Caspian Sea & Caucasus Mountains, which span Asia & Europe. Stunning sights & adventures just waiting to be experienced. You just prepare to be charmed…..

 

Asia has contributed a cast of villains & heroes to global history. Most of the significant achievements of the modern world had their infancy in Asia. Historic trading routes sliced across epic terrain as expanding empires competed to trade goods & ideas throughout the continent and beyond. Asia’s ambitious civilisations ultimately gave rise to some of the world’s most revolutionary ideas & important technology. Ancient wonders & sacred spaces abound across the continent, from the Great Wall of China and the temples of Angkor to lesser-known marvels in Myanmar, Nepal & Afghanistan.

 

From sublime coastlines to snow-capped mountains, the majestic Mekong River to wildlife infested jungle, Asian landscapes hold an immediacy & vibrancy that captivates and enchants. Immense expanses of desert flow down from inhospitable mountains, which in turn give way to seemingly impenetrable forests. In a land where tigers still roam free (though far from noisy tourists) nature continues to be the driving force in many peoples’ lives. Virtually every climate on the globe is represented here; take a trek over the Gobi’s arching dunes or sun yourself on the sand-fringed tropical islands of the South China Sea.

 

Is there any greater place to eat than Asia? The continent has exported its cuisines the world over: India’s red hot curries, China’s juicy dumplings, Vietnam’s steaming bowls of pho soup and Thailand’s heaping plates of pàt tai (pad Thai) noodles are known and loved across the globe. Eating here can be both a joyous and chaotic affair: forks are forsaken in favour of fingers or chopsticks and food is enjoyed with unrivalled gusto. Whether settling down for a Michelin-starred meal in one of Singapore’s finest restaurants or pulling up a plastic stool on a Bangkok street, hungry travellers will never be bored by the diversity of Asia’s cuisines.

 

Gleaming skyscrapers, whooshing magnetic trains, shiny smartphones: in Asia, the future is now. China is charging its way into the 21^st century with its economy developing at a head-spinning pace, while South Korea boasts some of the fastest internet speeds in the world and India is a hub of growing technology. A frenetic buzz surrounds urban Asia: the fashion, culture & business in the continent’s metropolises easily challenge the biggest European & American cities for their status as global hubs. This ever-evolving modernity can make for some incredibly special travel experiences: watch rice paddies flash by from a high-speed train, pick up a shiny new laptop in a Hong Kong electronics market or go to a robot cabaret show in Japan.

 

The unmoving landscapes of the Silk Road have enchanted travellers for millennia. The Great Silk Road is the name of an ancient transcontinental trade trunk route that once integrated the East & the West. Few people know that the western world got to know about China, one of the most mysterious countries of antiquity, through the advent of the Great Silk Road. It was the road by which silk & other goods, unknown in Europe before, began being exported to the Western countries in the 2^nd century BC. Novelties like cotton, dates, cucumber, various melon & gourds, and citrus cultures, china & ivory were brought by this road. The Road was also a connecting link to exchange ideas & cultures and was used to bring paper & gunpowder from China to the West.

 

This was the road Marco Polo made a voyage by, discovering mysterious China to the Europeans. And the road that was used by Atilla & Genghis Khan to lead their armies.

 

The Silk Road has existed for thousands of years, passing through many different empires, kingdoms, reigns & societies throughout history. In the antiquity & Middle-Ages, it was also a channel to disseminate scientific knowledge & cultural values and it was the way the Buddhist monks were moving by, disseminating their teaching around the world, when Buddhism came from India to China & Central Asia.

 

At certain times in its long history, traders could travel freely along these routes, whereas at others, travel was difficult or dangerous. The Silk Road enriched the countries it passed through, transporting cultures, religions, languages  & of course, material goods into societies across Europe, Asia & Africa, and uniting them all with a common thread of cultural heritage & plural identities and historic value have been developed in different regions alongside the Silk Roads. Each of these sites or monuments not only represents the various customs & traditions of local communities, but also bears witness to the cultural interaction that took place in or around them, revealing the influence of cultures from around the world, brought into contact via the historic Silk routes.

 

Cities grew up along the Silk Roads as essential hubs of trade & exchange and after travelling for weeks on end, across inhospitable deserts & dangerous oceans, they provided an opportunity for merchants & their animals to rest, to sell & buy, and moreover, to meet with other travellers, exchanging not only material goods but also skills, customs, languages & ideas. In this way, over time, many Silk Road cities attracted scholars, teachers, theologians & philosophers, and thus became great centres for intellectual and cultural exchange & building blocks in the development of civilizations throughout history.

 

From Xi’an in China to Bukhara in Uzbekistan, from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia (then, the region of Hejaz) to Venice in Italy, cities supplied the ports & markets that punctuated the trade routes & gave them momentum.

 

Travelling the length of this route today, with its flaming red mountains, towering sand dunes and alpine lakes, still offers a very real sense of what ancient traders experienced. And in 2014, UNESCO listed the entire 5000 km Tian Shan Corridor as a World Heritage Site.

 

There are over 40 countries today alongside the historic Land & Maritime Silk Roads, all still bearing witness to the impact of these routes in their culture, traditions & customs. 

 

One of them is Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, bounded by the Caspian Sea & Caucasus Mountains, which span Asia & Europe.

 

Selling itself as the 'Land of Fire', Azerbaijan is a tangle of contradictions & contrasts. Neither Europe nor Asia, it is a nexus of ancient historical empires, but also a ‘new’ nation rapidly transforming itself with a super-charged gust of petro-spending.

 

The cosmopolitan capital, Baku, famed for its medieval walled Inner City, is a UNESCO listed ancient core with dazzling 21^st century architecture & sits on the oil-rich Caspian Sea. Within the Inner City, lies the Palace of the Shirvan shahs, a royal retreat dating to the 15^th century, and the centuries-old stone Maiden Tower, which dominates the city skyline.

 

In the surrounding semi-desert are mud volcanoes & curious fire phenomena. Yet barely 3 hours’ drive away, timeless rural villages, clad in lush orchards & backed by the soaring Great Caucasus mountains are a dramatic contrast.

 

In most such places, foreigners remain a great rarity, but in return for a degree of linguistic dexterity, you will find a remarkable seam of hospitality. And a few rural outposts - from village homestays to glitzy ski & golf-hotels - now have the odd English speaker to assist travellers.

 

History, great food & idyllic scenery are just the beginning……. Take the plunge now nd yep….Azerbaijan on the Great Silk Road is waiting. A warm welcome, historical secrets & an artistic paradise awaits you and The Journeys is ready to take you on well, a journey (or journeys) of discovery.

 

 

 Come……be inspired & discover the World with us

 

We are in the process of updating our Offerings of experiential journeys to Azerbaijan. Please contact us in the interim if you want to explore options & we will be happy to offer suggestions based on your personal preferences………