Azerbaijan Carpet Tour

The main purpose of this tour is to introduce tourists with an ancient Azeri art -  carpet weaving . Tourists will visit workshops where they can personally watch the transformation of different colors threads into the beautiful work of art. Also attend the carpet saloons located in the picturesque   "Icheri Sheher"   (Old Town). In the saloons the best modern Azeri carpets will be presented to their attention and tourists will have an opportunity to buy carpets accompanying with their certificates for the very competitive prices.
And certainly you'll visit The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum of Carpets & Applied Art in the old Lenin Museum where one of the best collections of local and Persian carpets will be presented to your attention.
Also Tour program will include visits to the main sightseeing of Baku and other Azeri cities.

TOUR PROGRAM

1-st day - Baku

Transfer from airport. Settlement in hotel.
Breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on time of arrival.
Free time.

2-nd day - Baku

During two days of Baku tour you will have an opportunity to visit the most interesting places of the Azeri capital and will be introduced with its history and current life of the city. You will note the mingling of ancient architecture, traditions with the modern buildings and life style. You will visit ancient Maiden Tower which according to the latest researches is the largest Zoroastrian temple in the world, the old city which is the highly picturesque core of Baku, Zoroastrian temple   "Ateshgah"   and medieval castles of Apsheron. And on the other hand the most modern signs of the city will also be a part of our program.

Breakfast in hotel.
Baku was an important stop on an ancient Great Silk Route and a number of its places of interest connected with this remarkable stage in the mankind history.

The heart of the historic city is Ichari Shahar (the Inner City, or Old Town).
This is one of the oldest continuously inhabited spots in the country - and in the Middle East. Archaeological digs have revealed Bronze Age burial chambers. When the Greeks and Romans wrote about Baku, they were writing about the Inner City.

The whole day will be dedicated to this historic architectural complex. The tourists will visit two outstanding carpet saloons located in Ichari Sheher where they'll watch beautiful works of carpet weaving art and have an opportunity to buy certified carpets.
The most impressive museum is the Museum of Carpets & Applied Art in the old Lenin Museum where one of the best collections of local and Persian carpets will be presented to your attention. It has a brilliant display of woven and knotted Azerbaijani carpets, plus jewellery, embroidery, metalwork and carved wood.
During of the couple of hours break tourists will have their lunch and rest in hotel.

To night you will have a dinner in the Caravanserai restaurant with music program and belly dance and tasting caviar and sturgeon cooked in a local manner.

Those who interested can be transferred to nightclubs and places of interest.

3-rd Day

This day you'll visit two carpet workshops using an ancient technique of carpet weaving and located in Baku suburbs.
There you'll be given a brief lecture from one of the famous Azeri experts in carpets.

In that area there is one of the unique monuments of world culture - the   "Ateshgah"   . The Atashgah Temple, also known as the Temple of the Fireworshippers, has been a centre of worship for thousands of years and was used by traders of Great Silk Route as a caravanserai or as an important place to visit.

Lunch.
Free time.
And to night dinner in the local restaurant with traditional food and local dances.

Those who interested can be transferred to nightclubs and places of interest.

4-th day - Baku-Shamakha-Lahij-Pirkuli

Breakfast in hotel.
Leave for Lahij.

In the beautiful and ancient place called   Lahij   tourists will attend a famous ancient carpet workshop which is also producing certified carpets.

Many of the 2,000 people living in Lahij are involved in ancient crafts such as engraved copper work and carpet weaving. In the mid-19th century, there were more than 200 workshops in Lahij. Traders discovered Lahij crafts many centuries ago, and sold them for high prices at bazaars in Baghdad [now Iraq], Shiraz [now Iran] and other Middle Eastern cities.

Local legend tells that Iranian Shah Kay Khosrow retired to this village in the Caucasus because of its pleasant climate and picturesque scenery. In the Zavara cemetery, there's even a grave with a tombstone that clearly reads "Kay Khosrow," along with other tombstones that date back more than 1,000 years ago.

From Lahij you will be transferred to   Shemakha   where you will have your dinner and stay in local hotel or go to the mountainous resort   Pirguli   to stay in the comfortable cottages.

4-th day - Shemakha-Pirkuli

Ancient city   Shemakha   is situated in 180 km from Baku and located at the foothills of the Big Caucasus Mountains Chain. The general elevation of Shemakha is 800 meters over the sea level. One of the most ancient oriental trading cities, it claims to be the city of Kmakhia mentioned by the ancient Greek geographer Ptolomy in his book 'Geography'.
For a long period Shemakha knew a very active commercial life, being one of the basic points in the region the Silk Route was going through.

Once the capital of Shirvan, Shemakha attracted not only invaders that plundered it but was nearly destroyed over the centuries by repeated earthquakes (1902, 1872, 1859, 1828,1669 and 1667).
"Today, Shamakha cannot say, whether it will survive tomorrow", wrote Dumas in 1858. However, Shamakha inhabitants recruited their forces and raised the town again.

High in the Pirgulu mountains, 13 km from Shemakha, 1.400m above seal level, is located the Tusi astronomic observatory, built in the 1960s named after the 13-th century Azeri astronomer, it has the biggest mirror telescope in the CIS.
Pirgulu mountains can be recommended as a good skiing spot, but there are no lifts, so all you can do is cross-country skiing - scandinavian style! Mild climate of this temperate zone, rich soil, abundant forests, alpine meadows are distinctive features of this part of Azerbaijan. The population of this district is basically dealing with viticulture, vine growing and wine making (Shemakha is famous for excellent wines produced both in wineries and privately at homes), cultivation of fruit and vegetables, cattle-breeding and carpet weaving. Visitors can tour carpet factories and local vineyards (which produce sweet fortified wines).

The wine tradition is quite old and the area even has its own grape variety, Matrassa used for excellent dry red wines. Local legend claims that the first French vines came from Shemakha! In fact the wine produced along the western Caucasus came a long way. As early as the late 15th century wines from this area were bought by some of the more demanding wine connoisseurs in western Europe: the Portuguese. Scores of traders, soldiers, priests and adventurers followed Portuguese expansion in Asia, creating a local market for the caucasian wines. A few bottles even reached the Shores of Portugal itself.

In Shemakha you will visit two-storied Deri Baba mausoleum (15th century), have a brief tour to Shamakha itself. The program includes attendance of number of workshops where you can purchase different kinds of artifacts which will always remind you of an ancient area named Shamakha.

And the last point of Lahij-Shamakha tour is Pirkuli resort where you will be provided with an opportunity to taste a local wine and cognac known as the best in Azerbaijan. You will visit the space observatory with the largest mirror telescope in the CIS.
You will be settled for the night in this resort area in the comfortable cottages.

6-th day - Shamakha-Guba

 Guba   is located on the northeastern slopes of the Great Caucasus Mountains. Situated on the Gudial-chai River, Guba is about 200 kilometers from Baku. Guba is known as Azerbaijan's orchard. In this lush area grows a large percentage of the fruits and vegetables produced in Azerbaijan. The fruit is famous for its taste and variety - over 100 different kinds of apples, pears, cherries and quince grow here in abundance. The carpets of Guba are equally as famous. It is one of Azeri centres of carpet making - Quba's rugs are believed to be one of the best in the world.

One such carpet, which dates back to 1712 is on display at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Carpets from Guba are distinctive in their workmanship and design and are sold all over the world. Guba has an array of historic buildings from the 9th and the 16th century - such as the two egg-shaped domes.

You will visit the oriental bathes, muslim momuments - Djuma Mosque (XIX c.), octagonal mausoleum (XVI c.), Tengialty Castle, Sakina-khanum Mosque (XIX c.). Tour program includes a visit to carpet weaving factory with an opportunity to buy famous Guba carpets.

To night dinner in local (but high standard) restaurant.

7-th Day - Guba-Baku

Return to Baku and free time till dinner in the traditional restaurant.
Leaving for airport.