Random house...

This is a photo of a random house in Sheki. It is an old house built maybe more than 100 years ago (dont know exactly but its architecture looks really old) but looking at its roof for example it is obvious that it has been refurbished and kind of modernized.

I am sure that the view from its second floor is great...

enjoy Friday :)

Gates of Sheki...

This is a picture of the gates of Sheki Caravanserai that I mentioned earlier in my blog.
The gates are wooden and can be opened if for example horses must enter...the open part that you see in the middle of the gates is actually the door to be used to enter and leave Caravanserai.

This style for gates is still used in Sheki but now usually the actual door part of the gates is made bigger, wider and higher for comfortable use.

Excuse me for the quality of the photo...

Tea sessions...

If there were an international statistics that involved data of Azerbaijan the world would know that Azerbaijanis drink tea more than anyone...We drink tea when we are thirsty, when we are happy, when we are sad, when we are bored, when we rest, when we are gathered together and in many other moments of our lives. We even have a proverb that would be translated like "Who counts the tea cups" meaning that a hostess should never ask if the guest wants more tea because it is obvious that there is no limit to tea enjoyment...

I am planning to have more posts on tea so more information on tea will follow on this blog...

This is a photo of samovar where water is boiled for tea. In Azerbaijan samovars nowadays are mostly used in open areas, in the gardens, where there is more space. In case you haven't come across a samovar, inside it there is pipe where one puts coal and burns it and outside that pipe there is a space where one pours water...after the water is boiled tea is prepared in a separate pot and put on top of samovar to get ready...and when tea is ready it is served...everybody sits around the table and enjoys tea and each other's company. Personally I love these moments of peace and pleasure...

Crossing the road...

This is a typical scenery when driving towards Sheki. It doesn't happen in the city itself because cattle of the city is taken out by shepherds outside the city to open areas...

So imagine driving towards the city and then you have to drive slower because sheep is crossing the road...impatient drivers start signalling and complaining: "Why are they so slow and look at me like sheep (meaning to look with no expression on the face...kind of stuck impression...) but then they say..."of course...these are actually SHEEP!" :)

Electrification...

The beauty of XXI century is that one can enjoy nature and live in cold and hot places comfortably thanks to electricity, gas and water distributions. Thankfully Sheki has all (excluding some of its distant villages where the situation should be also better soon inshAllah) and although with some interruptions and issues people are able to enjoy these necessities that are considered quite basic nowadays...

This is a photo of electric posts of Sheki...has it ever happened to you that you sit in the darkness sad in the evening at candle or oil lamp light because there is no electricity for some reason...and then all of a sudden electricity is back and everywhere is filled with joy and light? Believe me it feels great! :)

Have a good day!

Doqqaz...

As every city Sheki has avenues and streets...In addition to this there is a concept of a road or street that is called "doqqaz". Doqqaz is something that starts (has the beginning) at one of the main roads and then goes inside with many houses at sides of it. Doqqaz might end at some dead end or have a passage to some other main road. This is a photo of one of those doqqaz's.

Sheki people do not believe in addresses :) but say to a taxi driver: "take me to hamam doqqaz in gyshlag" or for example "take me to doqqaz where Long Hasan used to live". Therefore if you come to Sheki and ask the cab driver to take you to House # 5 at Some street, the driver could look at you with such an expression on his face as if he sees an alien before him....:)

Well if you decide to visit, local people will always tell you the peculiarities of the place you wish to see or go to ... and you will be at ease with taxis and might find out something interesting that only local people know...

Have a good day!

Door...

Hi. Today I am posting a photo of a usual door to the yard of one of the houses in Sheki. The flowers above the door and the whole scenery seemed very soothing for me and I decided to share it with you. You might recognize river stone walls/fences that I mentioned earlier in my posts.

If you open the door and decide to visit the family that lives behind it you will be treated at least to tea and the family will try keeping you for lunch/dinner as well. During lunch or dinner hostess will keep sighing deeply and saying that you are not eating enough...if you decide staying overnight then the best bed would be made for you...and the original owner of the bed would sleep on the mattress in some other room...these are the rules of hospitality...zealously protected by never tired older generations and questioned by ever tired younger generations...:)

Hope you are having a wonderful week end...

Ayten

International Children's Day

Yesterday was 1st of June, International Children's Day…

If you ask me in every family where there is a child every day is the child’s day…the priority, the thoughts, the plans - everything is about the child…

They say that once upon a time a king was invited to some gathering and the king said to make sure that there wouldn’t be anyone more important and mightier than he there and he was of course promised that. When the king arrived and made himself comfortable he saw that there was a child running around and everyone’s attention was at him, everyone was trying to please and delight him. And the king said: “Haven’t I told you that there shouldn’t be anyone mightier than I here?!….”…

Children’s Day is international because all children on this Planet are similarly beautiful, sweet and unique…and all of them need the same: love, peace, joy and care. God bless all of them.

Today is 2nd of June but since every day is the children’s day :) I am posting a photo of a child, my son, today. Sheki is still a very traditional place therefore families, women are very children oriented, parents especially mothers are very self-sacrificing and grandparents are very keen to help and take an active role in bringing up their grandchildren. All families not depending on their income strive to have at least two children and if there are two girls they would go for more in order to have an heir…hence when even only two families get together the place gets very noisy and crowded…since as you might have noticed for some reason children prefer not to sit or walk but run and jump and not to talk but scream and laugh and cry…there must be a reason behind this behaviour but I have no clue :)

Three Guyums...

I do not know how the jars or vessels that you see on this picture are called in English.

What you see is called “seheng” in Azerbaijani and also “guyum” in Sheki.

I am touching a linguistic subject here. The thing is that Sheki has a dialect which is very distinctive; many words are pronounced differently or have unique substitutes. It is the same case with these words…

Copper made guyums (I will stick to the dialect since I am from Sheki :) were used in the past to carry water from the springs home. They are very heavy (when empty (!) they weight between 5-10 kg) but very gracefully looking if I may say so. Women would hang them on their shoulder or even put it on their shoulder and bring the water home…young men would hide and watch young girls going to spring and elegantly carrying water in guyums. We have many folklore songs and poems on this romantic theme…

This is the photo of a fountain called “Three Guyums” located at “Gyshlag” area of Sheki. “Gyshlag” means a place to spend the winter. It comes from the past…As Gyshlag area is not high on the mountain but at its bottom it was warmer to spend the winter there i.e. at the bottom of the mountain…therefore people did so and called the area “gyshlag”.

The ornament that you might notice on guyums is called “buta” which means the universe…you can come across this ornament in many oriental works…buta is widely used in carpet weaving and in general in all arts in Azerbaijan…

You can see some posters in the background…market economy :)…I don’t like this mixture but I guess this is the demand of the reality…