20 September - oil workers day in Azerbaijan…

As a foreword let me start with telling that there have been cases when people that have never been and vaguely heard about Azerbaijan would ask questions like…“is that true that once one lands in Azerbaijan he/she smells oil right away?”…or “does oil really run down the streets in Baku?”…what to answer to questions like this? Just “no” or maybe it would be more fun to answer “yes” :)

A year or so ago I came across a modern art exposition of one of foreign artists who gathered the spills of oil in suburbs of Baku in her show room and made a story and exposition around this theme…I must confess that the smell in the room was the smell I knew and it was a very “native” smell :)

But let me mention in this post today that I am not sure about the smell one feels landing in Baku since I am used to it and won't be able to comment and also no, the oil does not run down the streets in Baku and never did.

Caspian suffers from pollution (just in case if you never heard before Caspian happens to be the biggest lake in the world) and some suburbs of Baku are still polluted too…But as I mentioned before things come in a “package”; thus oil comes with smell and radiation but transforms into strategic product and wealth....

Going back to oil workers day...People that are involved in production exploration exploitation etc and turning oil into strategic product are the assets of the industry and not only. I want to mention my father, Nadir Qiyasov, who is not only knowledgeable and experienced geophysicist but I would say talented professional who seems to know every inch of Absheron peninsula. He got his initial education in Oil Academy in Azerbaijan and he and his fellow students are/unfortunately by now many of them were precious assets of the industry and the country overall.

My post today is devoted to my dear father and to all oil workers of Azerbaijan who turn oil (definition of oil in Wikipedia - naturally occurring, toxic, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, and other organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface) to black gold and well-being of their country and people…

this is how oil exploration looked in early XX century...

late XX and early XXI century...

Things that make me smile...

Once in an airport in Italy we approached one desk which had a sign “will be back soon”…Of course we were not quite sure what “soon” meant exactly for the person who left the sign…we made a joke that if this sign were in Germany most probably the person would mention in how many minutes he/she plans to be back but since we were in Italy “soon” was good enough :) besides Azeris have quite a philosophical approach to notion of time anyway :)

Yesterday when I was driving home on one turn there was something like a sign seeing which it was more or less clear that there were construction works going on and I should choose another road…but no…I still decided to try…why? a) maybe they just forgot the sign there, b) maybe there is still some naaarrow road that I could use, c) maybe workers would agree to move their truck for a second :) so that I pass (last time this worked). So I drove and saw that it was not the case the road was completely closed. Behind and in front of my car there were many other cars with drivers who for above or some other reasons also ignored the signs and had to turn back now…You see…Does something like this happen in other places? Or people are so organized that they wouldn’t look for “just in case” opportunities and obey to the signs? Not the case here :) They should have made it impossible to drive in…making clear that they mean it! :)

Often I hear people around me complaining that this is Azerbaijan and everything is possible here (mainly accentuating the negative of course). But I think we shouldn’t ignore the facts that this is a) south b) crossroad of east and west c) country with complex history that left its impact on generations…and everything comes in a “package” you see :) I think you would agree that mentality, behavioral patterns and way of thinking is different if you compare south to north, east to west, big country to smaller country etc etc etc…we are all very similar and different in many ways and all unique and fun :)

Below photo I took in one of the parks outside Baku…I guess these are shoes of the gardener or some other worker (very neatly paired)…most probably he has different shoes that he is wearing on tiles (not to dirty them) and while taking care of trees etc…but he did not bother to take them with him but left there to come back later (quite typical too I would say) :) the scene made me smile and I thought I’d share it with you…Photo is called “I’ll be back”...hope it makes you smile too :)

Be well…

Sky and not only...

When driving to or from Sheki one can witness how climate zones substitute each other…it happens mildly naturally and very beautifully…if Baku area is a desert by nature (maybe nature played a little irony when creating areas like Baku and its suburbs…desert on its outside if I may say but so rich with natural resources in its depths...) starting from Shamakhi nature becomes greener then turns into rich forests of Ismailli and then there are Oguz, Gabala and Sheki competing to offer fresh air, tranquility and natural food products for people escaping the capital. Somewhere between Shamakhi and Ismailli we always make a last stop to enjoy air before driving in to industrious Baku. Unfortunately I didn’t take photos of beautiful forests that are getting ready for autumn but when we were closer to Baku and there were less and less trees I noticed that sky was very fascinating...it got me inspired to write this post, make some photos to share with you (excuse me for the quality I took the photos on my phone from the car window with my younger son sleeping on my lap:) and think to myself goodbye peaceful and lovely Sheki and hello hectic and ambitious Baku...

too big to capture on camera...

no matter how many photos I took it didn't seem enough to convey the beauty...

Ramadan...

Wishing you happy Ramadan from Sheki...photo a courtesy of Hema K...

Where is the best place to be for Ramadan holiday? Guess my reply would be..."yes, Sheki :))"...But honestly if you happen to be in Sheki for Ramadan holiday you would definitely get the spirit of the holiday. This year we are lucky to have a long weekend for Ramadan what means that many people could travel...including I (thus writing this post in Sheki :)...

I was not fasting but my parents were...Days in August are very long and it was amazing to see them and many other people not drinking and eating from early morning until around nine in the evening...and getting together for breaking the fast is always a great experience...(even though I wasn't fasting it is a great time to share)...

Tradition says that on Ramadan holiday everyone should help the poor ones, visit close relatives of those who lost their dear ones during that year...visit cemeteries and remember the ones that are not with us...and visit and wish happy Ramadan to all elderly and not only relatives and friends that have been fasting...Since we are in Sheki on our way to my uncle's house we saw many people that were on their way to visit someone else...here and there you would hear people wishing happy Ramadan to each other and my uncle tried to stay at home most of the day today since so many people are coming to visit...he in his turn together with my father went to congratulate their aunt who is one of the oldest in the family...last and not the least traditional bakery is made and shared with everyone who visits...great time to be together :)

Happy Ramadan and all the very best from Azerbaijan...:)

P.S. My earlier posts on Ramadan can be found here and here.

Expecting guests...

Traditional Ramadan sweet bakery (ovma)...

Traditional Ramadan kind of porridge (yayma) to everyone who comes...