Everything else that I wanted to say about Khinalig...

I am still not done with writing about Khinalig...Actually it would be much better if archeologists and scientists studied and wrote about Khinalig...

For some reason when e.g. I visit some European capital and take photos it feels absolutely natural...but when I am somewhere where I think that living conditions are not that developed as where we come from then I don't really feel comfortable making photos...I worry that what if I would annoy, disappoint or offend local people...whether I worried or not of course plenty of photos were taken and then I started talking to local people around...and one woman asked "so did you like Khinalig?"...and I replied: "yes, I liked it very much"...and this is what she told me: "of course you did, Khinalig is a paradise on earth..." and I was worried to take pictures :)...That woman talked to me in Azeri, in Azeri with accent. Among themselves they speak in their own language and one of confident assumptions is that people of Khinalig speak in ancient Aramaic language. I must also say that in regions one meets more people who are looking openly and talking to you from their heart...these sincere conversations among complete strangers mean a world to me...maybe its easier to keep inner beauty when you are so "exposed" to nature...

In Khinalig roof of a neighbour is terrace of the neighbour living higher...not sure if I am able to describe this probably thus would rely on pictures...also roofs used to be/are from natural materials when heating the houses of course is a challenge...specially somewhere so high up...with more income more and more roofs are redone...living standards are improving and characteristic feature is becoming a history...mixed feelings, mixed feelings...

We spent very little time in Khinalig...I came back amused and with lots of questions...sharing with you some photos...click on the pictures to make them bigger...

young woman having a rest on her terrace...roof at the same time...
she greeted me with a smile when I asked to take the photo...

an elderly man looking proudly over Khinalig...traditional roof...see the window and chimney...

heating...

neighbours enjoying sunshine...

evening chit-chat...

loved the house...

old roofs...new roofs...Khinalig is too grand for my camera...or any camera should I say...

Khinalig must be covered with snow at the moment...I am sharing with you photo taken by Ilkin Yagubov who visited Khinalig in January...

my previous post on Khinalig can be read here...

January 20 - black date in modern history of Azerbaijan...

There is a saying in Azeri "gözümə heç nə görünmür". If you translate this phrase word by word it would say/mean something like "my eyes can see nothing"...what implies that there is something that bothers you so much that your eyes notice nothing else...

Just like when someone gets unhealthy everything else around looses colour and importance...when there is no peace in the country nothing else really matters or brings you joy...

Today is a mourning day in Azerbaijan. 20th of January in 1990 innocent people became victims of politics and Soviet Army. This was how state of emergency was "declared". I just had a thought that probably people couldn't imagine that army where every male citizen had to serve would start shooting at citizens....never underestimate people...never underestimate how far politics can go...

21 years are gone. It is important to remember...so that future generations do not fall into the same traps...May all victims rest in peace...

photo courtesy of Senan Aleskerov...crying mollah...
photo courtesy of Asim Talib..."wounded" ambulance car

my post on 20 January written in 2009...

Travelling to Khinalig...

Did it ever happen to you that you keep thinking about travelling somewhere and it just doesn't happen? It seems to you that you hear all the time about more people visiting the place but you don't go beyond planning...between my wanting to go to Khinalig and actual impromptu trip I graduated, got married and actually took with me there my almost five year son! Anyway enough about me...

Very first post on this blog talked about the road to Sheki...now road to Khinalig...

More than just pretty nature escorts you all the way...at some places it also boasts how grand and almighty it is...then when you think that you are almost there you find yourself in lowland but lowland on the mountains and you feel like there can't be a further place where people live as there are no villages on your way only nature very high up...then you pass a village and in astonishment you realize that its still not Khinalig you go further and here...I won't be exaggerating if I said that somewhere among the clouds you find village you have been trying to reach...Khinalig (2350 meter high from sea level)...I still haven't educated myself enough....as on how did these people that do not speak Azeri but language of their own (and not any language of ethnic minority but their own language) ended up so far from everyone else just on their own and so high up!!! With no proper road up until couple of years ago...and that's one of the first places to welcome snow...amazing...Road to Khinalig is very picturesque thus devoting this post exclusively to it...

No matter how many pictures I took it seemed to me that beauty still won't be conveyed...even though colours were the ones of winter...autumns and springs must be amazing...yes, must see...

31 December - New Year Holiday and Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis around the world...

Another year is gone and here we have already greeted new year 2011...Wishes do not change from year to year...they stay the same...no matter what year we greet...no matter who, what and where we are...we ask for the same...good health, peace, love, prosperity, happiness, joy...Happy New Year!!!

On 31 December Azerbaijanis also celebrate Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis around the world...solidarity is something very simple and very complex...simply talking it is respecting each other by default and greeting with "salam"...and I am not going into complex things today...will keep it simple :) Happy Day of Solidarity!!!

I am posting today two photos that touch my heart very much...my comments to the photos will explain why I am posting them but not other more obvious pictures for New Year and Day of Solidarity!!! Best wishes from Baku!!! Best wishes from Azerbaijan!!!

Azerbaijan is widely known as land of fire...gas, oil, east, south - this list can grow and each word would add some light into "why"s of this country...Picture of "təndir", tandoor. Another symbol, another traditional wealth. When "modern" life came, many households in Azerbaijan rushed to destroy their tandoors...tandoors occupied space and baking bread was quite complicated in this hot and "dangerously looking" by modern standards kind of ovens...and guess what...in a while it was obvious that numerous kinds of breads in endless supermarkets had neither taste or smell of granny's bread...people found themselves asking in restaurants with hope and nostalgia if they had traditional tandoor bread...thus tandoors are back...and actually one can find one in the very centre of Baku in its Old City...for New Year and Day of Solidarity I wish to all of us to have wisdom to be able to keep the balance between new and old, modern and traditional, to appreciate, cherish and respect the past and take it forward to the future...

Below picture inspires me to wish to all for us for New Year and Day of Solidarity to enjoy what we do and respect what others do - no matter what occupation; smile more often and try to keep that smile for longer...and yes...smelling bread would add you extra pleasure...believe me! :)

Last but not least...bread is symbol of prosperity and well-being in Azerbaijan: not to be left on the table if not eaten, if dropped respectfully taken from the floor, never put together with other waste but always separately...(belief says that no respect to bread, no prosperity in households...)...Have a prosperous New Year! :)

photos courtesy of stringer Tagi Jafarov...grateful for his friendship and work...

this is what I wrote about this day in 2008...