Happy New Year!

Its mid February and I still haven't wished you "Happy New Year!".

We had an earthquake in Baku couple of days ago that I did feel in the office and our nanny who was at home with two of our kids did feel at home. Well these shakes, real shakes, make us really philosophic! Imagine me, in the office, at around 4pm with something to finish until the end of office hours...and suddenly the desk starts moving - you realize that its an earthquake. Your colleagues realize it too. I called my mom to see if she is at my place and if panicking. Well, she wasn't and she didn't know. So I pretended that it was a random call and called nanny to see if she was panicking. She seemed to be OK and I said...what can we do...let's pray. At that moment, at that very moment, even the idea of going downstairs and waiting to see if anything more happens doesn't matter. Because your kids are at home and you are not with them...My next call is to my father. No, not only because he is the geophysicist and he knows the subject but also because, just like in childhood, he would be the one to tell me that everything is and will be OK and I will believe to what he says. Because I want to. And he said that "don't you worry, its all gone and don't tell me that you got scared in the first place!" And I said "oh, of course I didn't"...and this is when the same feeling from childhood came, when you pretend to be strong and behave as grown up (and now come on, at my age of almost 38, I am (supposed to be) soooo grown up) and you smile but your tears are so close in your eyes and somewhere in your throat and this is it - the moment when MOTHER is so vulnerable...You see when kids are small you have that illusion that you are very much in control, what is nonsense of course. In Azerbaijani we have a saying, well like in any other language I suppose which means "Let God protect you/save you" - "Allah saxlasın"...

As we all know media and people (well media is done by people...sorry for this play on words) rarely suffer from wisdom. Therefore of course we had articles to say that there would be more shakes to take thousands of lives...And people spreading the news...But then there was someone cleverer to say that, that was it and I told it to my nanny and here I want to write...and we happily lived ever after! :) 

So, my dear readers, I really hope that nature, God, destiny would be kind to you and us, to all of us and allow us to have a meaningful end to our lives. That we are able to meet and greet many New Years going forward and as clever books say realize that life is beautiful in its many ways and as MJ used to sing "we can make it even a better place". 

P.S. In case you are wondering, my husband didn't feel anything and I called to say that "everyone is well and not panicking :), but that I still have some sort of a headache and it was very unpleasant..." and I wanted to feel weak and vulnerable for another couple of minutes, but the strategy started working less and less and besides I had to finish those two paragraphs anyway now and it was getting late. And what kind of mom reaches home late on the day of the earthquake anyway! I guess that would be me :)!   

Be safe and Happy! New Year! 

Photos are not mine. They are both taken in Sheki. First one, beautiful photo of even more beautiful and delicious persimmons is a courtesy of Jalal Sevdimov. 

This one with the view on Sheki in winter is by Tural Salimov. 

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...

My cup of tea...

Is there anything new that I can see in Sheki if I go there every year? No, I don’t mean new developments I mean visiting the same places…call me sentimental but as an energizer there are places that I would definitely visit each time even if I don’t have a new guest with me …such as Karavansaray…why? Because I feel good there :) because its walls talk history and because it has always got delicious and very traditional cup of tea waiting just for me :)

My earlier posts on Karavansaray (Caravansaray) can be found here, here and here.

Below was a great catch for me - I took this photo just at the entrance to Karavansaray...someone else's çay dəstgahı i.e. tea set waiting...click to make the image bigger...

Summer heat...

Summer is not only about holidays but also one of the most active and anxious periods of the year for many families in Azerbaijan. This is when entrance exams to universities take place. If you visit the families that have boys or girls taking this exam very often you might get the feeling that as if it is the whole family that would be taking the exam. Everybody is very nervous and worried. To me this anxiousness of course passes to poor those who need to take the actual exam although everyone is also advising them to be calm and concentrated…All conversations are about the tasks, subjects, tutors and universities. Anticipation and excitement are reaching its peak on the day of the exam and when the results are announced.

What was good about Soviet times was that studying at school was a must. School program was quite thorough and no matter how far in the village anyone lived everyone was attending the classes. As a result everyone was literate. What was bad about Soviet times was that it left behind a tradition of corruption in the process of enrollment to universities. In early 90s Azerbaijan switched to test system what gave equal opportunities to everyone. I know people that had to choose universities according to their financial position and those who were trying persistently their luck knocking on the doors of the universities that had “barricade” with slogan “show me the money…” Children of these people are now able to choose the universities where they think their heart and abilities belong to. All they have to do is to study hard to pass harsh competition since studying and getting higher education continues to be popular around the country. As far as I heard this year two out of seven entrants who got the highest score of 700 are originally from Sheki!! Well done to everyone!!!

Congratulations to everyone who got what they wanted and good luck to everyone!!!

My other post about my distinct teachers can be found here.

I don’t have a relevant photo to this post...

I took below photo in Kish village of Sheki. We asked the girls a question and got a witty answer which I am afraid is untranslatable to English since it involves a phrase in dialect (which is very distinct in Sheki). The answer made us laugh (very natural for Sheki which is famous for its jokes and obviously this character runs in the veins of everyone there:). I asked the girls if I may take their photo. One decided to leave the other decided to pose. The other two didn’t care. Talking about freedom to make own choices and decisions…

P.S. For those who speak Azeri I am mentioning our dialogue with girls. “A qızlar, Kişə nətəri gedək?...”......“Habıra Kişdir, daaa!!”...bu sözlər əla intonasiya və əlləri ilə ayaqlarının altında olan torpağı göstərməklə müşayət olundu :)

June in Sheki...

My dear readers, I am very happy to be back...thank you for sending me your notes asking if I was ok and the reason why I was not blogging...thank you very much for your support! I appreciate it very much! Everything is great, thank you! and here I am

I was planning to write this post in June but I am writing it only now...this is what I wanted to write at that time...

June is the month when many students are going back to Sheki for their summer holidays or grandchildren go to spend their summer with grannies and grandpas. Month when parents and grandparents are anticipating their favourite children and grandchildren to come back home planning to cook children's favourite dishes...to them no matter how old children get they are still someone to take care of...I must say that culture in Azerbaijan still continues to be such that parents take care of their children and then continue to take care of their grandchildren till the end of their lives ...this care never finishes...young people of course often complain that they need more freedom but all of them definitely enjoy delicious dishes and extreme care...this "giving" nature is something that I am afraid is less common and popular nowadays especially among younger generations...nevertheless...currently my kid is with my parents in Sheki...who took him there knowing that their vacation would turn into an active and at times very tiring way of spending their free time...but they do it and do it with pure love and self-sacrifice...Different books say that children that are taken care by grannies are more spoiled but happier since there is tremendous love around them. Well, at the end of the day I think grannies definitely believe that as The Beatles sang "All you need is love"...:)

Today I am posting a photo that dates back to late 50s or early 60s of last century I am not sure...Photo is taken in Sheki with my grand-grand mother and her grandchildren (not all of them are there I think). Granny Mina had very hard times and years during her life but her children and grandchildren were her highest reward...

Sorry for the quality of photo but I thought I would share it with you as to me it is very warming and conveys the family tradition that I am touching upon in this post...be well :)

May in Sheki, Azerbaijan...

Weather in Azerbaijan starts getting really nice in May…anyone who has the opportunity travels to the regions to enjoy refreshing weather, bright colors and nature overall…

My family and friends also managed to escape to Sheki and brought me some pictures that I want to share with you…

May is a season of poppies…Fields of these gentle flowers are everywhere…it is preferable not to gather these flowers since they “die” very quickly as soon they are gathered…they are meant to be watched/observed/enjoyed/adored with no interference…

Last day of April this year was very tragic for Azerbaijan…then as it always happens life went one, spring brought back hopes and optimism. 9th of May (Victory Day in Azerbaijan) reminded victory over fascism, of those who sacrificed their lives for future of their countries and children hoping that future generations will be wiser not to make wars but enjoy life…

Gift that we received during this May is 3rd place that Azerbaijan got in Eurovision contest. Imagine what kind of euphoria it brought to this relatively newly independent country. Yes, we know that Eurovision is not only about music but still it felt great that countries did vote for our song…Big thanks to all supporters of our song "Always" performed by Aysel and Arash...!!! and enjoy the photos :)

beautiful Sheki...beautiful Azerbaijan...
don't interfere...nature took care of it all...
fields of poppies...to adore...nothing else...

Unknown Azerbaijan...First female opera composer in the Orient - Shafiga Akhundova...

I was brought up in a family where praising yourself was considered as impolite and inappropriate…one of the most common things that I remember is my father saying “one should not praise herself in front of the others, let others do it…” the same applied to praising once children before others etc…I call it humbleness and modesty that hopefully will be still existent in lets say XXII century...currently they are under big "pressure"...

Years passed…I grew up…saw other people…started analysing…now I can draw almost a clear line between what my dad used to say and what my country was doing…never phrasing its children in front of others and waiting for/expecting others to do it…and that does not happen very often…

Lately thankfully Azerbaijan started working on its PR and if I may say “marketing” but we are very behind and historically have missed the opportunity of creating THE image of Azerbaijan…left it to others to do???

To prove the above I have a rhetoric question: how many people around the world know that first (!) female (!) opera composer (!) in the Orient is lady named Shafiga Akhundova who is actually Azerbaijani and who is actually from Sheki...

Ms Shafiga Akhundova was born in 1924 in Sheki. She graduated from Baku Musical School and Azerbaijan State Conservatory. In 1972 (!) she composed opera "Maiden Rock" thus becoming the first woman to create opera in the East. Shafiga xanum is the author of wonderful songs "Leyla", "Happy Land", operetta "Our home, our secret" (1965), pieces for string quartet, dramatic plays "Aydin", "Farewell to India!" "What do you live for?" etc and music to children's plays such as "A tale of a clown", "Birthday of a rabbit", etc.

One might argue who cares about who knows/who doesn’t...but if we recall Maslow's hierarchy of needs then I guess everyone cares...

Today’s post is devoted to Shafiga xanum who turned 85 in 2009, to her amazing talent and to her contribution to not only Azeri culture but if I may say to world-wide one...

below photo was taken around two years ago in Sheki when my father-in-law, Aslan Rustamov (another gifted Shekili), went over to visit Shafiga xanum in her summer house...

Bayramlıq...

Since marriage and family continues to be main pillars of Azerbaijani culture we have numerous traditions connected with engagements, weddings, family life and children…

Traditions connected with pre-wedding times are numerous. The more the family feels attached to traditions more creative they can be :) Ok, I might be a bit exaggerating but with desire and time and financials allowing different ceremonies can be arranged that bring a lot of joy and lots of work to immediate families and entertainment to relatives and guests. One of traditions is called “bayramlıq”, bayram means holiday and the ending “lıq” can be translated as gift for holiday and means the ceremony of bringing gifts to the engaged girl. As long as the couple is engaged and not yet married bayramlıq ceremony can be arranged for all holidays that take place during the period…

According to tradition the family of engaged man brings all kinds of sweets and some gold jewelry to the engaged girl; all presents are brought in “xonça” to be read as khoncha and meaning decorated basket or tray with presents. Colour associated with these ceremonies is usually red. Do not quote me but I assume that this might be connected with the fact that Azeris were Zoroastrians in ancient times and fire and its colour are still strong elements of culture…Girl’s family in return in accordance with tradition of hospitality which is another very important part of culture receives the guests in her house, lays the table and prepares the food and then gives some of sweets back to boy’s family to sweeten their mouth as we say here as well as to all the guests and other relatives who were not participating at the ceremony…:)

There is a famous saying in Russian "Восток дело тонкое" that might be translated as "East is a delicate/fine matter..." thus sophistication and attention to detail is very important to Sheki people if I may say with pride :) and in this context this applies to khonchas and hospitality…
Below are some pictures of khonchas brought as New Year bayramlıq.

One of wishes to newly engaged would be not to let routine to turn their future holidays to commonness and that they continue to make the most of their holidays just like they do it now :)

No bayram without famous Sheki khalva :)

Khonchas...

Another khoncha...

More khonchas...

Tribute to Thor Heyerdahl

I wrote once about Caucasian Albanian temple in Kish, village of Sheki in this blog.

Today I am posting a photo of a bronze portrait of Thor Heyerdahl that stands in front of the temple who said the following during his visit to Sheki.

“Scandinavian mythology describes a god called ODIN that came to Nothern Europe from a place called Azer. I have studied these writings and concluded that it is not mythology. It is real history and geography.”

Personally I am fascinated by grand work Thor Heyerdahl was able to do during his life. Thanks to him our Caucasian Albanian temple in Kish got revitalized as well…

Why Gagarin?...

This year I discovered new restaurant in Sheki…it used to be there for a long time but I never knew about it…it is called “Gagarin restaurant”…Why Gagarin? Because it is opened in the area that used to be the park named after Gagarin and the owner left the name as it is…

The main advantage of the restaurant is its perfect location…the view that opens up from the restaurant is astonishing…sitting there and sipping tea at sunset may turn into an unforgettable experience…I strongly advise…maybe this is also one of the reasons why the place is named after Gagarin…makes one think of unique view that Gagarin saw…

...Peaceful moment...

Today I am posting a photo that we took when visiting our auntie (it is a must to go and see elder people when one visits Sheki, you can of course not visit but that would show disrespect and would upset the elder)...

This photo was taken when there was a moment of peace and my son actually sat for couple of minutes (this happens quite rarely since children as you know have "energiser batteries" that never finish...God bless...)

What might be interesting for you on the photo is the mattress that I am sitting on (every family in Sheki has mattresses like this. They are meant to be put on the floor for leisure times). See also "mutekke" kind of a pillow that has a shape that you see...This is for leaning purposes also for leisure times...I don't know if you agree with me but although everything is so simple in the room it brings peace and comfort...this is how I felt there...

It is very rare that people would sit now on the floor in Azerbaijan and have meals for example as it used to be before...but for leisure purposes there are always comfortable mattress and "mutekke" waiting for you in every house in Sheki...:)

View...

This is the view that opens up from the square before the mayor's office of Sheki. Apologize for the quality of the pictures.

The little girl on the picture is Munise, one of my cousins who would go anywhere I went, if possible :) Her energy is astonishing...This time Munise and I took one of our relatives to mayor's office as she had to register to be an observer on entry exams...and we took these photos while waiting for her :)

1st region…

The place that I come from in Sheki is called “gyshlag” what means “place to spend winter” as this part of the city is located in the bottom of the city and is warmer than the top of the city called ”yaylag” – “place to spend summer”…

The city is also divided into so called regions…i.e. the first the highest (in location) the most ancient and oldest part of the city is the 1st region…(our house for instance is situated in 21st region)…as it happens very often people rarely go to other regions of the city unless it is necessary…tourists in reverse very often explore the places they visit in very detail and see many places that locals never visit. Although I visit Sheki almost every summer lately I try to find something/somewhere new that I didn’t see before…Therefore this year my husband and I decided to explore region Number 1 of the city of Sheki. It is located on the mountains itself I would say…the roads are/were paved in stones…it is very easy to go down but going up is quite a challenge…can imagine how harsh winters are…here are some pictures that we took while exploring…

View from region # 1

I wonder how the owners put hay up there...must be hard work...

See the top of the furthest mountain...nothing grows there since it is so high and cold...

Two beauties...

Hello, everyone! I am just back from Sheki...thankfully trip was great as always and here I am back in Baku...

Today I am posting photos of two beauties…

To be honest I am not sure what causes the fact that I started to notice beauty around me more: my growing age or my sculptor husband who always draws my attention to everything that surrounds… In any case to my delight I see more and more (this is what I think…I wouldn’t be surprised if one day I realize that I haven’t noticed many things before)…

Ok…my epilogue turned out long…sorry… See if you share my opinion that these creatures are very, very pretty…I couldn’t pass by without taking their photos :)

P.S. Thank you very much for your great comments, everyone!

View...

A bit dark photo but view was beautiful, believe me...:)

...Miracles of nature...

I wrote about pomegranate earlier in my blog…today I am posting more photos to show how flowers turn into fruits…I think this is amazing…like everything in nature…

On a completely different subject...I want to share with you something that happened to me today: when I was driving today to work, I stopped to let the pedestrian man to cross the road...the man stopped to let me drive showing with his gesture that I am a female and he is gentleman...dilemma...who lets whom go first? driver - the pedestrian or gentleman - the woman?...funny :) very nice of him...at the end I drove and gave him thank you smile :)

Photo session from Sheki bazaar...II

In Azerbaijan people eat herbs a lot. We just put them on a plate and eat them in combination with cheese, cucumber and other dishes. Might sound wild if you never tried this but actually it brings a lot of flavor and is very healthy.

This is a photo of a woman who is putting bunch of herbs together to be sold at her counter. Size of bunches in Sheki is usually much bigger than in Baku…must be because herbs are in abundance in Sheki…I asked the granny if I could take her photo and she started to praise me without even asking why I was taking the photo and tried to pose…very kind and touching…

This is the picture of the counter…not the best photo I took but hope it conveys the idea…

Have a good day, everyone...

Have you ever seen white cucumber? :)

Let me boast of this sort of cucumber but I just know that Sheki people prefer it to green ones :) We, people from Sheki often may find ourselves boasting that white cucumbers grow only in Sheki :) I do not know if this is true but it doesn’t grow anywhere else in Azerbaijan and I am not sure about the rest of the world. Have you ever seen/come across? It would be interesting to know. I don’t know the origin of this sort of cucumber but I just know that Sheki people prefer it as white cucumber’s skin is thinner and more gentle…they prefer to pickle white cucumber instead of green one as well and in general Sheki people go for white cucumber :)

Today I am proud :) to post pictures of Sheki white cucumber :)

Photo session from Sheki bazaar...I (one)

People in Sheki do not go to supermarkets for major grocery shopping. For that they go to bazaar. Usually they do that on Sundays. During my last trip I also went to bazaar and took some photos (in addition to shopping:) that I thought I would share with you.

Lets start from nuts, raisins and like products...

Sheki fortress wall

We are having a long weekend this week and I hope to be able to go to Sheki (I reside in Baku) and bring lots of new photos! :) This photo is also fresh and taken by Autumn (please see below post). This is Sheki fortress wall. The thought that comes into my mind every time I see a fortress or any grand construction built many centuries ago is that people were/are able to build with their bare hands anything. Amazing...Many people must have sacrificed their health for these constructions...But it shows that quite often people pass away...memories about them vanish with time...but things they create live for much longer...

Have a good day...