Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, located in the South Caucasus region, is a country that boasts a rich cultural heritage and stunning natural landscapes. From the bustling streets of Baku, the capital city, to the serene countryside, Azerbaijan offers a plethora of photography locations for both amateur and professional photographers. The country's unique blend of Eastern and Western cultures is reflected in its architecture, with ancient mosques and palaces standing alongside modern skyscrapers. The Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains, and the Gobustan National Park are just a few of the natural wonders that provide breathtaking backdrops for photography.
Baku is known nowadays for it's amazing modern architecture, and seems to be starting to head the Dubai route. There are some striking examples, and several more in the construction phase (the Flame towers, and Crescent Moon building). This complex was designed by Zaha Hadid and completed in 2012. It houses a library, a conference hall and a museum. It is dedicated to former president Heydar Aliyev who ruled the country in the early nineties in their fresh years of independence. Heydar Alijev is quite the national hero because every city we visited seemed to have at least 3 things named after him; a park, a street and a museum. The flowing shape is the building is supposedly inspired by his signature but locals also say it was inspired by the up-blowing skirt of Marilyn Monroe in her most famous picture pose..
[#8 on explore 04/05/17]
Azerbaijan is not on the main tourist track, and once inside this country there is hardly any mention of scenic spots. Somehow, I managed to find these hills and our driver was willing to take us there. According to Lp, a reporter originally coined this name for the area. I was amazed how much this reminded me of similar rocks in the United States. These hills are to be found in the Eastern part of the country, in the foothills of the great Caucasus Mountains. The area is quite accessible and would be great for some sunrise or sunset photography. Unfortunately I had to make do with the middle of the morning, but still want to share this patch of beautiful landscape here.
The capital of Azerbaijan has some stunning modern architecture. The Flame Towers are a dominantfeature on the skyline and represent the country that calls itself the 'Land of Fire'. The Towers were completed in 2013 and house a hotel, residences, offices and a shopping mall. In the evening a colourful display of lights appears, alternating between moving flames and the flag of Azerbaijan, which I have chosen here. As the display changes constantly and blue hour moved fast, it was quite a challenge to get the long exposure during the flag display.
The northwest part of Azerbaijan, and you actually approach the Caucasus range from the north. From the town of Quba there is a small road leading to the village of Xinaliq, which claims to be Europe's highest village at 2235 meter. The village is interesting but the main reason to head that way has to be the overwhelming Caucasus scenery along the way. Deep canyons, impressive mountain vistas and the emerging on to a high mountain plateau is truly breathtaking. The road is narrow, but paved, so access is easy but hardly anyone around.
Behind : Funicular upper station
Thanks to all Phoide contributors to Azerbaijan!
Most notably Andrey Bogdanov and Adelheid Smitt.