Medieval Castle And Mystique Mountain

Day 1: Baku

You will visit Chiraq Qala On a road back we will visit Chiraq Castle. The remnains of Chiraq Castle sit very impressively at 1200m on a cliff top above the forested sanatorium of QalaAlti and associated Mashrif village. It’s one of the few castle ruins in Azerbaijan to retain a real castle-shaped silhouette and makes a worthwhile and reasonably easy diversion if you’re driving between Baku and Quba. Part of a defensive chain for 1600 years, the name Chirax means ‘lamp’ for beacon fires lit here to warn of approaching enemy armies. During the 18th century it was the southernmost outpost of Quba’sFatali Khan. Never stormed, it simply fell into disuse. Today the main knob of stone and brickwork that remains is teetering ever more perilously on a rock which is being eroded from beneath. The authorities have yet to undertake minimal repairs to bolster the site, as they did at Old Qabala. The need is now very urgent if the most impressive remaining fortress tower of the region is not to collapse. Hidden in the forest beneath are many more wall sections Beshbarmag On a road back dull scenery north of Baku gets an unexpectedly abrupt and dramatic boost with the looming silhouette of 520m Beshbarmaq Dash (Five Finger Mountain). This mystical peak brandishes a rocky fistful of phallic crags atop a super-steep grassy ridge top. It’s well worth climbing to the summit, not just for the fabulous Caspian views, but also to observe first hand Azerbaijan’s unique take on ‘Islam’. Crowds of locals come here seeking good fortune, a child, or the answer to their problems using a mixture of prayer, sacrifice, chanting and very animist kissing of rocks. Everything comes in threes: take three small stones to the top, sip thrice from a cup of holy water, kiss the sacred rock three times then in-cant your wish…guess how many times. To assist, assorted white-capped holy men lurk in rocky nooks, their pitches marked by a samovar, a few blankets and some photogenically fluttering votive ribbons. Meanwhile a few old crones, snotty children and various hangerson try to cadge money. Visible for miles, BeshBarmaq is a natural fortress. For centuries it guarded the narrowest strip of coastal plain and a wall between the crag and the sea funnelled all commerce through a controllable gateway near which was a great caravanserai. Tour program  09:00 – departure  09:00 – 11:00 - transfer Baku-Qala Alti  11:00 – 13:00 –ascent to the Chiraq castle, photoset (4x4 cars),  13:00 – 14:00 – lunch  14:00 – 14:30 – transfer to Besh Barmaq  14:30 – 16:30 – ascent to mountain,photoset  16:30 – 17:30 – transfer to Baku Price include • group transfer • individual guide • 4x4 cars to the waterfall • Bottled water