The Caucasus
My first memories of the term “The Caucasus” was in reference to a region of Asia famed for excellent quality rugs. Three countries make up the Caucasus: Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The region lies between The Black Sea and The Caspian Sea and is on a dividing line between Europe and Asia.
History of The Caucasus
The Silk Roads run through the Caucasus and have left a significant imprint on the history of the region. Furthermore, Tbilisi and Yerevan are among the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. Unfortunately, centuries of invasion and earthquakes have left Yerevan with little of its history to show. However, Tbilisi and Baku enjoy important medieval centres.
Like so many other countries where the Silk Roads pass, the Caucasus have been subject to centuries of invading forces. The Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi, show impressive examples of coins from some of the conquering empires, including the Greeks, the Romans, and the Abbasids.
In 301 AD, Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Both Georgia and Armenia are home to some of the oldest churches in the world.
The Mongols in the 13th and 14th century and the Timurids in the 15th century brought waves of pillage and destruction. The 18th, 19th and 20th century saw many campaigns fought between the Ottoman, Persian and Russian Empires to gain control of the countries of The Caucasus.
The Bagrationi family came to power in Georgia in the 6th century. They fought and negotiated against the waves of invaders until Russia occupied Georgia in 1801, and the Bagrationi rule came to an end.
In 1922 Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia joined the USSR and in 1936 they became separate republics of the Soviet Union. In 1991, each of the three countries officially declared their independence from the USSR.
Geography of The Caucasus
Flying into Baku, Azerbaijan, gives the impression that you are arriving in an Arab Gulf State. The city has been graced with the benefits of oil wealth which have led to many fun and outlandish new developments as well as considerable reform of its medieval quarters. The old walled city of Baku is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and lies on the Caspian Sea and is in a terrain of low-level desert. A couple of hour’s drive from the city and you enter the verdant valleys of the Greater Caucasus Mountains.
The Greater Caucasus Mountains run along the borders of Azerbaijan and Georgia with Russia. The Lesser Caucasus, but no less impressive, run from eastern Turkey through Armenia and Azerbaijan, and into Iran. Isolated churches on mountain peaks create a distinctive view seen in many parts of Armenia and Georgia.
Conflict
Unfortunately, The Caucasus is also a region plagued with conflict. Nagorno-Karabakh is an area that has been the centre of two bloody wars between Armenia and Azerbaijan since 1988. Following a second war in 2020, a ceasefire agreement was signed and Azerbaijan now control Nagorno-Karabakh. There have been continued border skirmishes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2024.
Russia recognises the self-claimed independence of two regions of Georgia – South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Currently, it is illegal to enter either region from Georgia.
Travel
Post COVID-19, trains in much of the region are not yet back in service. It is still not possible for everyone to cross the border between Azerbaijan and Georgia; although foreigners can cross the border to Georgia.
I used the fairly limited minivan or “Marshrutka” services to travel in some areas. GoTrip turned out to be a convenient, albeit more expensive, way to get around.
