Azerbaijan Greater Caucasus Mountains
It only takes a couple of hours to reach the edge of the Azerbaijan Greater Caucasus Mountains from the desert plains of Baku. The “Candy Cane Mountains” is one of many striking sights on the way.
Another couple of hours further on and we reached our destination, Xinaliq (Khinalug/Khinalig). With a population of about 2000, is one of the most remote villages in Azerbaijan and at 2180 metres above sea level it is also the highest. It lies barely 20 kilometres from the autonomous region of Dagastan, Russia, and is surrounded by the high peaks of the Greater Caucasus Mountains.
The village has a history going back 5000 years making it one of the world’s longest continually inhabited settlements. It is now a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Transport outside of Baku is limited. The easiest way to get to Xinaliq was with a small group tour; although, a taxi would have been a viable and good alternative. A highlight of the tour was lunch in a family home in Xinaliq – cheese, bread and jam, mutton soup, and chicken plov. The dining room doubled as a small museum of the owner’s various collections of old weaponry, foreign money, and objet d’art.
The surrounding area has impressive river valleys, gorges, and a wide variety of colourful wildflowers. With extra time and a hire car, the Azerbaijan Greater Caucasus Mountains have many other hidden treasures to reveal.
