Land of Fire: An Azerbaijan Adventure

Welcome to Azerbaijan!

Arrive at Baku Heydar Aliyev Airport where you will be transferred to your starting point hotel for check-in.

Enjoy some rest and relaxation time after your flight.

Once we're refreshed, we will all get together to talk about our sketching time in Azerbaijan and how to make the most of it.  Mary-Anne will be glad to help you on this artistic journey, so if you have techniques that you want to explore on this trip, please use this holiday to further your own experiences in your sketchbooks.  We will also talk about the itinerary and how we hope to fit in all the paintings of the places we'll visit.

In the afternoon and evening we could go out to explore the local area. 

Welcome to Baku!

In the morning, after the briefing with our local guide, we might like to embark on a walking tour along the cobbled streets and narrow passages of Baku’s jewel — the UNESCO-listed Old City, also known as the Inner City.  We will take light sketching kit with us, knowing that we can sketch while our guide is talking to capture small scenes of the Inner City.

We explore the renowned historic landmarks, including the mysterious Maiden Tower, a Caravanserai once used by Silk Road traders, and the Shirvanshahs ’ Palace, a medieval royal compound of the Shirvan rulers.  Our sketches may capture some of the city's past as well as the activities of living streets.  Taking an urban sketching approach, we can cover our pages with glimpses and details, perhaps taking time later in the day to put on colour.

Enjoy a delicious lunch at local restaurant of your choosing (not included).

After lunch, we visit the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan, which features a fascinating collection of 15,000 artworks ranging from the Bronze Age to the early 21st Century.  Mary-Anne's approach in a gallery as large as this is to take a sketchbook and wander through the galleries, making sketches of favourite or striking paintings. 

In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at a traditional Azerbaijani restaurant.

After one of those wonderful Central Asian holiday breakfasts, we start the day with a a short drive to Daghustu Park (Hilltop Park) to take in the absolutely breath-taking panoramas of Baku Bay and enjoy an up-close view of the city’s iconic Flame Towers — a striking trio of flame-shaped skyscrapers symbolizing fire.  We will spend some time painting from the viewpoint.

From the park, we take a short walk to the National Carpet Museum, home to one of the richest collections of intricate Azerbaijani carpets, some dating back to the 16th century.  Keeping our cameras and our sketchbooks ever-active, we can record some of the patterns.

Lunch is planned at a seaside restaurant on the shore of the Caspian Sea, featuring the fresh catch of the day, it sounds really scenic, so we can paint from the restaurant for a while.  Afterwards we visit the Bibi-Heybat Mosque, constructed in the 13th century but destroyed in 1934 by Soviets, then rebuilt in 1998. 

In the late afternoon, we can continue  to Gobustan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2007, and study petroglyphs and stone carvings dating back to 10,000 BC. 

We return to the hotel in the evening for rest time and dinner at a local restaurant (not included).

Driving: about 2.5 hours

Let's paint fire today! This morning,  a short drive north takes us to the Absheron Peninsula for a visit to the village of Mammadli, where the mysterious Yanardagh, otherwise known as the “Burning Mountain”, is located.  It's hard to believe that the earth can be on fire, but in a strange and spectacular landscape there is a continuously burning wall of flames from the ground—an awe-inspiring geological phenomenon that has been ongoing for millennia and helped shape Azerbaijan’s identity as the “Land of Fire.” 

We'll pack up our paints and continue south on this peninsula known for fire to the Ateshgah Temple, a historic 17th century site of worship for Zoroastrians and Hindu traders travelling along the Silk Road, and whose religious practices involve the eternal flame. We spend some time in the pentagonal complex, admiring the sandcastle-like structure, and there is also a museum onsite telling the history of the temple.

We stop to enjoy lunch at a local restaurant nearby before returning to Baku.

On our way back, we make a stop at the super-modern Heydar Aliyev Centre, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city.  It could be too exciting and too huge to sketch, but we'll try!  It's a challenge of perspective.  The vast building spans 600,000-square-feet and was designed by famed Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid.  Inside, the centre hosts rotating exhibitions spanning visual art, music, history, and design. You may explore the exhibits or take time to admire the architecture from outside.

We return to the hotel in the evening for a short rest before dinner at a local restaurant (not included). 

Today, we leave Baku and journey northwest to Gabala, the former capital of Caucasian Albania—an ancient state that flourished on the territory of present-day Azerbaijan from the 2nd century BC to the 8th century AD.

In Gabala, we visit the Savalan ASPI Winery, nestled in the scenic foothills of the Greater Caucasus. This acclaimed winery offers a memorable experience, blending Italian wine-making expertise with rich Azerbaijani traditions. We take a tour of the vineyard and cellar, browse the onsite wine museum, and enjoy a guided wine-tasting of select red and white varieties—all set against the backdrop of breathtaking mountain views.  

Fueled by the wine-tasting and inspired by the views, we aim to have time to sketch before enjoying a gourmet lunch, followed by more sketching and painting time within the scenic grounds.

In the evening, we continue northwest to the historic town of Sheki.  Surrounded by verdant forests and rolling mountains, Sheki played an important role as a key hub along the ancient Silk Road. It still boasts many important sites from that time, making this a fascinating stop in the itinerary.

We enjoy dinner at the hotel’s traditional restaurant before unwinding from the day.

Driving: about 3 + 1.5 Hours hours

After breakfast, we will begin our guided tour of Sheki.  As ever, we take light sketching kit with us.

Our first stop is the 18th-century Sheki Khan Sarayi, the summer palace of the Khan.  The palace is known for its fascinating frescos, decorative tiles, and unique stained glass work throughout called shebeke. It is believed that no nails were used in the construction of the palace façade! 

Shebeke are windows filled with coloured glass, created by Azerbaijani folk craftsmen from small wooden parts without glue and nails.  In the building of the Sheki Khans Palace, shebeke fills walls, window openings of halls and rooms.

Afterwards we can watch a shebeke demo.  We will watch and sketch as one of only a few shebeke artists in Azerbaijan assemble coloured stained glass mosaics and create intricately carved wooden frames, appreciating how the light plays through the coloured glass of these traditional window frames.

We can also meet an artisan who makes and plays the traditional string instrument - the Tar.  The Azerbaijani Tar is a long-necked, plucked lute, traditionally crafted, and performed in communities throughout the Republic of Azerbaijan. The tar is featured alone or with other instruments in numerous traditional musical styles. It is also considered by many to be the country's leading musical instrument.

We conclude our tour with a stroll through  Sheki’s old Caravanserai, a historic monument, once used as a resting and trading centre by Silk Road merchants.  We settle to sketching along the historic street, now home to arts and crafts shops, and maybe we will have time to select gifts to take back home with us.

We have a delicious lunch in a traditional Sheki-style restaurant, and afterwards enjoy free time sketching and wandering around in Sheki's Old Town.

We enjoy dinner in a local restaurant of your choosing, there are plenty to pick from in Sheki (not included).

After breakfast at the hotel, we visit a small, family-run 'kelaghayi' studio that has been handed down through generations. Kelaghayi is a traditional technique of making and printing onto silk scarves.

The kelaghayi is the national women's head covering made of pure silk. The edges of the kelaghayi are decorated with geometric and varied ornaments. Rooted in traditions found along the Great Silk Road, the art of Kelaghayi is concentrated in two locations in the Republic of Azerbaijan: the city of Sheki and the Basgal settlement. Kelaghayi making consists of several stages: fabric weaving, dyeing and woodblock decoration. Weavers choose thin silk threads from sericulture producers and weave fabrics on looms and then boil and dry them to make square-shaped cloths. 

We have time to explore and sketch in the old Soviet-era silk factory (no longer in operation), and watch the delicate process of dyeing and patterning scarves by hand—a truly unique experience. You can even try for yourself the technique of stamping intricate designs on silk using a special tool and solution to create unique prints.

We continue our journey to the picturesque hilltop village of Kish to see its main landmark, the ancient Albanian Church, believed to be the region’s first Christian church.  After touring the church, we enjoy lunch at a nearby family-owned restaurant, sampling piti - Sheki’s famous lamb and chestnut stew cooked in traditional clay pots called dobus.

After lunch we will be itching to paint the views and could settle in for quiet time painting and feeling as if we have our feet on the ground as we observe, sketch and become part of the village.

In the upper part of the village, we might wish to visit YER Gallery, a tranquil and inspiring space created by photographer Sanan Alaskarov. His personal works capture the essence of everyday life—trees, roads, hands, and faces—highlighting the emotional connection between people and their environment. Exhibited internationally, his photography finds a heartfelt home here, with “YER” meaning earth, place, and presence.

Alternatively, you could take a short hike to one of the two beautiful old fortresses here, and admire the scenic panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.  We can be in two groups.

Later, we return to Sheki for a cosy dinner and a cooking demo with a local family, savouring regional delicacies and enjoying genuine hospitality.

Driving: approx. 30 minutes 

Today, leave Sheki behind and start our drive towards the north of the  country to arrive in Ismayilli region’s far-flung village of Lahij, on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus.

The village, populated by ethnic Tats, has an architectural style of its own, with charming sidewalks inlaid by cobbled stones. Lahij is famous for its authentic handicraft traditions and is most known for generations of coppersmiths.  

Have lunch with a local family while listening to members of the Lahij folk group‘s live performance—Mugham (a mix of 
classical poetry and musical improvisations).   In the course of its history, the people of Azerbaijan have retained their ancient musical tradition and Mugham belongs to the system of modal music and may have derived from Persian musical tradition. We will hear music that has been played along the Silk Road for thousands of years.

Afterwards, we find a painterly spot in the village’s main street, lined with little studios and shops. We can peek inside the studios to watch how masters and their apprentices make clay copper pots, pans, and other utensils.  The village’s small spice and herb shops are also worth visiting and we might like to stock up on ingredients to take back home! If time permits, you can also visit the small Lahij Museum and learn about the history of this fascinating place.  

We can enjoy dinner in the guesthouse’s homely restaurant (this will need to be arranged in advance).

Drive time: Approx. 3 hours

We start the day with breakfast at the guesthouse and enjoy a leisurely morning sketching in the village and soaking up the peaceful atmosphere of this historical-cultural preserve.

For our lunch, we head to the neighbouring village of Ehen, located higher up in the mountains (about a 10-minute drive).

The vistas to be seen from the village are truly breathtaking!

In Ehen, we meet a local family and enjoy a homemade meal. They’ll also demonstrate how to make the region’s stuffed breads - you are welcome to give it a go! As we sip tea with homemade preserves, we can sketch while we listen to our hosts' fascinating stories about the land they cherish deeply.

In the afternoon we begin the drive back to Baku, and aim to arrive in the evening in time to check in and refresh ourselves for dinner.  We will select a nearby restaurant (not included) where there is space for us to chat and reminiscence on our favourite memories of the brilliant time we have spent in Azerbaijan.

Drive time: Approx. 3 hours

After breakfast, we say a fond farewell to Azerbaijan before we are transferred back to Baku’s Heydar Aliyev Airport (aprox, 30-40 mins).