It’s certainly not on any tourist trail and you won’t find any mention of it in most tour guides.
The place is quite isolated and few European visitors ever venture there.
But the same might be said of other places that are now on the tourist map so who’s to say the same won’t happen with Nakhchivan?
On the face of it, that appears a bit unlikely…. for just now at least.
According to the “Statistics Committee of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic”, a total of 32,782 foreign visitors ventured there in the whole of 2024.
Given that there is, in fact, no realistic access to the place for people from Europe other than a 1 hour flight from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, that low figure should not really come as much of a shock.
But what may come as a surprise for those intrepid travellers who do find their way here is the sheer warmth and generosity they will be greeted with from the locals.
Ancient city
For the uninitiated Nakhchivan, the administrative centre of the region and said to be the most ancient city of Azerbaijanis in the world, is jammed between Armenia, Iran and Turkey on the Transcaucasian plateau and is an autonomous republic of Azerbaijan. It is one of the most isolated outposts of the former Soviet Union and a place few travellers ever visit.
It was, for many years, it was largely closed off even to most Soviet citizens back in the days when Azerbaijan was part of the USSR.
But, even today, it remains relatively unknown to many, not just in the Russian-speaking world and but beyond.
However, anyone with an Azerbaijani visa can enter the region and it is also worth noting that direct flights are possible from Istanbul (and Moscow), albeit far less frequent than from Baku, 560km away and serviced by Azerbaijan Airlines.
Currently, about 90per cent of visitors to the region, wedged between the Black and Caspian sea, come from just a couple of countries: Turkey and Iran. Spain and Italy make up the remainder, along with Korea and the U.S.
There are relatively few hotels, English is rarely spoken and public transport is extremely limited (to a few local buses). But what it may lack, at present, in Western-standard tourist infrastructure it makes up for with an array of natural wonders, endless historical monuments, glorious mosques … and that aforementioned genuine warmth of its inhabitants.
From Noah to independence
First, a couple of significant historical points: one factual, the other (probable) a myth.
The province, which has the Araz river flowing along the border with Iran and Turkey, happened to be the first part of the disintegrating Soviet Union to declare its independence – a couple of months before Lithuania. Geographically severed from its nation (Azerbaijan) by an 80-130km strip of Armenia, this 450,000-strong region is said to be the world’s largest landlocked exclave.
Its second historical “claim to fame” is based largely on local legend: when the great flood receded, Noah’s ark is said to have landed atop nearby Mount Ilandag, carving out the defined cleft seen on the peak today.
This, as local tourist guides will readily point out, is almost certainly mere myth and it is worth noting there are a handful of other places around the globe making similar claims about Noah.
No matter. It naturally all adds to the allure of the place and some Nakhchivanis insist this really is where Noah came from and that they are his descendants.
UNESCO landmarks
You may well pass the spot where Old Man Noah is said to have gone ashore as you wind your way on semi-deserted roads to what is most certainly has nothing to do with legend but is the region’s newest proud boast… the likely UNESCO listing status for Lake Goygol, one of the most beautiful places in the country.
The journey to it from Nakhchivan City, via rust-red mountains and a particularly bumpy and dusty 4×4 road journey, is an sometimes white-knuckle experience in itself.
But once there you cannot help but be struck by the majestic setting of the place, reminding yourself that Armenia, a country Azerbaijan has found itself in bitter conflict with over the years and is one of Europe’s last “frozen conflicts”, is just over the horizon. More than 30% of the territory in the region is located at a height of 600-1,000m above sea level and the fact that the whole area around the lake was under snow as recently as June is indicative of sometimes dramatic seasonal shifts in weather locally.
From museums to mosques
Archaeologists have found here many items of the material culture of the II and I millennia BC and the region boasts endless ruins of mausoleums, towers and ancient cities. Another “top” visitor attraction in this off-the-radar destination has to be the medieval Alinja Fortress, known as the Machu Picchu of Nakhchivan. This is a citadel on top of a crag (it takes about 45 minutes to climb the 1,000 steps so don’t forget the sun cream) in the Julfa mountains. It is well worth the physical effort as the views from the top are wondrous.
The region abounds with such natural wonders and yet another one is Lake Batabat, a mountain lake at 1,700 metres above sea level, surrounded by lush green pastures, with floating peat islands. It is located 62km to the northeast of Nakhchivan City.
The area is distinguished by its healthy climate and rich medicinal plants (Nakhchivan is home to 250 springs as well as the famous water brands Sirab and Badamli) and a visit to Duzdag, or salt mountain, and its physiotherapy centre (used for salt therapy), should also be on the bucket list of a “must do” things here. It is well-paved and well-lit and is really just one deep tunnel that you walk down and back again. You may immediately feel the therapeutic effects of the air in the cave even if you don’t have any respiratory issues.
Research and archeological findings have proven that salt was mined in the Nakhchivan area as early as the Eneolithic period and, today, this natural local “gift” is also used for treatment. Diseases such as bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis are treated in the salt centre’s caves, which extend to a depth of 110 metres. Patients, be they young or old, who spend the night in the old underground salt mines are treated and, very often, cured of their respiratory problems. The air temperature in the centre varies between 18-20℃ and relative humidity is between 24-50% in all seasons of the year.
As you travel around this province you cannot help but be struck by its arid, moon-type landscape, one which is punctuated here and there by swathes of greenery, which is where some of the produce/ingredients for the region’s wonderful cuisine is sourced (more on that later).
You cannot help but notice, also, the endless yellow pipes that traverse the entire mountainous region, including towns and villages. These carry gas and were, it seems, built above, not underground, in order to make it easier for them to seen and accessed in the event of repair.
Azerbaijan itself is relatively prosperous compared with, say, neighbouring Georgia and Armenia, and that’s due, of course in no small part to its rich reserves of natural gas. One notable reason why the Azerjaibani GDP skyrocketed more than 300% in the last 15 years.
This particular region has, however, no such gas (or oil) reserves to draw on so its energy supplies are imported, via Iran, from Azerbaijan.
Home to great pioneers
Your travels may also take you to Ordubad, an ancient village on the border with Iran. Here you will find some fascinating museums, dedicated to some of the regions’ favourite and most successful sons.
There is one, for instance, in honour of Taghi Sidqui who pioneered local language schools and is seen as a role model for the education sector (at a time also when few girls were educated).
Yet another museum worth a look honours Yusif Mammadaliyev, a prominent locally-born scientist who is credited with pioneering the use of high-octane aviation fuel.
Famous local sons
Back in Nakhchivan City, with its wide, multi-laned roads, is where most travellers will be based (not least as it’s just a few minutes’ drive to the local airport) and there’s yet more museums, including one, of course, devoted to probably the republic’s best known son, the former leader and doyen of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev. He died, aged 80, in December 2003 but is still revered in these parts (you’ll see his features beaming out from huge roadside hoardings everywhere).
The museum has more than 5,000 exhibits which reflect the life and activities of Aliyev. You can learn all about his family, childhood and younger years and see documents related to the period when he worked in leadership positions, his signed letters and orders and even the service phone he used in his office, his pen plus other fascinating objects
But Aliyev isn’t the city’s only famous son. So,too,is the world-famous architect, Ajami Nakhchivani.
The 800-year-old Momine Khatin Mausoleum is one of the oldest monuments built in honour of a woman in the East and is more than 800 years old. It was erected for Momine Khatin, the wife of Atabeg Shamseddin Eldeniz, the head of the state of the Eldiguzids. Her tomb, a magnificent example of Azerbaijan’s national architecture that has survived to this day, is one of the most beautiful works by Ajami Nakhchivani who was also responsible for another historically important local monument, the tomb of Yusif Kuseyir Oghlu, an architectural pearl and known among locals as the “ancestral tomb”.
Nakhchivan City was designated the Islamic Culture Capital for 2018 and you should not leave without admiring Haydar Mosque (three mosques, in fact, and huge, housing no less than 6,500 people in total).
Land-to-table ethos
After so much traipsing around you will have worked up quite an appetite and the good news is that you’ve come to the right place to sate any hunger.
There is an unwavering sense of self-sufficiency here, born from scarcity and necessity in years gone by and the locals spare no effort in ensuring that just about all edible parts of an animal’s carcass are used, including the legs and head and the result is some absolutely mouth-watering dishes that will live with you long after you’ve returned home.
The local cuisine, quite distinct from the rest of Azerbaijan, is an integral part of the region’s unique culture and you should also try some things that are specific to this area such as the balqayğanaq, which is a kind of omelette with honey (lots of it) added which is a mainstay of the kitchens (though not restaurants) in this area. Another tasty offering is the “Alana”, which is prepared by filling the dried peach with ground nuts and sugar powder.
They eat a lot of meat (and bread) here and lamb (lula) features heavily. It’s as delicious as you’ll ever taste. The local economy has an organic and ecologically progressive policy and it there is great pride locally that Nakhchivan is pretty much self-sufficient when it comes to feeding its population. Its health-conscious leaders have adopted an effective no-pesticide, all-organic food policy and this pretty much guarantees that the lamb comes from local farms, the herbs from local foothills and the salt from those underground caves.
Very often all this is consumed in what is called the “kupe” – quaint, small private rooms where people can dine – ideal for a family/group together over a delicious meal.
Clean city
This admirable “land-to-table ethos” is something some in the West could learn from and so is the sense of civic responsibility that exists among the region’s 479,000 population. As well as being one of the most ancient centres of the world, Nakhchivan is, it seems, considered the cleanest city in Azerbaijan, if not the whole of the Caucasus and this is manifests itself in clean and tidy streets (no ugly graffiti here). You will also feel completely safe here, including on the, refreshingly, uncrowded roads.
OK, so it is well off the tourist trail and you’ll need to hire a car or a driver to get around but, from lemon plantations to salt caves, there’s much to keep you occupied, busy and entertained in this remarkable region. In case you do visit, good to know that June to September is when you are most likely to have good weather.
There are some reminders of the old Soviet past such as the old Lada cars that are clearly still popular. But this is a region that has managed to survive and flourish with little international trade or outside assistance and is, now, very keen to raise its visibility in order to attract more tourists from Europe and the rest of the world.
Arguably the best thing about any visit here, though, is the sheer friendliness of the locals, such as Gulchin Agayeva, who was born locally, educated in Bacu and returned to her homeland to be with her family and now works for a government ministry.
As the very welcoming Gulchin says, some may think it a questionable place to visit due to its geographical location but, she adds, “this perception is something we are trying to change.”
You can only wish Nakhchivan (which means “Nakshi-Jahan” – decoration of the world) the best of luck in this laudable, though not easy, endeavour.
It’s true Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR) does not get many foreign tourists but it is a place that well deserves to be discovered.
- Photo credit: Aris Setya
