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Monthly Archives: October 2010
Soviet Aesthetics and Baku’s Waterpipes
Recently, when travelling by truck near the Iranian border high in the mountains above the town of Lerik in Azerbaijan’s deep south, I noticed that beside the roads there were always power lines and a water pipes. Indeed, it was a proud achievement of … Continue reading
Azerbaijan: Lerik, the Iranian Border and the oldest man in the world
Bagrat was a big man, heavy-set with several days growth of beard on his lined face, his eyes deep-set below a prominent brow ridge. He spoke no English and Ahmed had not met him before yet was convinced this was the man for us, because … Continue reading
Azerbaijan: Ateshgar Fire Temple and the Yaner Dag Burning Hillside
What more natural religion can there be than one which has at its centre the worship of elemental forces? What more elemental force can there be than fire? What to make of a land where fire erupts continually from the ground? Surely, it is … Continue reading
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Tagged Absheron peninsula, Ateshgar Fire Temple, azerbaijan, burning hillside, Yaner Dag, Zoroastrian
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Lankaran: Stalin, the vegetable market and house of the Khan
Lankaran is quiet town on the Caspian. A centre of the local green-tea industry, it was once famed for its fishing, its native “Iron-wood” [a species of bog-oak that sinks in water] and for the former prison that once held captive Joseph Stalin, when he … Continue reading
Night Train to Lankaran
Many times repainted but never repaired or refurbished, the overnight train to Astara stand patiently in Baku station, the end of the line. The wide-gauge carriages are placed high off the ground, needing four iron steps to attain floor level. The sleeper compartments have locking doors and windows … Continue reading
Global Whispers: Linguistic Links between the Algonquian Indian Language and Gaelic
The Algonquian Peoples (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algonquian_peoples) Modern Gaelic preserves many spelled letters that are no longer pronounced, but when pronounced in the ancient Gaulish or ancestral tongue of the Celts and Basques, one finds a striking similarity to the Algonquian language. For … Continue reading
Azerbaijan Days 