00:00I'm Lily Douse and this is Grand Voyager. In this series, I travel the world to discover incredible places filled
00:10with culture, luxury and adventure.
00:13Along the way, I meet the people, taste the flavours and experience the moments that make each destination unforgettable.
00:28Today, I'm travelling to Azerbaijan to explore its capital on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
00:35Salaam and welcome to Baku, a city alive with culture and history while seamlessly blending that with modern life.
00:45My journey begins in the Old City, a protected historic area.
00:49We have the reserve, which is called Ichar-e-Shahar, in translation means the inner city. It is the most
00:57important historical site of Baku.
01:00And when does this date back to?
01:02It dates back to the medieval centuries, but actually it was settled since the Bronze Age.
01:07Near the entrance is an old bathhouse where travellers and traders washed after long journeys.
01:14You see two domes, they were rebuilt, but everything else from the ground zero until the dome is original, 400
01:23years old.
01:24The bathhouse laid buried for more than two centuries before archaeologists uncovered it.
01:31Many buildings in the Old City blend European and Asian styles, and traditional wooden balconies are common on many homes.
01:42We reached the city's medieval market square, which archaeologists discovered in 1964.
01:49Here you can find tombstones from medieval centuries. These are statues. We have here two crosses.
01:57Now an open-air museum. Its arches date from the 12th and 13th centuries, and give a sense of what
02:05it once looked like.
02:11Overlooking it all is the Maiden Tower, thought to be a defensive structure.
02:17It is estimated that the volume of the stones used here is equal to 20,000 tons of stones.
02:25It is one of the most important historical monuments of Azerbaijan.
02:28The tower became a museum in the 1960s, with exhibitions exploring its history over eight floors.
02:37The climb to the top is steep, but well worth it for the view.
02:44Back at street level, we visit the Numismatics Museum, housed in a former mosque.
02:50Its collection showcases Azerbaijan's history through coins and currency.
02:56I even get to stamp a coin of my own.
03:00I'd be so rich if I had this. I'd just make my own coins.
03:04It's a fascinating place that shows how people traded over the centuries.
03:11The Old City has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the year 2000.
03:17Among the historic buildings is the Caravan Sarai.
03:21You see the rooms sell, so merchants use it to stay there while travelling on Silk Road.
03:28Today, it's a restaurant serving traditional Azerbaijani cuisine.
03:32And I'm looking forward to trying the local dishes.
03:36In Azerbaijan, we use much of greenery, vegetables, because we have diverse climatic zones of Azerbaijan.
03:46Therefore, the cuisine is rich.
03:48Centuries later, this is still a place where travellers can rest and share a meal.
03:56Our final stop is a palace that was once the centre of royal power.
04:01Right now, you are in the palace of Shirvan Shahz.
04:04It was the dynasty.
04:06They use it to govern over Azerbaijan seven centuries.
04:10Inside the complex is a courthouse with detailed carvings around its entrance.
04:16Carving like this in architecture science is called stalactites because it looks like the stalactites inside of the caves.
04:24The main palace originally had 52 rooms spread over two floors.
04:30Today, it's a museum dedicated to the rulers who once lived here.
04:39From the old city, I head out on my own to explore another side of Baku.
04:45Opened in 2012, the Heidar Eliev Centre houses art exhibitions exploring Azerbaijan's history.
04:54Modern Baku is full of incredible architecture and also some pretty incredible artwork.
05:01For my final stop, I head up to take in the view.
05:06Walking up to a viewpoint is always worth it.
05:10And looking out to the Caspian Sea is extra special.
05:16Baku's history is only one part of the city's story.
05:20To taste its modern side, I'm staying at the Ritz-Carlton.
05:25The hotel has 33 floors and I'm staying in one of their signature suites.
05:31It's a generous space with a separate living area and plenty of room to relax.
05:37From here, the views across the city are stunning.
05:42After exploring, I join one of the hotel chefs in the gardens to collect ingredients.
05:48There's everything from aubergines and chillies to fresh mint.
05:53So you have so many different things, even not just growing in the patches.
05:58Yeah.
05:58You have trees.
06:00We have pomegranate trees, apple trees, pear trees, a lot of trees.
06:05With our ingredients picked, we head into the kitchen to make a traditional dish.
06:09Dolma is made by wrapping vine leaves around stuffing.
06:14For our filling, we're using minced lamb and mixed herbs.
06:18So now when filling is ready, we will start to put into the vine leaves.
06:26Mm-hmm.
06:27Then wrap it nicely and put in the broth.
06:31This dish has been passed down through generations and I'm enjoying learning how it's made.
06:41That is so good.
06:43It's definitely a dish you have to try if you visit.
06:48My final stop is the Hotel Spa with its treatment rooms, hammams and indoor pool.
06:55I've booked myself in for a facial treatment and I'm looking forward to a little pampering.
07:01After a morning of trying new things, it feels good to relax and enjoy the moment.
07:10Along Azerbaijan's coast, there are plenty of beaches with easy access to Baku.
07:16I'm at Seabreeze Resort to discover some of the water activities on offer.
07:21Welcome to First Private Yacht Club Seabreeze Marina.
07:26Now we have a new sport where we can learn water sports like kitesurfing, wingfoiling, then subboarding and diving.
07:36This is incredible. It's so nice to see this. People don't expect this from Baku.
07:41In Baku, we all day, every day have a wind. Why we can make things like this.
07:48Seabreeze stretches along more than seven kilometers of Caspian coast.
07:52To explore further out, I'm boarding a privately chartered boat.
07:58Salaam, Captain.
08:00As we leave the resort behind, we head out onto the Caspian Sea, the world's largest inland body of water.
08:08It's a relaxing way to end an afternoon on the coast.
08:16On the other side of Baku lies Gobistan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where people lived thousands of years ago.
08:26Today, I'm visiting the museum to learn more about the people who left their mark here.
08:32Gobistan is a unique monument of history of rock art.
08:36More than 7,000 rock images were found from Gobistan from five mountains.
08:41At the age of the Gobistan Petroglyphs, it is approximately 20,000 years old.
08:4720,000 years old. This is incredible to get to see something like this.
08:53The museum helps you imagine the lives of people and animals that once lived here.
09:00Outside, the site covers more than five square kilometers of rocky landscape.
09:06As we explore, we come across some of the carvings.
09:11From here, we can see a boat image.
09:14And the age of the boat image belongs to Nualti Kera.
09:18At the same time, people used boat for fishing and also for burial ceremonies.
09:23We continue towards the caves where people once lived among these rocks.
09:29There are 20 caves that were found during the excavations.
09:33And this is the biggest cave that it is called Anasagan, Mother Cave.
09:38Many of the carvings show animals and hunters.
09:41This one is a wild horse or kulan.
09:46Nearby, we find holes carved in the rock floor.
09:50Some of them people use for collecting the rainwater.
09:53Some of them people use it for collecting some plants, fruit.
09:56And some of them they use for cooking.
09:59And that's why we say that this is the ancient kitchen of Gobistan.
10:03Gobistan combines an epic landscape with a remarkable history.
10:11A short distance away is another landscape that feels like the surface of the moon.
10:18Azerbaijan is home to hundreds of mud volcanoes.
10:22I've come to the Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex to take a look.
10:27Inside, there are animal skeletons from Azerbaijan and around the world.
10:33Many of the species on display still live in the wild today.
10:38The museum also has a collection of rocks and minerals.
10:43We have two circles of stone.
10:46First circle, that's the stones which formed after activity of Mud Volcanoes.
10:52The second circle, that's the stones which we found on the territory of Azerbaijan Republic.
11:00The collection includes amethyst, quartz and turquoise along with many other minerals.
11:07Inside of one of these stones, we have something about 20 microelements.
11:15The site covers 120,000 metres and the views are striking.
11:22These natural formations build up over time as gas and water rise from underground.
11:30As the gas escapes, it creates bubbles in the mud which settle on the surface.
11:36It's fascinating to see the ground slowly changing in front of us.
11:43Azerbaijan truly has so much to offer.
11:47From the incredible culture in Baku to these amazing mud volcanoes.
11:53But now, time for my next adventure.
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