Peoples’ Friendship Tour

Day 1-2

Accommodation in Hotel.

Check out from the hotel.

Krasnaya Sloboda is a unique place in the Caucasus where 3000 Mountain Jews live. This Jewish settlement of Quba has been inhabited by Jews since the 13th century. In 1742, a local ruler named Falikhan gave the Jews, who were being persecuted by Islamic fundamentalists, permission to settle on the left bank of the mountain river Kudiyal-Chay opposite his town. Today, seven synagogues have been preserved. They are all built of bricks, and the larger ones are decorated with onion domes. Red roofs, sculpted panels of beige limestone, and rocky cliffs are the distinctive features of the settlement.

Not far from Krasnaya Sloboda you'll also find the village of Khinaliq, with an ethnic group of 2000 Khinaliqs who have preserved the original language, customs, and traditions. The small yet miraculous Khinaliq is located at the peak of the Caucasus Mountains, 2,350 meters above the sea in the Guba region.

Until 2006, the village was inaccessible for nine months of the year, due to poor road conditions. However, the situation has changed and now more and more local and foreign tourists visit the isolated village.

Today, the inhabitants are engaged in sheep breeding and creating traditional household facilities.
Dinner in the village consists of traditional food of the place. (for additional price).

Overnight.

Day 3. Baku

Breakfast at the hotel.

Upland Park is located on a hill in the western part of the city. This is the best place to see the city and Baku Bay.

Lunch (for additional price).

Overnight.

Day 4. Trip to Ismayilli region (260 km – 4 km)

Breakfast at the hotel. The term was later re-interpreted more positively as drinkers of the spiritual milk of God, so it´s no longer considered derogatory. The Molokans´ particularly puritanical creed eschews smoking, swearing, and icons. Rather than churches, their religious gatherings are in unadorned prayer houses that are virtually indistinguishable from other homes.

The town of Nij, located forty kilometers southwest of Gabala in the Republic of Azerbaijan, is the only place in the world that has had a settlement of Udi people. It has a population of 6,196. The forefathers of this ethnic minority, known as the Utis, were members of one of the twenty-six Albanian tribes who played an important role in the creation of the State of Caucasian Albania in the IV-III Centuries B.C. According to the latest studies, ancient Udin was the language of Caucasian Albania. The Uti Albanian tribe, the ancestor of the current Udins, has been described in the writings of Herodotus, Strabo, and Pliny the Great. According to these chroniclers, the Utis became politically active following their involvement in the military incursions into Greece of Persian Emperor Xerxes I.

The Udine, as they are the most ancient ethnic minority in the Republic of Azerbaijan, enjoy many measures undertaken to preserve and develop their culture. As a result of the efforts made by the Government of Azerbaijan, the cultural and educational society of the Udins, the Orayin (Spring), has resumed its activities. This society promotes the history and culture of the Udins.

Overnight in Gabala.

Day 5. Trip to Sheki, Ilisu, and Lekit (250 km – 3,5 hours)

Start exploring Sheki. Sheki is one of the majestic in the past cities of the East and one of the most ancient cities of Transcaucasia. There are many historical and architectural monuments here. Ancient roots have here forged, weapon, jeweler and copper business, potters, tanning, craft, silky - and rug-weaving, joiner's business, and ornament manufacture. Here you will meet a real Sheki farmer’s family, will get accustomed to the everyday life of Azerbaijani villagers, and have lunch made of fresh local meat and vegetables.

Drive to Ilisu. Ilisu is a small place, built around a single street that still remembers its glory days when it was the capital of an autonomous Sultanate coveted by Russia. Besides some charming old houses, a few buildings denounce Ilisu's past: the almost ruined 16th-century Sumuggala tower, the 19th-century Galaja tower, and a well-cared 18th-century mosque. Here you can buy genuine honey produced by local beekeepers, have a walk to the waterfall and enjoy samovar tea in an open-air café. Drive to Gakh.

Overnight in the hotel.

Day 6. Trip to Baku with a stop in Shamakha (350 km – 5 hours)

Breakfast. On the way, we will make a stop in Shamakha. Being the capital of Shirvanshahs state from the IX century, the town was one of the most important on the Great Silk Road. In Shamakha the tourists will visit the famous historical and architectural monuments of the country, such as "Juma Mosque" and the mausoleum "Diri Baba". Lunch (for additional price). Free time.

Overnight.

Day 7. Baku

Breakfast. Free time.

Transfer to the airport. Departure