Xinalig Tour – The Highness Mountain Village Of Azerbaijan

Khinalig Tour – The Highest Mountain Village of Azerbaijan

Drive to Quba, in the north of Azerbaijan. Upon arrival in Quba, visit the Jewish settlement.

Across the Kudyal River from Quba lies Red Town, the largest Mountain Jewish settlement in the former Soviet Union. Red Town is one of the most distinctive Jewish settlements outside Israel and the United States and is one of the last surviving shtetl communities.

Mountain Jews have lived in the Caucasus for thousands of years, although there are many different communities and resettlements throughout the region. Mountain Jews have their own traditions of Judaism, combining the Old Testament with other traditional practices and elements of mysticism. They also speak their own language, Judeo-Tat, also known as Juhuri, which belongs to the Persian language family.

For a long time, there were Jewish communities in Persia. However, after some settlements were destroyed by Nader Shah in the 18th century, more Jews began looking for new places to live. At that time, Huseyn Ali Khan was ruling the neighboring kingdom and agreed to accept a Jewish community and resettle it across from the city of Quba.

Starting in 1731, Jews from different parts of Azerbaijan began moving to this new settlement. It was named Krasnaya Sloboda, or Red Town, possibly because of the red-tiled roofs of its houses. Red Town grew into a diverse yet close-knit community of Mountain Jews that has managed to preserve its culture, traditions, and language for centuries.

Drive to Khinalig Village.

Approximately 65 km from the center of Quba, in one of the northern regions of Azerbaijan, lies the ancient mountain village of Khinalig. The village has been declared a state historical, architectural, and ethnographic reserve and is often compared to an open-air museum.

Here, the traditional way of life and distinctive architecture have been carefully preserved. The local people also speak their own unique language, which attracts ethnologists and researchers from around the world. Tourists visit Khinalig to experience the hospitality of the local people and admire the spectacular mountain scenery beneath the vast, starry sky.

Located among the peaks of the Caucasus Mountains, Khinalig Village is surrounded by the Gizil Gaya, Shahdag, Tufandag, and Khinalig mountains. It stands on the left bank of the Gudialchay River at an altitude of approximately 2,200 meters above sea level.

Situated directly opposite Khinalig, Tufandag Mountain holds special significance for the villagers. According to local legend, the mountain contains the ruins of an ancient settlement that was destroyed approximately 1,000 years ago by a powerful earthquake. It is believed that the inhabitants of that settlement founded present-day Khinalig.

Inclusions:

Professional guide service in the requested language

Transportation service

Taxi to Khinalig (1 car for up to 4 people)

Exclusions:

Meals

Alcoholic drinks

Any service not mentioned in the inclusions

Note:

Price is per person and depends on the group size.

1–5 people: Mercedes-Benz Vito with 6 seats in the passenger cabin

6–15 people: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with 17 seats in the passenger cabin

16 or more people: Large coach with 35–48 seats in the passenger cabin