A journey to Azerbaijan
By Ahmed Ibrahim
A seven-day trip was the prize of the youth students from 12 different countries who won an essay competition called "What do I know about Azerbaijan?" held by the Azerbaijani Youth and Sports Ministry.
The adventurous program was aimed to get the students familiar with the Azerbaijani culture and take advantage of the good weather of the country.
From Baku airport to the hotel reserved earlier by the Ministry, the student had the chance to see closely Azerbaijani citizens walking along the streets and traditional and modern buildings across the city which give it a special beauty.
In this writing, I will talk about the most important places that we visited during their stay in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan national leader Heydar Aliyev's grave: It was a good chance to visit the grave of the national leader Heydar Aliyev's and get familiar with his thought and life. He played a key role in the development of Azerbaijan as one of the most civilized country across the globe.
The Old Baku City: One of the Amazing Ancient places that we visited in Azerbaijan was Baku's Castle. It contains a city in which all types of live are underway, from old houses to old shops. Even the cars on the streets were old. Walking along the streets, you think you are in the 90s before the war.
Lahij village: The most ancient village that I have ever seen is Lahij in Azerbaijan. People in the village have a traditional and simple life as there is no tower or huge building. People live on animal husbandry, agricultural and trading spice and cloth.
Gabala City: It is a mountainous city with a nice mixture of old and modern architecture. As I remember, the residents of the city invited us every so often to their homes to drink coffee and tea. This shows how kind Azerbaijani people are. There are several water falls in the city making it lovelier.
Gobustan: The best historical place which I have ever seen was a museum of different arts that was built on a mountain. It shows all different pieces drawn on the mountains by ancient people. Visiting the museum, you will find out how the ancient Azerbaijanis lived: From cooking to transportation and habits, even the weapons they used for defending their lands. It was an interesting experience. I am wondering how these drawings are alive till now.
Heydar Aliyev Center: When speaking about this center, the first thing striking you is the centers' distinctive architecture. The first idea of construction the center was to preserve anything related to the founder of new Azerbaijan. Here you can see firsthand, all things in the daily life of national leader Heydar Aliyev: From cars to furniture, cloths, weapons and even his musical instruments. Personally I was attracted to the idea to establish a center to keep all things that belonged to president Heydar Aliyev's.
At the end, I would like to thank the Youth and Sport Ministry for hosting us and making everything going on smoothly. Meanwhile, I thank the Azerbaijani citizens for their kindness and hope to visit the country once again.
Sağol Azərbaycan! Səni sevirəm!
Ahmed Ibrahim is a Qatari student who got a chance to visit Azerbaijan this summer. You can contact him at [email protected].