Gakh, Ilisu, Zagatala

Description

Duration: 10 hours

9:00 Departure from Gakh or Sheki

Gakh

In the north-west of Azerbaijan, at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, there is a picturesque city Gakh. Distance between Baku and Gakh is 345 kilometers. The city is located at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level. A pleasant climate, springs with clear water, clean air, green summer and snow-capped mountains in winter, mountain rivers and waterfalls are an adornment of Gakh district.

Icheribazar is an old quarter founded in the beginning of the XVIII century in the center of Gakh. The quarter consists of dozens of tiled houses and two fortified walls. There is also a 300-seat open-air theater, Nasimi Park, craft shops. In the 80s of the 19th century the forge of the father of the outstanding composer and public figure Muslim Magomayev, the master Magomet Kishi, was located here.

 

Kurmukh church (13th century)

The Church of St. George or the Church of Kurmukh, is a cathedral in the name of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious in the Hornabuji and Eretka Dioceses of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the Kurmukh Gorge near the city of Gakh, in the Gakh region of Azerbaijan. Kuramiuk is an ancient Albanian temple and a place of pilgrimage for both Muslims and Christians. Keeper of the traces of the ancient Albanian religious buildings of the early Middle Ages, the Kuramiuk Temple is a place of pilgrimage for thousands of people, adherents of different faiths. This temple is an example of the fact that by adopting monotheistic religions - Christianity and Islam, the locals did not forget their ancient belief system. The Kuramiuk Temple was built on the ruins of an ancient Albanian monastery of the early Middle Ages. As a result of archaeological excavations in 2006, the remains of ancient buildings were found on the territory of the temple.

Kuma Basilica

Basilica in village Kum is a church (basilica) of the 5th-6th century in the Tsakhur village of Kum, on the banks of the Kum-Chai in the Gakh region of Azerbaijan. It is one of the few surviving monuments of architecture of Caucasian Albania. The basilica is a rectangular room, divided by two rows of pillars into three naves. Characteristic features of the composition: the presence of an external gallery, the lack of connection between the altar and the side rooms, horseshoe arches, the combination of brick and stone in the masonry, as well as other details, have in common with a similar monument of the Byzantine era. The Kuma Basilica with its clear plan and expressive architectural composition belongs to the group of monuments that, apparently, complete the early stage in the development of the basilian type churches of Transcaucasia.

Ulu Kerpyu (bridge)

Ulu-Kerpyu-Ancient Bridge - a bridge located above the Kurmukhchay River in Gakh region of Azerbaijan, two kilometers from the village of Ilisu. During the time of the Ilisu sultanate the bridge served as the only point that connected Ilisu with the lowlands. Ulu-Kerpyu was built at the turn of the XIX — XX centuries by folk master Omar. Built by skilled craftsmen Ilisu whose names are still unknown, the Ulu Kerpyu Bridge has been resisting the onslaught of the turbulent river for three centuries and today serves the people. Its name is Ulu, which means old, it got much later.

Ilisu

Each region of Azerbaijan has its own charm. In Gakh this is undoubtedly the mountain village of Ilisu. Ilisu is one of the ancient villages of Azerbaijan located at the intersection of the rivers Kumukchay and Agchay in a beautiful place surrounded by mountains and forests, 12 kilometers from the city of Gakh. In antiquity, most of the population of Ilisu were artisans. Each family was engaged in a certain craft which was passed from generation to generation. Healing mineral springs are near the village. There are bears, ibex, wolves, wild cats, boars, jackals and other animals in the reserve of Ilisu.

Sumug Gala

Arriving in Ilisu the Sumug Gala fortress (XVII century) is simply impossible not to notice, because it is located on a small hill from where a stunning view of the miles around opens. The defensive structure around the perimeter is surrounded by a low fence. The top of the tower is framed by battlements. The road leading to Sumug Gala is paved with paving stones. Today, a branch of the Gakh local history museum, called the History of the Ilisu Sultanate, operates inside the fortress. There are a number of considerations associated with the name of the tower. According to legend, the tower was built by the Ilisu ruler Sumu Khan. Sumug Gala is known throughout the former USSR by the film “Do not be afraid, I am with you.” In this musical and adventure film, which was filmed by Yuli Gusman, such pop and movie stars as Polad Bul-Bul Ogly and Lev Durov were shot.

Ram Rama Falls

The Ram-Rama waterfall is considered the highest waterfall in Azerbaijan (75 meters high), because it descends from a high cliff and the village of Ilisu is located at an altitude of 1400-1600 meters above sea level. It would be interesting to see how the waterfall looks in winter, in what light it appears to its guests. The location itself of Ram-Rama is very interesting, because it is surrounded by centuries-old dense forests, where it is breathed differently because of the purest mountain air. By its magnificence the Ram-Rama waterfall can rightfully be considered one of the most beautiful natural phenomena.

13:00- 14:00 Lunch at the restaurant 

“Nush Olsun!” - “Bon appetit!”, They will tell you in every corner of Azerbaijan, cordially inviting you to an abundant feast. The most sophisticated gourmets who come to the republic will like the refinement and delicate aroma of Azerbaijani dishes. The history of the art of culinary recipes in Azerbaijan goes back centuries and is based on the vast experience of hereditary chefs that is preserved today. In terms of the composition and multiplicity of dishes, Azerbaijani cuisine is among the extremely diverse and healthy and is distinguished by an abundance of all sorts of meat, fish and vegetable delicacies, complemented by tender greens and savory spices. The dishes in tandoor are widely spread in the Azerbaijani cuisine. Trere are a large assortment of various sweets and drinks. Exclusive Azerbaijani dishes - dolma, bozbash, bozartma, chyhyrtma, khashil, kebab, piti, pilaf, govurma - are included in the national menu of many peoples of the Caucasus.

 

Zagatala

Zagatala is a beautiful green city with spacious cobbled and asphalt streets lined with majestic plane trees. Most of the buildings are single-storey neat houses with tiled roofs but there are many modern three- and four-storey buildings in the city. All houses in the city are built of local river stone and burnt bricks, they are painted standardly and very much resemble houses in the provinces of Western Europe. Zagatala is unique in the diversity of the peoples and ethnic groups living in it - Avars, Lezghins, Tsakhurs, Udins, Russians, Tatars, Ingiloys - and many more minor tribes that have been living here peacefully for centuries. In Zagatala there is where to rest. Especially good urban suburbs at the end of the summer. Impregnated river silt floodplain Talachay river is a fertile environment for subtropical crops - tea and palm. There are gardens hazelnuts, walnuts, apples, dogwood, medlar, persimmon everywhere. Among the whole fruit kingdom, single trees rise studded with spiky-thorny balls like green hedgehogs. These strange fruits are nothing but unripe chestnuts. Left bank  of Talachay river, which is out of town, in contrast to the right one, is more sloping.

Plane Alley

The center of the city is occupied by an unusually picturesque garden with thick old trees. Plane Tree Alley is a number of very ancient chinars, some of them for more than 700 years. These trees, being witnesses of many historical events, with their whole appearance set an example of Caucasian longevity and wisdom. Here, in a plane grove, there was also a mosque, destroyed during the Soviet regime and built in the 19th century. The church is saved, far from the original, but very picturesque. On the right side of the square grows a famous huge plane tree which is 700-800 years old. The plane tree (or chinar) is under state protection as a natural monument, it is huge, several girths thick. There is a circular bench around the plane tree. I have never seen such a tree! One of the most beloved rest parks is named after Heydar Aliyev. It covers an area of ​​12 hectares, there are planted 27 species of trees. A wide stone staircase, potyemkin stairs (Galaduzu Stairs) also begins from here  leading to a small plateau, where the ruins of the Shamil fortress rise. After the revolution of 1905, the legendary Potemkin people were sharpened here. It gives the city charm and connects the residential Galaduzu massif, the Zagatala fortress with the H.Aliyev Park of Culture and Leisure.

Zagatala fortress

Fortress walls.  In 1830, a fortress called New Zagatala was built and twenty years later (1851) it was given the status of a city. On the territory there are not enough old buildings. There are warehouse and barracks here.

 

Village Yukhary Chardakhlar

Yukhary Chardakhlar is a village located in the Zagatala region of Azerbaijan. Avars and Tsakhurs live in the village. According to legends which were recorded by the Avars of the village of Yukhary Chardakhlar, their ancestors came here several generations ago from the village of Taryssan (there are ruins of this village in the modern Rutul region of the Republic of Dagestan), later residents of another Dagestan village, Kusur, began to move to the village. The ancestors of Tsakhur also settled in the village of Yukhary Chardakhlar, later Avars. They came from the villages of Mishlesh and Muslakh of the Rutul district, mostly after the 1917 revolution. By the beginning of the 80s. Avars and Tsakhurs lived in Yukhara Chardakhlar not quarterly but mixed. The language of communication between the Avars and Tsakhurs is Azerbaijani and among the Tsakhurs knowledge of Avarian language is noted.

Peri Gala

Peri Gala is a fortress located 300 meters from the village of Yukhary Chardakhlar of Zagatala region on a steep part of the mountain, at an altitude of 150-200 meters from the land of Azerbaijan. According to some data, it was built in the III — IV centuries, according to others - in the XII — XIII centuries or at the end of the XIV century. The total area of ​​the fortress is about 30 square meters. People reached the fortress by the paw 1-1.5 meters wide, cut from a rock the remains of which have survived to this day.  The trail leading to the fortress is difficult to reach and makes the fortress almost inaccessible. According to the historian Mohammed Hajiahmedov, according to legends the fortress was built in the Sassanid period in the 4th-5th centuries. Unlike other fortresses located on the territory of Azerbaijan, Peri Fortress is different in that it is carved inside the mountain.

To the north of Zagatala stretches Zagatala Reserve, established in 1929. It occupies an area of ​​253 square km. Most of its territory is covered with forests. The height of individual trees reaches 30–35 m and the diameter of the trunks is up to 1.5 m. There are many trees under the age of 200 years. There are also mighty centuries-old lindens and elms in the reserve. A pine grows on the steep rocky slopes, scree and river terraces. The fauna of the reserve is rich in hoofed animals, predators, rodents and birds. The scientific and practical importance of the Zakatala reserve is great. The reserve is also working on the cultivation of ginseng, the root of which is called the root of life and longevity. It has extraordinary healing properties and is increasingly used in medicine. The beauty and originality of nature, favorable climatic conditions make Zagatala Reserve one of the rarest parts of the country.

20:00 End of the tour

Group tours schedule