Azerbaijan

Discover Azerbaijan

Fun Foods

Qutab, Plov, Dushbara, Kebab, Pakhlava

The world's first industrial oil well was drilled in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1846. That's 13 years before the famous Pennsylvania well everyone thinks was first. Azerbaijan literally powered the modern world before America got in the game.

By the 1870s, Baku was swimming in oil money. The Nobel Brothers and the Rothschilds rushed in to build empires. The city transformed from a quiet Caspian Sea port into an industrial powerhouse that supplied half the world's oil at its peak.

Ancient Caucasian Albania, a state that existed from the 3rd century BC to the 8th century AD, was home to the ancestors of today's Azerbaijanis. Persians, Arabs, Mongols, and Russians all conquered the region at different times, each leaving their mark on the culture.

On January 19-20, 1990, Soviet troops rolled into Baku with tanks and killed 147 civilians. Black January was Moscow's brutal attempt to crush Azerbaijan's independence movement.

Instead, it backfired spectacularly and became the turning point that pushed Azerbaijan toward freedom.

Azerbaijan declared independence on October 18, 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. But independence brought immediate conflict with neighboring Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The First Karabakh War from 1988 to 1994 killed 30,000 people and displaced over a million, mostly Azerbaijanis driven from their homes. Armenian forces occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, taking 16% of Azerbaijan's territory.

In 2020, Azerbaijan launched a 44-day war and won decisively, taking back most of the lost territory.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan forced 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee Nagorno-Karabakh. The exodus happened in just one week.

Novruz Bayram, the Persian New Year with Zoroastrian roots, arrives every March 21 with bonfires, dancing, and huge feasts. It's Azerbaijan's biggest celebration of the year.

Try plov, the national rice pilaf dish cooked with saffron, meat, and dried fruits. It's considered the king of Azerbaijani foods.

Dolma, grape leaves stuffed with meat and rice, has UNESCO recognition as an Azerbaijani tradition.

Mugham, traditional music performed with a tar (long-necked string instrument), also has UNESCO recognition. Baku's Old City features the medieval Maiden Tower alongside the futuristic Flame Towers. The contrast is wild.