Baku, September 3, AZERTAC

Quiet sunny days, warm sea and summer green forests, parks and gardens, which begin to change their colors only in late October - a real pleasure to spend autumn in Azerbaijan! Rest here will be filled with wonderful impressions without worry about the bad weather, which often hinders the program of tourists' stay in other countries.

Baku Boulevard

September

The calendar autumn in Baku is usually ahead of its actual offensive. September in the metropolitan region is almost always pleased with the warm summer weather of 22-25 degrees Celsius.

The Indian summer in Baku is pleasant to spend in numerous city parks - perfectly equipped and always full of resting public. Especially recommend to visit Baku Seaside Park, known as Boulevard - one of the sights of the capital of Azerbaijan, which is more than 100 years old.

The seaside park is full of flowers and greenery. On the anniversary of the boulevard, various exotic plants and shrubs were brought here from different countries of the world, including baobabs from Argentina weighing 7 tons each and over 150 years old, huge cacti, old olive trees and palms. Here you will also find dozens of diverse attractions, a giant observation wheel, cafes, restaurants and a host of other opportunities to diversify your leisure time. For lovers of sea walks, passenger ships ply, Yacht Club and a floating restaurant operate. And one of the corners of the Boulevard, even called Baku Venice: here on artificial narrow canals cruising boats and gondolas, just like in the same Italian city.

National Music Day

September

Every year on September 18, the birthday of the founder of professional musical art of Azerbaijan Uzeyir Hajibeyov in Azerbaijan is celebrated the Day of National Music. Azerbaijani music is rich in names and traditions. The first opera in Azerbaijan and throughout the East - "Leyli and Majnun" by Uzeyir Hajibeyov - was first staged on January 12, 1908. From this date the history of the professional national opera in Azerbaijan originates. The 34th session of the General Conference of UNESCO, within the framework of the organization for anniversaries of outstanding personalities and significant events, decided to officially celebrate the 100th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibeyov's opera "Leili and Mejnun" in 2008-2009.

Traditionally, on the National Music Day in front of the Baku Musical Academy named after Uzeir Hajibeyli, official events are taking place with the participation of prominent public figures, performances of musicians. Also in this period the International Music Festival named after Uzeir Hajibeyli is held in Baku in which famous musicians, performers and collectives from different countries of the world take part.

Baku International Jazz Festival

October

In the autumn, another bright musical event is held annually in the capital - the Baku International Jazz Festival, in which the most famous performers from all over the world participate. Many foreign jazz stars arrive in the capital of Azerbaijan, which, along with Azerbaijani musicians, show their talents to the public.

This year the jazz festival in Baku will be held on October 14-28. The program of the festival includes performances by such stars as Laura Põldvere (Estonia), jazz pianist Jean-Christophe Cholet from France, music group from Sweden, Kodaly and Spice Jazz (Hungary), Martin Salemi Trio (Belgium), Helge Lien Trio Norway), Michael Pipoquinha (Brazil), Ruben Hein (Netherlands), Gregory Marete (USA), Christie Dashiell (USA) and others.

It should be noted that the Baku International Jazz Festival is held annually in Azerbaijan since 2002. Performances within the framework of the festival are held in the Baku Jazz Center, International Mugham Center, Heydar Aliyev Palace, the Baku Philharmonic and other modern venues of the city.

During the event, exhibitions, workshops, days of jazz cinema and competition of young jazz musicians will also be held in Baku.

Gastronomy

September-November

Autumn in Azerbaijan - what can be more tempting for lovers of generous gifts of nature! To replace the figs, watermelons, cornel, nuts, which are abundantly available in the markets in September, there come quince, persimmon, medlar and, of course, pomegranates! This is the time of ripening of amazing fruits with scarlet juicy grains, which can reach kilogram weight.

Freshly squeezed pomegranate juice - successfully complements fish dishes, which in autumn are great prepared in both large restaurants and roadside cafes, where there is always a cozy corner for a passing traveler. Fresh jams of local fruits and berries are a success for all visitors of the Azerbaijani tea-house.

Pomegranate Festival

October-November

Pomegranate is the king of fruits, one of the most favorite fruits in Azerbaijan, a source of vitamins and good health. The fertile land of Azerbaijan is able to grow all the varieties of this noble fruit known to date. Particularly famous for this is the Goychay region, whose climate and soil composition are ideal for the cultivation of pomegranate. It is no coincidence that Goychay is annually held in autumn a bright Pomegranate Festival, designed to demonstrate the beauty and benefits of this wonderful fruit.

The festival is held in late autumn, late October - early November, during the ripening of pomegranates. Organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Executive Power of the Goychay District, the event attracts a large number of visitors from all over Azerbaijan and foreign countries to the region. Still, where else will you see such a variety of varieties of pomegranate and delicacies from them ?! Farmers from more than 30 villages of Goychay represent the best fruits of the harvest of the new season for tasting to the public - and this is about 60 varieties of pomegranates, the most famous of which are Veles, Shirin, Gulaysha, Shikhbaba, etc., distinguished by a thin skin and large grains. All the charm of the festival is that the guests can try the presented products. In addition to fresh fruits, invariable interest is caused by dishes prepared with the use of pomegranates - desserts, pies, freshly squeezed juices. Especially it is necessary to allocate narsharab - a traditional sauce from the boiled juice of a pomegranate to meat and fish dishes. It can be purchased at any store in Azerbaijan, but only during the festival you can taste the narsharab cooked according to old recipes.

Folk festivals, performances of artists, street performances guarantee the participants and visitors of the Pomegranate Festival a festive mood.

Come and you! Moreover, it's easy to get to Goychay. Regular buses run regularly from the Baku International Bus Station, which will drive you to their destination in less than three hours.

Fair of honey in Baku

October-November

Azerbaijan is famous for its ecologically clean food products, among which honey and bee products take a special place. Honey fairs are held annually in Baku, where the products of the best beekeeping enterprises of Azerbaijan are demonstrated.

Typically, the fair lasts a month from October to November. It shows fragrant honey and medicinal products of beekeeping from almost all regions of the country, including highlands. All products undergo a thorough examination and only after necessary laboratory tests are allowed to participate, provided that it meets the established standards.

Visitors to the fair can taste and, if desired, buy honey of various kinds, beekeeping products such as wax, pollen, bee venom, royal jelly, propolis, etc. Moreover, the prices for the products presented are often below market prices.

Museums and theaters

September-November

Arrival in Baku in autumn is a great chance to get acquainted with theaters and museums of the capital. Visit to the Museum Center of Azerbaijan, the Museum of History of Azerbaijan, the Museum of Azerbaijan Literature after Nizami, the Azerbaijan State Museum of Musical Culture, the Miniature Book, the National Museum of Arts, certainly will bring no less positive than an acquaintance with the most different theaters of Baku. Among them are the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theater, the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, the Azerbaijan State Russian Drama Theater, the Azerbaijan State Theater of Musical Comedy, and many others unique in architecture, history and repertoire.

Trip to the regions

September-November

A lot of foreigners coming to Azerbaijan for the first time in September-October are interested in visiting out-of-town facilities, with which pages of a thousand-year history are linked. One of the tourist routes will take you to a unique place - the Gobustan State Historical and Artistic Reserve, located 60 km south of Baku, which is a unique monument of world importance and in 2007 was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. On the territory of the reserve with a total area of 537 hectares, one of the world's largest collections of ancient rock paintings is concentrated - there are more than 4000 thousand petroglyphs.

Tours to the village of Khinalig in the Guba region, famous for its unique traditions and culture, or a trip to the fortress of Chirag-gala (IV-V centuries) near the village of Gala-alti, which is called the "lamp" and other interesting places, are no less exciting and informative.

And lovers of hunting, fishing, gathering mushrooms, medicinal plants will be able to visit picturesque forests with quiet lakes, healing springs and protected groves, where they are waited with rich trophies that will please the most demanding travelers.

Emil Eyyubov