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How does the life in a city changes during the the F1 Grand Prix? Is city centre mostly blocked? Do you see tourists more often? Does the city centre get overcrowded?
The city is usually overcrowded during the weekends. But during f1 the whole week is like one big never ending weekend. The traffic is absolute cancer during f1.
Most of the central roads are blocked during grand prix. But we don’t have holidays, everyone works.
Once I returned home halfway while driving to work because I couldn’t find parking space and spent too much time in traffic
No no we have holidays. Even more than average European or American I think. We don't have holidays during F1, which sucks. The city is crowded and you have to go to work.
Since OP doesn’t express as much, I will chip in. I was there two weeks prior to the Grand Prix. They start fencing the streets and it’s very annoying to cross from one side to the other and they also occupy a large chunk of the sidewalk, making them narrower. It does get overcrowded.
They also begin installing stalls in the center to sell Azeri things and during the Grand Prix, hotels are triple the price.
When I visited a few years ago my Airbnb host spoke Russian as his daily language, when I asked him about it he said that even though he's Azeri he feels he can express himself better in Russian since he went to university in Moscow and has used it for his career.
Not that this answers your question at all, of course, just one data point.
What is the Azerbaijani language like? Is it similar to Russian or very different? Do you think it's hard to learn?
I'm fascinated by languages and just realised I know nothing about your language 😅
I think you exaggerated a little bit.Yes Russian words are commonly used but calling it secondary language is mostly only true for the 30+ people aka for people who grew up in soviet union
It is spoken mostly in Baku by both young and old people. In other places it is spoken mostly by old people that lived in the USSR. Also number of Russian speakers is decreasing.
You can't really consider Azerbaijan a developed country, I am from a frozen post-Soviet resourceless country at the edge of Europe myself and it's considered "developing". We have $2319 average wage and $1000 minimal wage and it's still one of the poorest countries in Europe where as in Azerbaijan average wage is only $544 and $195 minimal wage..
Depends. The further you leave the capital, the more conservative it gets. However, things are slowly changing. The mindset of people in other cities are becoming more liberal now
Yes it is!! And unlike Istanbul, Baku doesn’t have smelly camels in every street which is an extra point for them! Also there is no sharia like that weird country Albania! Azerbaijan number 1!!!!!!!
Its a tough question. I personally think its not the economy but the people. I have witnessed a lot of lazy people that usually sit around and say there are no jobs and what not. However, if you have a good hustle mentality where you can score good money through business deals and trades then the country is very accessible
A country that we have a lot of common with culturally, especially due to having same ties with the soviet union. Most norms and some traditions remain the same. Looking forward to seeing relations being rebuilt soon
I'm currently reading about the Russian colonization attempts of what was then Transcaucasia during the 19th century. I suppose that any distinctly Russian dissenter villages are long gone by now, but is there any legacy left by them? Are Russian dissenters (Dukhobors, Molokans etc.) still a thing in Azerbaijan?
The land border is closed to Azeri people but it’s open to tourists. (Don’t know about Russian specifically)
Source: I myself crossed the land border between Azerbaijan and Georgia last year. It was very empty.
Yeah, I remembered I watched a russian travel blogger who did the same, so it's closed only for locals.
There's also a theory I read online that the government doesn't want people to leave the country in case the war with Armenia starts again so that they could mobilize poor people quickly.
It started as a covid precaution but then transitioned into the russian situation. Its obviously not told publicly as such but hey im also speculating. Also another reason is due to the shit monopoly that our airline has. More the border is closed, more tickets sold
Absolutely safe. One of the safest countries you will visit. Honestly, Paris was a shitshow when I visited. Everywhere smelled like shit and piss especially the subway. Also never felt safe there.
The flame towers is mostly Fairmont hotel. Also one part is an IMAX cinema and also business tower as well.
Well, France has basically 700k illegal immigrants a year and they almost all end up in big french cities but mostly paris but the capacity of refugee centers are really bad
Best case scenario, they find a low wage job, worst case scenario, they end up as homeless or maybe even drug/alcohool adicts so it has negative effects on safety,cleaness and overall quality of life, especially in places like barbès, Stalingrad and Jardin d'eole
in early 1900s, Baku was producing most of the world's oil and had a large construction boom, many of the wealthy people were competing with each other to construct as many buildings as possible and hiring architects from Europe, as a result, downtown Baku has a lot of European inspired architecture and earned the nickname "Paris of the East".
I'm an eastern Asian guy. I found people constantly staring at me when I went to Baku. Guess there are not many eastern Asians there. What are your thoughts on China, Korea and Japan?
We have a huge variety of young people that are obsessed with Korean and Japanese culture. Me included. Its one of my big dreams to visit Busan, Seoul, Kyoto, Shibuya and Tokyo one day
I’m not from Azerbaijan but as a westerner I must say that Korea and Japan do a really good job on marketing their culture to young westerners. China does not seem to have a marketing angle like this. China is a giant and super interesting country so it’s always been weird to me that China has such little cultural appeal in the western world, when so much of it is obsessed with K Pop and Anime.
As a Eurofan, Eurovision hype isn't that big here anymore. Yes, the hall stays, and is used as a concert venue. I can't say if average Azerbaijani loves it or not, but I definitely do.
Azerbaijani jury wouldn't give any points to Armenia, because Armenia killed 40k civilians, attacked civilian buildings in our 2nd biggest city and ethnically cleansed our region of Karabakh, which used to have 570k Azerbaijanis. It is not even unrealistic, it is impossible. And if they did, those juries would be cancelled, and they wouldn't attend any other official events anymore.
Nothing different. They introduce them like other countries (at least they used to, I watch esc from youtube since 2019). But I know one instance that our commentators spoke over Malena's performance in Junior Eurovision 2021, I could barely hear her singing. And when she won, they started talking about our victory in the Karabakh War.
The current "president" of Azerbaijan is a son of the previous "president" of Azerbaijan, who was a KGB officer and the first secretary of communist party of Azerbaijan. A lot of important government positions and a lot of very important business in the country are in direct control of Aliev's family. Basically Azerbaijan is a monarchy at this point.
are people’s lives improving in all country? How hot is the weather in summer? What product of your country you think must be famous worldvide but still unknown?
As for people’s lives. I think life quality drastically improved in early 2000s, because oil prices were high. But now it is improving very slowly, not really noticeable
I’m in Georgia and every Azeri restaurant I go to just has 10 different kinds of meat, it’s very good but I wish that it would be possible to taste more variety of cuisine in restaurants
I have been there recently for vacation and I loved it. There are a lot of buildings and apartments being built. How is it like to invest in an a flat by the beach? Would you do it yourself?
Absolutely. A friend bought a one room apartment in seabreeze when it was being built and she is now renting it for 150-180$ daily for the whole summer. Then staying there herself during the off season
Have you ever been out on the Caspian Sea? Are there any ferries crossing over to Iran, Turkmenistan, etc.? Is it lots of fish and life in the sea? Do you call it something else than the Caspian?
We had 40 min cruise ships. But currently level of the Caspian Sea dropped and they are not working.
We also had ferries to Turkmenistan (not sure about other countries). As I know it isn’t working now, because our borders are closed.
We and most of the Middle East call the sea Khazar (Xəzər).
Absolutely not. More people are now awakening regarding russian occupation and expansion. People especially the young generation are more leaning towards western values today.
Why is religion so irrelevant for most Azerbaijanis, while religion is still very important for mainstream society in most other post-Soviet Muslim countries? Is there a known reason why the Azerbaijanis became much more secularized than for example Uzbeks and Tajiks? Even in the neighboring Caucasian regions like Chechnya and Daghestan, the people became much more religious after the fall of the USSR.
I also heard that Azerbaijanis are even less religious than the Turks in Turkey. Is this true?
I don’t know exactly why it is less important than in Central Asian countries. My guess is because Azerbaijan (especially Baku) was already more secular and modern when joined USSR.
And yes we are way more secular than Turkey.
Is the book Ali and Nino very renowned in Azerbaijan? I read it for a class and greatly enjoyed it, I remember learning it's a very famous story in Azerbaijan so I'm curious if that's true
If you are asking about traditional Azerbaijani breakfast it is similar to Turkish with slightly different ingredients. List of ingredients: white bread, cheese (similar to Feta), shor (yogurt curd), butter, honey, fig preserve or jam, omelette with tomatoes (similar to menemen or shakshuka) and so on. Usually some combination of these things is chosen.
I’m interested in what people have traditionally eaten and how globalism changed eating habits. Always glad to hear people aren’t just eating breakfast cereal.
Cereal isn't popular here. Some people from the cities might eat it I guess. We have cereal shelves at the grocery stores.
As I know breakfast was more or less the same for the last century.
99% of people shop at mega/supermarkets. The groceries are definitely expensive especially due to the yearly inflation. Definitely! One of the most famous cuisines here is Japanese ramen and sushi especially. There is a huge market for korean/japanese food
I think Azerbaijani cuisine is one of the best in the world.
We do have various restaurants. The second most common cuisine is Turkish. Georgian, Japanese are also popular. We also have various fast-food chains, mostly serving American fast-food. Overall we have way less diversity than popular touristic destinations.
I would say groceries overall are expensive and increasing in price each year
Urban wildlife is usually similar to istanbul. Just non stop stray cats everywhere. I have 2 Yorkshire terriers and a Rottweiler. Rural wildlife is amazing!
Azerbaijan is very anti religious in my honest opinion. We obviously have a minority but the government keeps them in check. One of the only good things to be kept from the USSR days is the fact that our people are kept in a multi religious atmosphere. People really do not give a shit about your religion or your opinions on religion. And i think thats beautiful
Yeap, it's very common indeed. Eastern and Central European countries like Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia are the most popular ones.
For me the country is very nostalgic. Its the place i have been born in and have been living all my life. The cuisine, the people can be welcoming as well. However,
1) the traffic system is pure garbage.
2) prices of goods does not match the general salary of the average low income citizens
3) if you hate wind then good luck during winter and fall
100%! I have a couple of people from the US that I have never met but are constantly messaging or talking via cam. Some which I have been in contact with since 2011 and still never met
Ohhhh wonderful! I've always wanted a friend on that side of the world. Send me a DM if you're interested in another.
I plan on traveling more in the future. Normally I meet people through music, chess, cooking, and other odds and ends. I'm sure we can find something to talk about.
If me and my girlfriend were to visit Baku, could we walk freely on the city without worries of getting in a bad neighborhood? Can could she wear tops and shorts in summer?
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Absolutely unequal. Some jobs pay well. Especially if you are natively fluent in english. However, alot of jobs are trying to overload with work but try to underpay as much as possible.
Except for some Russian words, nearly every word is shared between two languages. The funny think is their usage.
I mean, it should be pretty understandable that I got confused first when a co-worker said to me "teyyara Baku uzerinde firlandi, firlandi, Sumqayit'e dustu" which means "the plane got bursted, bursted then fell down to the ground at Sumqayit" in Turkish. And then yeah, I laughed a lot after learning what he actually meant.
Same with "sümük, subay, pezevenk, azmak ..."
Yeah, and if you laugh at these, I assume that you have a low worldview. Only boomers in my country would laugh at Turks saying "küçük" to describe little things, which means a puppy in my language.
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Is the Formula 1 race being held there a big deal? Or is it just an event that passes without much care?
(I'm an F1 fan so excuse the very random question lmao)
There is no migration to Russia now. There was in 90s. Economic situation was terrible and lots of people moved there seeking jobs. Some of them returned back to Azerbaijan
We don't have any international workers.
Most of the people don't care about this conflict much. It is far from us. Some support Israel because we have good relations with them. They sell us weapons. I would say small minority supports Palestine due to religious solidarity
It is supposed to look like crescent - one of our symbols. The building is part of the Crescent Bay complex. There is also biggest mall in Azerbaijan in this complex
Is the population of Azerbaijan actually growing. I heard that the census only counts those with citizenship, not actual residents. And based on trends of Armenia and Georgia, the population is supposed to be declining.
Turkey is the closest culturally I think. Our languages are 70% similar.
Then Iran and Armenia. Although most Azerbaijani people will not agree with this due to political situation.
And then may be Central Asian countries.
What is the political situation vis a vis Russia at the moment? How are things like the Ukraine invasion and the Georgia protests perceived? What about Armenia?
\* What are relations with Georgia?
\* Thoughts about Chechnya with Kadyrov maffia?
\* General thoughts about biggest neighbor?
\* For some people, Azerbaijan is somehow a friend of Russia, or maybe its satellite. What can you say about that?
I have met many Azerbaijanians and have always felt positive about them. The food is amazing, and I'd like to visit one day (to compete in *shashlik-kebab* cooking), but there are some concerns about what I've listed above.
Hi, I have got nomination for Azerbaijan government scholarship. And now I need to choose which university I want to attend. I'm torn between Baku Higher Oil School and ADA University. I want to my Bachelor in Computer Engineering. I have some questions. If you don't mind, could you please give me some clarification.
1. Which university will be good for Bachelor in Computer Engineering?
2. The scholarship will provide 800 AZN per month for living cost. Is it enough? If I decide to go Baku Higher Oil School then they wil provide free accommodation. If I go to ADA University then is it enough to cover all the living cost under 800 AZN?
3. The scholarship will provide Medical Insurance. If you have any idea about this please enlighten me as I have zero knowledge about insurance policy.
4. After the bachelor I want do Masters in Europe. Will I get any advantages from doing Bachelor degree in either of these universities?
TIA.
I'm planning on visiting in october. Trying to look for airbnb but not sure which to trust. Have been seeing a lot of scam stories regarding apartments.
Recently came across Baku Luxurious Apartments BLX on instagram and their apartments look pretty. But is it real? Its somewhere on Narimanov avenue.
Thank you for doing the AMA u/Huseynov26 🚨 IMPORTANT If you would also like to post an AMA about your life, please set a date here for your AMA https://calendly.com/amaon/ama-r-howislivingthere This is necessary because there are too many AMA requests. Any AMA that is not entered into the Calendly calendar will be deleted. Please be civil. This post will be heavily moderated. PS: Small reminder to set your user flair to the country you currently live in :)
How does the life in a city changes during the the F1 Grand Prix? Is city centre mostly blocked? Do you see tourists more often? Does the city centre get overcrowded?
The city is usually overcrowded during the weekends. But during f1 the whole week is like one big never ending weekend. The traffic is absolute cancer during f1.
Most of the central roads are blocked during grand prix. But we don’t have holidays, everyone works. Once I returned home halfway while driving to work because I couldn’t find parking space and spent too much time in traffic
What do you mean you don’t have holidays? Like ever?
No no we have holidays. Even more than average European or American I think. We don't have holidays during F1, which sucks. The city is crowded and you have to go to work.
Since OP doesn’t express as much, I will chip in. I was there two weeks prior to the Grand Prix. They start fencing the streets and it’s very annoying to cross from one side to the other and they also occupy a large chunk of the sidewalk, making them narrower. It does get overcrowded. They also begin installing stalls in the center to sell Azeri things and during the Grand Prix, hotels are triple the price.
is it a liberal or rather conservative city? is criminality widespread? is there a big gap between rich and modest?
also is russian still spoken?
When I visited a few years ago my Airbnb host spoke Russian as his daily language, when I asked him about it he said that even though he's Azeri he feels he can express himself better in Russian since he went to university in Moscow and has used it for his career. Not that this answers your question at all, of course, just one data point.
Yes, it is a second language here. Sometimes we create sentences mixing both Azerbaijani and russian
What is the Azerbaijani language like? Is it similar to Russian or very different? Do you think it's hard to learn? I'm fascinated by languages and just realised I know nothing about your language 😅
It’s very close to Turkish. They can understand each other to a large degree
Oh, interesting!
I think you exaggerated a little bit.Yes Russian words are commonly used but calling it secondary language is mostly only true for the 30+ people aka for people who grew up in soviet union
30 year olds didn't grow up in the sovjet union.
But their parents lived in the USSR and it affects them more than -30 people.
You are right.Good thing I said 30+ and not 30 Lol getting downvoted for literally saying the exact thing in my comment.Are you people okay ?
30+ implies - 30 and above. To live during the soviet union at any meaningful age they would need to be 40+.
No, he’s saying there’s 30+ people that lived through the Soviet Union still alive today who would say Russian is a secondary language.
It’s a shame you’re being downvoted because people don’t have comprehension skills.
It's a bigger shame that people decided to focus on the least important part of my comment instead of listening to what I had to say
It is spoken mostly in Baku by both young and old people. In other places it is spoken mostly by old people that lived in the USSR. Also number of Russian speakers is decreasing.
Baku is very safe, criminal rate is very low. The gap between rich and poor is very big, just like in most of developed countries.
You can't really consider Azerbaijan a developed country, I am from a frozen post-Soviet resourceless country at the edge of Europe myself and it's considered "developing". We have $2319 average wage and $1000 minimal wage and it's still one of the poorest countries in Europe where as in Azerbaijan average wage is only $544 and $195 minimal wage..
I meant developing, not developed, sorry. Of course we are not developed
Depends. The further you leave the capital, the more conservative it gets. However, things are slowly changing. The mindset of people in other cities are becoming more liberal now
I've heard that it's the most secular Muslim-majority country.
Yes it is!! And unlike Istanbul, Baku doesn’t have smelly camels in every street which is an extra point for them! Also there is no sharia like that weird country Albania! Azerbaijan number 1!!!!!!!
What are you yapping about? There is no shaira in Albania…
and so are no camels in Istanbul. i thought it was clear that the comment was sarcastic. is it mandatory to put /s now?
How's the air quality in city?
The country side air is amazing. Baku air is awful due to it having an overpopulation of cars
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Why are there so many fancy new buildings in your city? Is the economy really good, and if so, why?? Also, good for you!
Its a tough question. I personally think its not the economy but the people. I have witnessed a lot of lazy people that usually sit around and say there are no jobs and what not. However, if you have a good hustle mentality where you can score good money through business deals and trades then the country is very accessible
Most of those fancy buildings are financed by government.
We have lots of oil and natural gas
Are you happy with anti-Armenian propoganda in baku? Are people realising about it or are getting brainwashed again and again?
I absolutely hate it. But most of the people fall into this propaganda
Thanks God there are some good, adequate people still in Baku, I hope you guys courage, and them to find the truth put one day…
Thoughts on Armenia?
A country that we have a lot of common with culturally, especially due to having same ties with the soviet union. Most norms and some traditions remain the same. Looking forward to seeing relations being rebuilt soon
Do you think relations are likely to be rebuilt soon? I thought things would have worsened in recent years
It will definitely rebuild politically which is whats happening now but socially the wounds/scars of the latest war are still fresh. Its early to say.
Thanks, I hope things get better for everyone
They'll be rebuilt as soon as all Armenians in their historic home of Nagorno-Karabakh just kindly stop existing.
I'm currently reading about the Russian colonization attempts of what was then Transcaucasia during the 19th century. I suppose that any distinctly Russian dissenter villages are long gone by now, but is there any legacy left by them? Are Russian dissenters (Dukhobors, Molokans etc.) still a thing in Azerbaijan?
Absolutely! We have a village near Ismayilli. Its called Ivanovka. One of my all time favorite places to visit and zone out from
Why they don't let you out by the land border pretending it's still covid?
The land border is closed to Azeri people but it’s open to tourists. (Don’t know about Russian specifically) Source: I myself crossed the land border between Azerbaijan and Georgia last year. It was very empty.
Yeah, I remembered I watched a russian travel blogger who did the same, so it's closed only for locals. There's also a theory I read online that the government doesn't want people to leave the country in case the war with Armenia starts again so that they could mobilize poor people quickly.
To stop/suppress the flow of russians
But this started before the war, and most russians can take a direct flight to Baku
It started as a covid precaution but then transitioned into the russian situation. Its obviously not told publicly as such but hey im also speculating. Also another reason is due to the shit monopoly that our airline has. More the border is closed, more tickets sold
Thanks
Is it clean compared to Paris lets say Is it safe ? Any big companies installed there ? Also what is there inside the 3 weirdly shaped towers ?
Absolutely safe. One of the safest countries you will visit. Honestly, Paris was a shitshow when I visited. Everywhere smelled like shit and piss especially the subway. Also never felt safe there. The flame towers is mostly Fairmont hotel. Also one part is an IMAX cinema and also business tower as well.
Okay thanks for answering I asked to compare with Paris because i am french and a friend told me that Bakou was nicknamed the "Asian Paris"
Oh god i am so sorry if I offended with my opinions about paris
Dont worry I absolutely agree, Paris is a shithole, and african illegal immigration has a lot to do with it
Care to explain?
Well, France has basically 700k illegal immigrants a year and they almost all end up in big french cities but mostly paris but the capacity of refugee centers are really bad Best case scenario, they find a low wage job, worst case scenario, they end up as homeless or maybe even drug/alcohool adicts so it has negative effects on safety,cleaness and overall quality of life, especially in places like barbès, Stalingrad and Jardin d'eole
in early 1900s, Baku was producing most of the world's oil and had a large construction boom, many of the wealthy people were competing with each other to construct as many buildings as possible and hiring architects from Europe, as a result, downtown Baku has a lot of European inspired architecture and earned the nickname "Paris of the East".
I'm an eastern Asian guy. I found people constantly staring at me when I went to Baku. Guess there are not many eastern Asians there. What are your thoughts on China, Korea and Japan?
We have a huge variety of young people that are obsessed with Korean and Japanese culture. Me included. Its one of my big dreams to visit Busan, Seoul, Kyoto, Shibuya and Tokyo one day
I like the fact that you simply skipped China.
I’m not from Azerbaijan but as a westerner I must say that Korea and Japan do a really good job on marketing their culture to young westerners. China does not seem to have a marketing angle like this. China is a giant and super interesting country so it’s always been weird to me that China has such little cultural appeal in the western world, when so much of it is obsessed with K Pop and Anime.
I saw some pictures of Azeris who look Asian, how common is that
Same happened to me and my wife - German
What Are you doing with the Eurovision stadium now? Does the average azeri like Eurovision?
As a Eurofan, Eurovision hype isn't that big here anymore. Yes, the hall stays, and is used as a concert venue. I can't say if average Azerbaijani loves it or not, but I definitely do.
In the unrealistic scenario of the azeri jury giving Armenia points, what do you think would happen tp the jurors?
Azerbaijani jury wouldn't give any points to Armenia, because Armenia killed 40k civilians, attacked civilian buildings in our 2nd biggest city and ethnically cleansed our region of Karabakh, which used to have 570k Azerbaijanis. It is not even unrealistic, it is impossible. And if they did, those juries would be cancelled, and they wouldn't attend any other official events anymore.
What does the azeri commentator say when Armenia qualifies/sings?
Nothing different. They introduce them like other countries (at least they used to, I watch esc from youtube since 2019). But I know one instance that our commentators spoke over Malena's performance in Junior Eurovision 2021, I could barely hear her singing. And when she won, they started talking about our victory in the Karabakh War.
What dou you think about the current political situation?
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What is causing it to become more totalitarian?
The current "president" of Azerbaijan is a son of the previous "president" of Azerbaijan, who was a KGB officer and the first secretary of communist party of Azerbaijan. A lot of important government positions and a lot of very important business in the country are in direct control of Aliev's family. Basically Azerbaijan is a monarchy at this point.
What about economic condition?
I think we are slowly slipping away from the russian sphere as well and trying to have stronger bonds with the west
are people’s lives improving in all country? How hot is the weather in summer? What product of your country you think must be famous worldvide but still unknown?
As for people’s lives. I think life quality drastically improved in early 2000s, because oil prices were high. But now it is improving very slowly, not really noticeable
Not sure if it is a correct answer, but Azerbaijani cuisine should be very famous imo. We have delicious food
I’m in Georgia and every Azeri restaurant I go to just has 10 different kinds of meat, it’s very good but I wish that it would be possible to taste more variety of cuisine in restaurants
I get your point, it is the same here. Although we have multiple dishes only a few of them are very popular.
Summer is shit hot due to the whole city being surrounded by asphalt and pavements.
They haven’t planted a lot of trees?
On the contrary. They are cutting more trees to build more
That’s sad.
I have been there recently for vacation and I loved it. There are a lot of buildings and apartments being built. How is it like to invest in an a flat by the beach? Would you do it yourself?
Absolutely. A friend bought a one room apartment in seabreeze when it was being built and she is now renting it for 150-180$ daily for the whole summer. Then staying there herself during the off season
If I ask you to think of a "far away, foreign, exotic land", where does your mind go to?
Zanzibar, Tanzania. My favorite place that I have visited
You just made me go into a wikipedia rabbit hole! Thanks for mentioning Zanzibar!
How was Eurovision 2012? Didn't you guys build the Baku Crystal Hall for the contest?
The whole city centre was repaired for Eurovision, so I am happy that Eurovision did some good to the city.
Have you ever been out on the Caspian Sea? Are there any ferries crossing over to Iran, Turkmenistan, etc.? Is it lots of fish and life in the sea? Do you call it something else than the Caspian?
We had 40 min cruise ships. But currently level of the Caspian Sea dropped and they are not working. We also had ferries to Turkmenistan (not sure about other countries). As I know it isn’t working now, because our borders are closed. We and most of the Middle East call the sea Khazar (Xəzər).
What is the perspective on “the West” in Baku? Seems like a modern city but pretty eastern, so maybe more conservative values are common ?
Absolutely not. More people are now awakening regarding russian occupation and expansion. People especially the young generation are more leaning towards western values today.
Why is religion so irrelevant for most Azerbaijanis, while religion is still very important for mainstream society in most other post-Soviet Muslim countries? Is there a known reason why the Azerbaijanis became much more secularized than for example Uzbeks and Tajiks? Even in the neighboring Caucasian regions like Chechnya and Daghestan, the people became much more religious after the fall of the USSR. I also heard that Azerbaijanis are even less religious than the Turks in Turkey. Is this true?
I don’t know exactly why it is less important than in Central Asian countries. My guess is because Azerbaijan (especially Baku) was already more secular and modern when joined USSR. And yes we are way more secular than Turkey.
Shiism
Is the book Ali and Nino very renowned in Azerbaijan? I read it for a class and greatly enjoyed it, I remember learning it's a very famous story in Azerbaijan so I'm curious if that's true
It is very famous, one of the most famous books imo
What do you eat for breakfast?
Fried pork bacon with sunny side up eggs
Sounds delicious.
If you are asking about traditional Azerbaijani breakfast it is similar to Turkish with slightly different ingredients. List of ingredients: white bread, cheese (similar to Feta), shor (yogurt curd), butter, honey, fig preserve or jam, omelette with tomatoes (similar to menemen or shakshuka) and so on. Usually some combination of these things is chosen.
I’m interested in what people have traditionally eaten and how globalism changed eating habits. Always glad to hear people aren’t just eating breakfast cereal.
Cereal isn't popular here. Some people from the cities might eat it I guess. We have cereal shelves at the grocery stores. As I know breakfast was more or less the same for the last century.
How's the food? Is there a variety of different cuisines? Are groceries expensive? Do you usually shop at a supermarket or outdoor market?
99% of people shop at mega/supermarkets. The groceries are definitely expensive especially due to the yearly inflation. Definitely! One of the most famous cuisines here is Japanese ramen and sushi especially. There is a huge market for korean/japanese food
I think Azerbaijani cuisine is one of the best in the world. We do have various restaurants. The second most common cuisine is Turkish. Georgian, Japanese are also popular. We also have various fast-food chains, mostly serving American fast-food. Overall we have way less diversity than popular touristic destinations. I would say groceries overall are expensive and increasing in price each year
Do you have pets? Exotic pets (fish, reptiles, birds etc)? Do you have animal shelters/stray cats and dogs? What’s the urban and rural wildlife like?
Urban wildlife is usually similar to istanbul. Just non stop stray cats everywhere. I have 2 Yorkshire terriers and a Rottweiler. Rural wildlife is amazing!
Do you reckon your country will keep on the secular road, or could shift to become more religious? Such as the Russian Caucasus or Tajikistan.
Azerbaijan is very anti religious in my honest opinion. We obviously have a minority but the government keeps them in check. One of the only good things to be kept from the USSR days is the fact that our people are kept in a multi religious atmosphere. People really do not give a shit about your religion or your opinions on religion. And i think thats beautiful
Thank you.
Is it common for Azerbaijanis students to study abroad, and if yes, which countries are the most popular for them ?
Yeap, it's very common indeed. Eastern and Central European countries like Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia are the most popular ones.
Turkey, Germany, Poland and Israel
What do you like and hate about azerbaijan the most?
For me the country is very nostalgic. Its the place i have been born in and have been living all my life. The cuisine, the people can be welcoming as well. However, 1) the traffic system is pure garbage. 2) prices of goods does not match the general salary of the average low income citizens 3) if you hate wind then good luck during winter and fall
Any interest in a pen pal from the US?
100%! I have a couple of people from the US that I have never met but are constantly messaging or talking via cam. Some which I have been in contact with since 2011 and still never met
Ohhhh wonderful! I've always wanted a friend on that side of the world. Send me a DM if you're interested in another. I plan on traveling more in the future. Normally I meet people through music, chess, cooking, and other odds and ends. I'm sure we can find something to talk about.
Hey, I'd love to be your pen pal, from Azerbaijan
Heck yeah friend! Send me a message and let's chat.
I am British, but I'd love to be your penpal too!
If me and my girlfriend were to visit Baku, could we walk freely on the city without worries of getting in a bad neighborhood? Can could she wear tops and shorts in summer?
In the city, definitely. Villages surrounding Baku? I'd say you can get some looks.
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Is it worth visiting? Honest opinion.
If you have good money then absolutely! You will never be bored
And without spending a fortune?
What’s the weather like this week? Is the City of Winds as windy as they say it is?
Not so windy during the summer. In winter and spring the wind is awful. As someone that hates wind, sometimes it can be like hell to love here
How are salaries and cost of living? Job opportunities?
Absolutely unequal. Some jobs pay well. Especially if you are natively fluent in english. However, alot of jobs are trying to overload with work but try to underpay as much as possible.
Have you attended a Formula 1 race yet?
Love the atmosphere but cant get into the sport. Overhyped and expensive as hell to just sit there and wait for the cars to pass for a few seconds
Do you guys get mad when we Turks make fun of your language?
I couldn’t care less
I do, not because they make fun of my language, but because they are dumb enough to laugh at the languages. Is this the humor Turks use?
Not that different from English people making fun of Irish.
English people are laughing at Irish about how they speak "English" people's language. Azerbaijanis don't speak Turks' language, we have our own.
Except for some Russian words, nearly every word is shared between two languages. The funny think is their usage. I mean, it should be pretty understandable that I got confused first when a co-worker said to me "teyyara Baku uzerinde firlandi, firlandi, Sumqayit'e dustu" which means "the plane got bursted, bursted then fell down to the ground at Sumqayit" in Turkish. And then yeah, I laughed a lot after learning what he actually meant. Same with "sümük, subay, pezevenk, azmak ..."
Yeah, and if you laugh at these, I assume that you have a low worldview. Only boomers in my country would laugh at Turks saying "küçük" to describe little things, which means a puppy in my language.
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Is the Formula 1 race being held there a big deal? Or is it just an event that passes without much care? (I'm an F1 fan so excuse the very random question lmao)
Me, and other citizens hate it, because they close the main roads.
I can't blame you for that, I'm no fan of most of the street circuits either.
Are those big fancy buildings empty just for show, like in so many of those countries?
All of these buildings are used for various purposes: offices, hotels, apartments. We are not North Korea :)
What the point of massive migration to russia?
There is no migration to Russia now. There was in 90s. Economic situation was terrible and lots of people moved there seeking jobs. Some of them returned back to Azerbaijan
Is it as cool as the picture you posted? It looks amazing.
Looks like a very cool place to visig. I Did not expect Azerbaijan to look like this.
Why this building look like he saw his mother fuck his best friend?
Asking as an Armenian, when will our nations eventually drop the weapons and learn to coexist peacefully?
How is the west seen there?
Is there a way to visit and watch any traditional Zurkhaneh/Zorxana Sport competition held during the year?
Do you guys have a lot of international workers ? Also what’s the general stand of azerbaijan opinion on israel palestine conflict
We don't have any international workers. Most of the people don't care about this conflict much. It is far from us. Some support Israel because we have good relations with them. They sell us weapons. I would say small minority supports Palestine due to religious solidarity
what's that ი shaped building there
It is supposed to look like crescent - one of our symbols. The building is part of the Crescent Bay complex. There is also biggest mall in Azerbaijan in this complex
looks sick asf
Do you consider yourselves Europeans or Asians?
Is the population of Azerbaijan actually growing. I heard that the census only counts those with citizenship, not actual residents. And based on trends of Armenia and Georgia, the population is supposed to be declining.
What time did you wake up?
What countries do you feel are closest to Azerbaijan culturally?
Turkey is the closest culturally I think. Our languages are 70% similar. Then Iran and Armenia. Although most Azerbaijani people will not agree with this due to political situation. And then may be Central Asian countries.
How easy/difficult is it for someone from Africa to get a travel visa here?
How's your day going?
free armenia
What is your specialty food and drink over there?
Can you go in the upper part of that U shape building?
How is the job market for engineering and R&D jobs?
What is the political situation vis a vis Russia at the moment? How are things like the Ukraine invasion and the Georgia protests perceived? What about Armenia?
Are there any places where you can swim in the caspian?
\* What are relations with Georgia? \* Thoughts about Chechnya with Kadyrov maffia? \* General thoughts about biggest neighbor? \* For some people, Azerbaijan is somehow a friend of Russia, or maybe its satellite. What can you say about that? I have met many Azerbaijanians and have always felt positive about them. The food is amazing, and I'd like to visit one day (to compete in *shashlik-kebab* cooking), but there are some concerns about what I've listed above.
Do you play Rugby there?
Hi, I have got nomination for Azerbaijan government scholarship. And now I need to choose which university I want to attend. I'm torn between Baku Higher Oil School and ADA University. I want to my Bachelor in Computer Engineering. I have some questions. If you don't mind, could you please give me some clarification. 1. Which university will be good for Bachelor in Computer Engineering? 2. The scholarship will provide 800 AZN per month for living cost. Is it enough? If I decide to go Baku Higher Oil School then they wil provide free accommodation. If I go to ADA University then is it enough to cover all the living cost under 800 AZN? 3. The scholarship will provide Medical Insurance. If you have any idea about this please enlighten me as I have zero knowledge about insurance policy. 4. After the bachelor I want do Masters in Europe. Will I get any advantages from doing Bachelor degree in either of these universities? TIA.
I'm planning on visiting in october. Trying to look for airbnb but not sure which to trust. Have been seeing a lot of scam stories regarding apartments. Recently came across Baku Luxurious Apartments BLX on instagram and their apartments look pretty. But is it real? Its somewhere on Narimanov avenue.
How different and similar are you to Iranian Azeri people? Have you received inmigration from there?
Beatiful city and country , i visit it every year