CASPIAN MYSTIQUE
today’s oil money rather than a
century ago.
I can’t get too exercised about this.
The history of a place transcends its
buildings. Late one morning
I enter the Taze Bey Hammam, a
traditional Turkish bath that has
operated continuously for more than
a century. I find myself in a hallway
decorated with wood carvings,
mounted animals, photos, and other
miscellanea. The place smells like
Turkish cigarettes.
I check in and trade my clothes
for a towel. As I step into the sauna
I catch my breath: It’s the hottest
I’ve ever felt. “A hundred degrees,”
the attendant tells me—and he isn’t
talking Fahrenheit.
Heat, a plunge in cold water, and
I’m led into a steam room. Through
mist I see an attendant holding leafy
branches under a fountain. When
he shakes them over me, the water
droplets give a shiver of pleasure. He
proceeds to rhythmically whip the
leaves over my arms and back. I close
my eyes and consider the thousands
of men who over centuries have
submitted to the same treatment.
Rarely have I felt such a living
connection with the past. When the
session finishes, it takes me a moment
to recall where I am. And who.“IS THAT A VOLGA?” I ask Elnur
Babayev. He nods, then points. “And
that is a Pobeda from the 1950s.”
The vintage Soviet cars areand beautiful and ugly and crowded
is because of oil.”
The elaborate oil residences
include Mukhtarov’s Mansion,
a rendition of a Venetian palace
that now hosts weddings, and the
Hajinski Mansion, which houses
luxury shops and apartments.
They appear to have been built with
94
LODGING Baku has about 150 hotels.
Budget-friendly Premier Old Gates
Hotel cosies things up with Azeri
carpets and arabesque wallpaper;
upper rooms have views of the
Caspian Sea and Baku’s old city walls.
Doubles £58. The Fairmont Baku
Flame Towers offers floor-to-ceiling
windows and modern décor. Doubles
from £125.
DINING Meat dishes are served in Silk
Road style at tapestry-filled Manqal,
Kichik Gala Street 126, average bill is
under £10. Tiny and always full, Piti-
Haneh is a word-of-mouth eatery
known for its pork dishes. Kutab
(stuffed flat-bread) and other street
foods fill kiosks by the city gates.
SHOPPING Azerbaijan’s legacy as a
crossroad of cultures comes alive at
the Taza Bazaar, a market selling
aromatic spices, dried fruits, cheeses,
local teas, and seafood.
More information azerbaijan.travelTRAVEL TIPS90 • JULY 2019