SIS Summer Abroad 2012: Georgia: What's in a Name?

If I said "Azerbaijan" to you, what would be your first thought? "Azer what?" "Where is world is that?" "Muslim Country"...etc., etc., etc. I have to say, when I was first told we had the opportunity to visit Azerbaijan, I said yes! And then I went to look for a map. I knew it was a Muslim majority country, I knew it had been ruled by the Aliyev family for decades, and so I was skeptical, but I went...and I was blown away.

Although we did not see the countryside or outside of the Capital city of Baku, the country and its people surprised me! Walking along the streets at night you would think you were in Paris, Prague, or London. The city is beautiful, families are out late into the night with kids skating and riding their scooters next to the Caspian Sea. Women walk around in western wear, dresses and tank-stops, some wear headscarves and others don't. For a country that borders Iran, its secularism and western orientation is guarded intensely. Azerbaijan actually maintains very close ties to Israel and some Azerbaijanis consider it a part of Europe, and not the Middle East or Central Asia.

The Boulevard on the Caspian Sea provides a great respite for many families from the heat during the day. Baku is actually built on a desert and once you leave the city limits you encounter oil rigs and desert mountains. We had a chance to visit both while we were there. We saw the Sangachal terminal which pumps oil from the Caspian Sea through Georgia and Turkey to European nations. Azerbaijan is also developing Shah Deniz, a massive gas deposit below the Caspian in order to help European nations become less reliant on Russian gas. Some Eastern European countries are totally reliant on Russia, and when Russia decides to invoke a "price dispute" it will cut off gas to those nations, including during winter in January 2009 to Ukraine.

The sad part about the Caspian Sea is that after the Soviet Union collapse, there was about 2 million barrels of oil in the sea. It is completely polluted, and when you walk up to it, or go to the pier, there is a constant smell of gas and permanent oily sheen. But that doesn't take away from the history that is also in this country. Within the desert mountains were discovered stone etchings and paintings from 5,000 BC to 10,000 BC. Seeing this part of history, not just where our ancestors came from, but where humanity itself developed, was incredible.

The old walled city was also very beautiful, with its Maiden tower. Legend has it that a young woman threw herself off of the tower because she did not want to marry the suitor her parents chose. Although I am not sure if that's true or not, I think the story reminds the people of Azerbaijan of their secularism and their strong view on women's rights.