Nakhchivan

Nakhchivan is an exclave of Azerbaijan, separated from the rest of the country by Armenia.  Due to the lack of any land border crossings between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the only way to reach Nakhchivan from Baku is by plane.  Most Western tourists never venture into Nakhchivan because of this isolation.  But the place intrigued me, so I jumped at the chance to join a group trip organized by Natig Travel and Translation.

Ilandag (Snake Mtn) made even more pretty by a rainbow

The name Nakhchivan means "colony of Noah."  Legend has it that Noah's Ark actually plowed through Nakhchivan's Ilandag Mountain during the flood, leaving a visible gash in the mountaintop.  Another legend (or perhaps a continuation of the same one) is that Noah is buried in Nakhchivan.  We visited his tomb, where we learned about the research that confirms this theory.  It was interesting ... but perhaps my expression in the below picture tells you how much I believed it!

Erica at Noah's Tomb

The most memorable stop on the trip was Alinja Fortress.  As we drove up to it, we craned our heads back and could just see the outlines of the fortress walls nestled high in the mountainside.  We all said to each other:  "Surely we're not walking all the way up there!"  But our guides encouraged us out of the vehicles and we began to climb innumerable steps to the top.  It was one of those deceptive climbs where we kept thinking we were almost done, but then the path would curve and continue upwards.  Just as we were reaching the for-real top, we noticed storm clouds moving quickly towards us.  The wind gusted and the skies opened up to pound us with hailstones!  We crouched along the walls of the fortress, trying to seek even a small amount of shelter from the sudden storm.  True to our guide's assurances, the storm didn't last long, and the sun even came back out for me to snap this picture of the fortress before we made our descent.

Sun glistening off Alinja Fortress

As I noted, Nakhchivan shares a border with Armenia, to the north.  The border to the south is with Iran.  Our travels through the region brought us in close proximity to both borders, and being so close to these restricted lands continually fascinated my group members.  While Armenia is not actually forbidden, crossing the border from Nakhchivan is not possible.  Iran was actually within eyesight multiple times, but remained just out of reach.

Erica and Chris, with the mountains of Iran in the distance

I think the biggest impression Nakhchivan will leave on all of us was its natural beauty.  Continually throughout the trip, we were treated to magnificent mountainous landscapes, from snow-capped peaks to rolling green hills.  It was quite literally a beautiful trip.

Mountainous landscape of southern Nakhchivan