When you travel to Azerbaijan, you enter a land full of history, music, and colours. You can walk through old towns, listen to traditional music, and taste food locals have enjoyed for centuries. These cultural experiences in Azerbaijan will make your trip more than just sightseeing. To enjoy your journey with freedom, think about renting a car in Azerbaijan. You can explore big cities and small villages at your own pace with a car. Also, you will not miss hidden places where traditions are still alive. From lively markets to quiet mountain towns, Azerbaijan is best seen when you can travel freely.
Exploring Azerbaijan means diving into a culture shaped by trade, faith, and artistry. From the streets of medieval Baku to mountain villages that guard ancient traditions, you’ll find living heritage everywhere.
Baku’s Old City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site encircled by 12th-century fortress walls. As you stroll through the narrow stone alleys of this “city within a city,” you feel history all around you – from the Maiden Tower, an iconic 12th-century tower shrouded in legends, to the opulent Palace of the Shirvanshahs, once home to medieval rulers. The Old City is often called a living open-air museum, packed with mosques, caravanserais, bathhouses, and hidden courtyards where everyday life unfolds amidst ancient monuments.
Take your time to explore Icherisheher’s maze of passageways. You might stumble upon the Museum of Miniature Books, which holds the world’s smallest book (measuring just 2×2 mm), or catch a performance at the quaint Marionette Theatre. Traditional carpet shops and antique stores line the streets, and you can pop into a caravanserai-turned-restaurant for lunch or sip Azerbaijani black tea in a rooftop café overlooking the city’s medieval walls.
Gobustan National Park, about a 1-hour drive south of Baku, offers a glimpse into prehistoric times. Here, you can uncover thousands of ancient petroglyphs carved into rocky boulders, some dating back as far as 20,000 years. At the open-air Gobustan Rock Art Museum, you’ll spot stick-figure people dancing, hunters chasing wild animals, boat engravings, and carvings of goats and bulls–a whole gallery of stone-age storytelling. In fact, over 6,000 rock engravings cover the site, depicting scenes of everyday life from the Upper Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. This astounding collection earned Gobustan recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site for preserving early human art.
As you explore the petroglyphs, a guide can help interpret the carvings. These range from a 1st-century AD Latin inscription left by a Roman legionnaire (the easternmost known Roman inscription) to the famous “gaval dash” musical stone that rings like a tambourine when struck. Don’t leave without visiting the modern Gobustan museum, which uses interactive displays to explain the region’s archaeology and the lifestles of its ancient inhabitants. For a bonus adventure, drive about 25 minutes to see some of Azerbaijan’s mud volcanoes bubbling and belching mud.
Azerbaijan is nicknamed the “Land of Fire,” and visiting the Ateshgah Fire Temple and Yanar Dag will show you why. On the outskirts of Baku, Surakhani, you’ll find Ateshgah. It is an 18th-century pentagonal stone temple built around a natural gas vent that once flamed eternally. Centuries ago, Zoroastrian fire-worshippers traveled here to witness the sacred fire.
Later, in the 17th and 18th centuries, Hindu and Sikh pilgrims from India also used Ateshgah as a place of worship, drawn by the mysterious ever-burning flames. The temple, with its central altar that once sprouted fire, is now a museum where you can learn about these ancient cults and the trade routes that brought distant devotees to Azerbaijan. Walking through the courtyard, you’ll see monk cells and altar inscriptions in Sanskrit and Gurmukhi.
A 30-minute drive away is Yanar Dag, meaning “Burning Mountain.” This natural gas hillside has been aflame for a long time. At first, it looks like the side of a normal hill, until you notice the 10-meter-long wall of fire blazing from the ground. Fueled by gas seeping through porous sandstone, the fire never extinguishes, even in rain or snow. Marco Polo described similar perpetual flames in this region in the 13th century.
At Yanar Dag’s viewing area, you can stand close to the orange flames and feel their warmth. It’s especially atmospheric at dusk when the fire glows bright against the darkening sky. There is an on-site museum that explains geology and the ancient fire-worshipping traditions in Azerbaijan, which sites like Yanar Dag inspired. Visit Ateshgah and Yanar Dag on the Absheron Peninsula for a fiery day trip.
Tucked into the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, the town of Sheki is a jewel of the historic Silk Road. As you arrive, you’ll notice the traditional architecture – tiled roofs, ornamental brickwork, and elaborately carved wooden balconies. Sheki’s greatest pride is the Khan’s Palace, an 18th-century royal residence set amid giant chinar trees. Its colorful facade and exquisite interior are breathtaking. Every inch of wall and ceiling is covered in vibrant murals of flowers, birds, and hunting scenes.
The palace windows are made of shebeke, a mosaic of thousands of pieces of stained glass set in a wooden lattice without a single drop of glue. When sunlight streams through the shebeke, the whole palace shimmers in rainbow light. This site and Sheki’s historic centre are recognized by UNESCO for its outstanding architecture and craftsmanship.
Outside of the palace, you can wander Sheki’s old town, which still exudes the spirit of Silk Road trade days. Don’t miss the Caravanserai, a massive fortress-like inn where merchants once lodged with their camels and goods. Today, it’s partly a hotel. Visitors can peek into its courtyard and imagine the bustle of traders from faraway lands.
Sheki is also famous for its traditional crafts and sweets. Walk down the historic trading street and pop into the boutiques and workshops. You can meet artisans printing patterns on kelaghayi silk scarves using wooden stamps or embroidering tekelduz motifs onto textiles. Master potters and papag (hat) makers might invite you to watch them work. Be sure to sample Sheki’s halva, a delectable layered pakhlava dessert of nuts and syrup. You can take a short halva-making class at a local sweet shop.
No trip to Azerbaijan is complete without admiring its carpets. Carpet weaving here is not just a craft but an ancient art form and way of life, passed down through families over many generations. In 2010, UNESCO inscribed the traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving onto its Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Different regions of the country have their own signature carpet patterns and techniques. For example, the bold geometric patterns of a Guba carpet differ from the intricate florals of a Karabakh carpet. Historically, men would shear the sheep and collect dyes from plants, while women spun the wool and did the looming and knotting during the winter months at home. The moment when a carpet is cut from the loom is celebrated with a small ceremony.
To explore this heritage, visit the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum in Baku. Housed in a modern building cleverly designed to resemble a giant rolled-up carpet, this museum contains the world’s largest collection of Azerbaijani carpets. These include 10,000 carpets, artifacts, and rugs dating back to the 17th century. You’ll see examples of flat-weave kilims, pile carpets, silk embroideries, and more. The displays explain common carpet motifs like the buta (paisley) and the symbols of fertility, protection, and nature that Azerbaijani weavers have incorporated for ages. You can even watch a live demonstration by expert weavers using traditional loom techniques.
High up in the Caucasus Mountains, you can step back in time at the village of Lahij. Lahij is famous for its copper craftsmen. The artisans beat, shape, and engrave copper to create ornate trays, pitchers, and detailed figurines. This copper craftsmanship of Lahij is so exceptional that UNESCO recognizes it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Azerbaijan. When you visit this stone-built village, you’ll hear the melodic clang of hammers from tiny workshops. Peek inside and you’ll see a master coppersmith hunched over an anvil, hammering a glowing piece of copper from the furnace.
The friendly artisans in workshops often invite you and show their creations. You’ll see shelves lined with shining copper samovars, bowls, and intricate plates etched with geometric and nature-inspired motifs. Feel free to ask questions. Many speak some Russian or basic English, and all speak the universal language of hospitality. Beyond copper, Lahij is also known for leatherwork and carpentry, and you can find handmade souvenirs like saddlebags, knives, and carved wooden items. The village is picturesque with stone houses with latticed windows, ancient cobblestone streets, and quaint bridges. The crisp mountain air carries the scent of wood smoke and pine. Visiting Lahij is a chance to see the traditions of Azerbaijan.
One of the most engaging ways to connect with Azerbaijani culture is through its music and dance. At the heart of it is Mugham, Azerbaijan's haunting traditional music genre. Mugham is an intricate blend of vocal and instrumental artistry, often described as an improvised jazz of the East.
In a typical mugham performance, a singer pours their heart out in poetic lyrics while accompanied by musicians playing ancient instruments like the tar (a long-necked lute), the kamancha (a spike fiddle held like a cello), and the daf (a large frame drum). The music can be slow and meditative or build up to passionate, rapid sequences.
UNESCO proclaimed Mugham a Masterpiece of Intangible Heritage for its unique musical richness. It is performed in various venues, from the Mugham Centre in Baku to tea houses in the Old City. Even if you do not understand the lyrics, which are often classic poetry in Azerbaijani or Persian, you will feel the raw emotion in the vocals and the mesmeric patterns of the music.
On a livelier note, Azerbaijan’s folk dances will surely get your feet tapping. Every region has its own dances, but one of the most famous is Yallı. This energetic group dance from Nakhchivan involves people holding hands in a line or circle and performing synchronized steps. Yallı dances can be fast with plenty of high jumps and kicks, accompanied by drumbeats and zurna music. They are traditionally performed at celebrations and weddings. Another popular dance is the Lezginka, a rapid Caucasian dance featuring quick stomping and spinning. In restaurants with live music, you may catch an impromptu Lezginka performance.
Azerbaijani food is influenced by the Middle East, Turkey, and Central Asia. A great way to dive in is to visit a local bazaar in Baku or a regional farmers' market. You will weave through stalls with fresh produce: mountains of pomegranates, shiny aubergines and tomatoes, bunches of herbs, and spices like sumac and saffron. Friendly vendors may offer samples of dried fruits, nuts, and local cheeses as you browse.
For meals, get ready to feast. Plov is the crown jewel of Azerbaijani cuisine, a golden rice pilaf cooked with saffron, butter, and aromatic herbs, usually topped with lamb, apricots, chestnuts, or raisins. There are dozens of plov varieties, and tasting a hearty serving is a must. You should also try dolma, which in Azerbaijan often means vine leaves or cabbage leaves stuffed with spiced minced meat and rice, simmered until tender. Another specialty is piti, a rich stew of lamb and chickpeas slow-cooked in clay pots.
On the street or in casual eateries, you can grab a qutab or kebabs grilled over coals. Do not forget to sample pakhlava, shekerbura cookies, famous halva. Food in Azerbaijan is tied to the seasons and family life, so you will always find something fresh and meaningful on the table.
Khinalig (Xınalıq) is the most isolated village in Azerbaijan. It is about 2,200 meters above sea level in the Great Caucasus Mountains. With roughly 2,000 residents who speak their distinct language, the village has preserved a way of life for centuries. In recognition of its unique cultural landscape, Khinalig and its surrounding pasture routes were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023.
The drive up is an experience with winding mountain roads and breathtaking panoramas. When you arrive, you will see stone-and-clay houses clustered on the slope, their flat roofs sometimes used as terraces or pathways for the houses above. Many families here practice seasonal transhumance, moving their flocks to higher summer pastures and returning in winter. Women knit the famous woolen socks with bright carpet-like patterns or weave the traditional chukha, a wool cloak once worn by Caucasian shepherds. There are a few small homestays and a history museum where you can learn about Khinalig’s heritage. Nearby, you will find an old mosque and a Zoroastrian fire temple relic.
Exploring Azerbaijan is more than a holiday. You walk through ancient cities, hear music that speaks to the soul, and enjoy flavours passed down for generations. From the flames of Yanar Dag to the carpets of Sheki, every stop shows how traditions live on today. To make your journey easy, book a car in Azerbaijan with Final Rentals. Choose from budget-friendly compact cars to roomy SUVs, all with instant booking and transparent pricing. With pick-up points in Baku and Gabala Airports, you can explore famous landmarks and the hidden villages on your own schedule.
