Suraxanı to Qala
Picking up my Abşeron Adventure where I left off in Part I, the next step was for me to figure out where in the hell I could find Bus 104 heading in the direction of Bakı Ekspo Mərkezi (Baku Expo Center). Someone at the Suraxanı train station was nice enough to point me in the vicinity of a busy intersection where he told me to wave at any 104 marked-bus I saw; it still took me three tries flagging down buses and showing my desired destination on google maps to the driver before I found one going in the right direction. I knew this was going to be the trickiest part of the journey as I had to change buses at the “busy highway” and then continue on to Qala. I’m always leery of someone telling me “you can’t miss it,” but the highway, also known as the airport road, was indeed massive and impossible to miss.
Several bus lines utilize this stop on their way to Qala, but only one, Bus 101, takes you to the eastern edge of town, just a 10 minute walk from the Qala Arxeoloji Etnoqrafik Muzey Kompleksi (Qala Archeological and Ethnographic Museum Complex). The complex, which opened in 2008, is comprised of four separate museum areas; tickets for each section can be purchased separately or you can buy a multi-pass for the entire complex at a discounted price. The space used to only house a Qala historical museum, but items from all over Abşeron were amassed and added to the collection to create the newly realized complex that tells the story of the entire region.
I began my tour with the open-air portion of the complex- a series of pathways built around ancient Abşeron ruins and a large collection of petroglyphs that are three to four thousand years old. Many of the unearthed structures were constructed halfway into the ground as a means of keeping the building cool in the stifling heat. Specialized domed rooves were also developed to aid in temperature regulation during both the summer and winter months. Tunnels were also discovered that connected Baku under the peninsula to the Caspian Sea.
The buildings are decked out with ethnographic accoutrements, creating a village of homesteads, metal working shops and the most impressive of all: the merchant house. One of the more lavishly decorated rooms was set up to illustrate the traditional Abşeron wedding night customs of the 19th Century.
One of the more unique pieces in the open-air section is the qavaldaş or tambourine stone. Because of the arid climate and all the natural gas in the region, these large stones make unique musical sounds when struck with smaller rocks. Ancient Azerbaijani music, often accompanied by chanting, was composed on the qavaldaş in Abşeron. Modern traditional music has incorporated the melodies of the qavaldaş with other instruments and is still played today.
My favorite part of my entire day on the peninsula was the animals of Abşeron area. I must have spent the good part of an hour watching and petting the horses, camels, goats, sheep and donkeys that have found a home at the museum. The camels may have been the big show-offs, stealing the spotlight as I showered them with attention, but all the animals were pretty cute and ready for their close ups!
The next portion of the museum complex is the Qala Fortress, which was completed around the 14th Century AD. It was the primary defensive structure in Qala and you are still able to climb the remain watchtower for a panoramic view of Qala and the surrounding countryside. The fortress storeroom now contains coins, jewelry and pottery which were discovered in the area.
Next door to the fortress is the Qala Antiques Museum, which was easily the driest portion of the complex and the easiest to skim through if you’re short on time. Most of the pieces came from one man’s silver and copper collection, and the engraving work is truly impressive, but there isn’t much in the way of information to guide you through the exhibit, which leaves it all at face value.
The newest and hippest part of the museum complex is the art pavilion, which hosts rotating special events throughout the year. Qala has hosted seven international “Tullantidan Sənətə” or “From Waste to Art” exhibitions, where artists from all over the world take items once destined for a landfill and turn the former junk into art. I couldn’t get over the creativity on display and spreading an environmentally-friendly message through art was more than up my alley.
Here are just a few of my favorites:
I spent a lot more time at the museum complex than I had planned on, but there really is a lot to see and absorb if you want to take the time to learn about ancient Abşeron. The staff were super friendly; there is an option for one of them to give a private tour in English for an extra fee. As sad as I was to say goodbye to my new animal friends, it was time to catch the bus to my next destination which you can read about in Abşeron Adventure Part III…
