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Azerbaijan

The Caucuses are made of the countries Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. The surrounding countries to the south is Iran; to the east is the Caspian Sea; to the north is Russia and to the west is the Black Sea and Turkey.

In late September 2018 I flew from San Diego, California to Frankfurt, Germany to Baku, Azerbaijan. Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located 92 feet below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world and also the largest city in the world located below sea level. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, alongside the Bay of Baku.

Baku's urban population was estimated at just over two million people. Officially, about 25 percent of all inhabitants of the country live in Baku's metropolitan area. Baku is the sole metropolis in Azerbaijan.

The city is the scientific, cultural, and industrial center of Azerbaijan. Many sizeable Azerbaijani institutions have their headquarters there. The Baku International Sea Trade Port is capable of handling two million tons of general and dry bulk cargoes per year.

A new shopping center located in Baku adjacent to the Caspian sea. It is called Caspian Waterfront, Baku. It is located on land reclaimed from the Caspian Sea, Caspian Waterfront will be an entertainment, retail, leisure and dining destination over five floors. A central ‘flame’ tower completes eight angled glass façades inspired by the eight-pointed star on Azerbaijan’s national emblem. It is massive in size.

Baku is also known as The City of Winds. It is an unofficial, literary name for Baku, mainly because it is windy throughout most of the year. The name derives from the ancient Persian name of this locality: . "pounding winds". There are two winds common to Baku: cold and rough Khazri, and mild and gentle Gilavar.

The old and the new of Azerbaijan. Here we have a lady sweeping the streets of the city.

Government House is a government building where a number of the country's ministries have their main office. This building is from the Soviet times (although that is not so evident) and was apparently built and designed by German POWs.

It is the place of concentration of ancient oil fields, well-known Oil Stones, unique plant of deep water foundations, high-capacity derrick barges, and modern drilling floating units. It is also famous for developed oil refineries, petrochemical, chemical, light, food, engineering branches of industry, oil equipment production, building materials, instrumentation, electrical engineering and radio electronics, shipbuilding. Baku is a large rail junction and port terminal in the Caspian Sea.

Old Soviet era buildings are evident throughout the city against the facade of the new oil rich development buildings.

Old and the new construction

Newer high rise residential buildings.

More new high risei residential buildings

Flame Towers is a trio of skyscrapers in Baku, Azerbaijan, including the tallest in the country, with a height of 597 feet.

Reflections of nearby buildings in the Flame Tower buildings.

The cost of Flame Towers was an estimated US$350 million. Construction began in 2007, with completion in 2012..The clouds and the sky reflecting in one the Flame Tower buildings.

The Baku TV Tower built in 1996, is a free standing concrete telecommunications tower in Baku, Azerbaijan. With a height of 1017 feet, it is the tallest structure in Azerbaijan and the tallest reinforced concrete building in Caucasus

Government offices Baku. I was told the average monthly salary in Azerbaijan is the equivalent of $250 US .

The Flame Towers symbolize the long history of fire worshipers that considered Azerbaijan as a birthplace for prophet Zoroaster.

The Mosque of the Martyrs , also popularly known as the Turkish Mosque is a mosque in Baku, Azerbaijan, near the Martyrs' Lane. The mosque was built in the beginning of the 1990s with assistance of the Turkish government

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