Leigh in Azerbaijan

Photos.

Yesterday (Thurs 19th) I went with Chris, Guyani, Adam and Sam to Quba, which is north of Baku by several hours. Afer having passed the sad industrial Russian chemical wasteland of Sumgayit, which had the world highest infant mortality rate for a while, we got to Quba fairly late in the day and went straight across the river to Krasnaya Sloboda. This is a Jewish settlement and its origins make interesting reading. The photos give a hint but they don’t tell the truth as it is far more prosperous than my photos convery.

The highlight of our quick trip was Xinaliq (pron: hin-a-leek). It is in the highlands, at the end of a newly layed ashphalt road, survives on livestock and some horticulture ( if the terraces are anything to go by) and is very isolated. All the homes are made from local small stones, are very small and are built on quite a steep hill. There can’t be many luxuries here. The store had a large supply of candy and vodka, large bags of animal feed, some other grocery items but not much more. At least some people have satellite TV however. Its setting and charm was magnificent. You just wouldn’t want to fall seriously sick in the middle of winter as you would surely be snowed in. Perhaps the soldiers quarters nearby would somehow get help to you or vice-versa. The Russian border is 50-100 km north on a mountain range.