Guba Tour Guide
About Guba
The Guba region is not far from the capital city of Azerbaijan and one can easily do it in a day excursion. The administrative capital of this region is the city of Guba whose symbol is a red apple. Tourists are attracted by the generous nature of the region, many historical sites and carefully preserved cultural heritage. The Guba carpet weaving school is one of the most famous schools throughout the world. The hospitality of the locals has become a symbol from the core of their hearts and not formality. Once visited by the French writer Alexandre Dumas and the Norwegian traveler scientist Thor Heyerdahl who stated that this region is always ready to receive visitors.
Gudialchay Arched Bridge
This is the only bridge of Azerbaijan that is now preserved by the government’s department of culture and history. It is one of the seven bridges that existed in the Guba in the 17th to 19th centuries. The bridge is the longest of the seven bridges was built in 1894 upon the order of Alexander 3 in order to strengthen Russia’s military presence in the Caucasus. Fourteen of its spans with a total length of 275 meters and 8 m wide are made of baked bricks. Multi-span construction supports the bridge to remain intact even during powerful mudflows and floods, which raise the water level in the Gudialchay River. This bridge of such construction of 19th century is unique in Azerbaijan and attracts hundreds of tourists on daily basis.
Bathhouse with a Dome
The Bathhouses in Azerbaijan have been essential part of life style of the people of Azerbaijan and at all time being a favorite place for the body and the spirit. It was constructed in the 18th century. The building of the Guba bathhouse is crowned with a large dome, which allowed keeping the desired temperature and humidity in rooms. This quadrangular structure is also called Suhur (Chukhur) Hamam, which means Bathhouse was built of special rocks. It consists of six rooms, two doors and six windows.
It is a well-known fact that the French writer Alexander dumas has once taken a bath in this bathhouse. In 1858, he came to Azerbaijan during his trip to the Caucasus and after 150 years, his great grandson has also visited this place. The bathhouse also keeps sad secrets. According to the locals during the genocide committed by Armenians in Guba in 1918, Chukhur Hamam was used to kill people with water steam. Until 1985 the bathhouse was used for the purpose it had been built but now this pearl of oriental architecture is protected as a historical monument.
Juma Mosque
Juma Mosque as one of the oldest mosques is located in the very heart of Guba City, near the Central Park. It was built in 1802 with the financial support of a local resident Ghazi Ismail. The Mosque is made of red bricks. The Mosque demonstrates the richness of the architectural style that is simple but characteristically only for the mosques of the Guba region. The Juma Mosque is one of the oldest religious centers not only in Guba, but also in entire northeastern region of Azerbaijan.
Khynalyg Settlement
The Kynalyg settlement is located in the territory of Guba, 65 km from the administrative center, at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level. This village has about 380 houses and 3000 inhabitants. One can do mountain adventure by doing week long trekking towards the boundary of Russia. The local population represents a specific ethnic community that speaks its own language. Together with the language, the Khynalyg dwellers retained their ancient customs, which attract amateurs of ethnographic tourism. The village is now one of the top tourist attractions of Guba region. This area is heaven for travelers and scientists who study the unique way of life and traditions of this quiet particular ethnic community. The region is also good for bird watching, especially enjoy the flights of Eagle if you are lucky.
Nizami Park
It is popular saying that the oldest park in Guba the Nizami Park was built in 1946 by German prisoners. The park is full of flowers and other plantation, which cover a range of murmuring fountains under their shade. The visitors to this park also spend their time in a local teahouse, playing billiards or walking through the shady alleys. The park consists of a monument of the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi, around which along the alleys one can see reliefs depicting scenes from the most famous works of the Author. After walk through the park, one can go down to the ancient arched bridge that leads to the settlement of the Mountain Jews.
Qirmizi Qesebe
The residents of this village are from Jews school of thought, who calls themselves Jugur. They are also called Mountain Jews. They speak Hebrew, but they also fluently speak both Azerbaijani and Russian. The village has 13 synagogues, among which two are operational. There are about 4-5 thousand Jews live in Qirmizi Qesebe that is symbol of pluralism in Azerbaijan and symbol of peace and harmony among the different religions. The dwellers of this prosperous village are engaged mainly in commerce and living well-off life with top luxury.