Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Although Azerbaijan’s capital city, Baku, is among the most beautiful and visited cities in the world, this fascinating country has a lot more to offer foreign tourists.

Mountains, forests, farmlands, coastal areas, and nine out of a possible eleven distinct

climate zones from subtropical to alpine climates allow the country to welcome a diverse group of tourists. In addition to the natural and rural attractions, Azerbaijan has a rich history and many destinations that would be of interest to tourists.

Until recently, few travelers visited other regions and cities of Azerbaijan due to lack of proper information and infrastructure. However, today, one can see many foreigners traveling around the country with backpacks and cameras in their hands.

The tourists mainly choose the most popular destinations –Gabala, Quba, Shamakhi and many other cities. But, this year the southern regions also welcomed more tourists than before.

Director of Lankaran Tourism Information Center Ilgar Azimov told Azertac that about 36,000 tourists visited Lankaran, Astara and Lerik regions in eight months of the current year.

Noting that more than 17,000 tourists came only to Lankaran during this period, Azimov said that the number of foreign tourists traveling to the region also grew.

“Russian tourists take first place among the foreigners coming to Lankaran, followed by travelers from Iran and Arab countries,” he said.

Favorable weather conditions in August-September resulted in tourist flow to the southern regions, according Azimov, who added that the tourists expressed their satisfaction with the conditions created in the recreation centers and tourism facilities of the region.

The charming city of Lankaran, one of the most vibrant and beautiful cities of Azerbaijan, is located in the South-Eastern part of the country, right at the shore of the Caspian sea. Clean air and beautiful nature, abundance of attractions and hospitality of local people are that special factor, which annually attracts tourists from all over the world.

Lankaran can be considered one of the oldest settlements of Azerbaijan -- its area was inhabited from the Bronze Age. Due to its location between Europe and Asia, Lankaran was a major stopover point for international caravan routes. In 1742, the city became the capital of the Talysh Khanate. Lankaran has a lot of historical attractions – one of the most magnificent is the Lankaran Fortress. Built in the 18th century, it was one of the most important military fortifications in the Talysh Khanate.

Russian tourist Sergei Abramov, who visited Lankaran for the first time, expressed his satisfaction with the travel.

“We came from Moscow. The nature and atmosphere of Lankaran made us fascinate. People of Lankaran are both hospitable and very nice,” he said.

Another tourist from Russia, Olga Abramova could not hide her enthusiasm for the national cuisine.

“Your kitchen is so delicious,” she said. “Since weather in Russia is cold we cannot have breakfast outdoors. However, here we enjoyed the delicious breakfast in the open air.”

If you ask an Azerbaijani about the most fruitful region of the country, he will probably name Lankaran. In agriculture of Lankaran citrus and subtropical fruit-growing occupies a special place, and it is no coincidence that Lankaran is called the land of citrus plants, such as oranges, tangerines, lemons, pomelo and others.

Of course, when visiting Lankaran, you should definitely taste Lankaran tea, which is constantly exported to other regions of Azerbaijan and foreign countries as well. Tea is so popular in Lankaran, that it has tea monument beside the entry to the city – a huge samovar (tea boiler).

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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