Colorful Bazaars, Outlets, and Shops of Baku

What to Expect

Explosion of Flavors: from Olive Jam to Black Caviar
Baku markets are something heartwarming: you will be a guest here, not just a buyer. Where we will go:

• In a Sheki Sweets Shop, where you can find unique Sheki pastries like pakhlava, peshveng, telkhalva, grymabadam, made from rice flour, sugar, nuts, butter, egg whites, and spices.
• At the Yashil Bazaar, or Green Market of Baku, the biggest in the city. Here, you can not only shop for fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy products, but also have a bit of fun, taste a little of everything, take portraits of friendly sellers, and photograph colorful stalls. Pomegranates, figs, nuts, olive and eggplant jam, spices unique to Baku: sumac, zirinj, dried barberries, turmeric - where else would you see such oddities? You will also be treated with tea and jam, just because it's customary not to let a guest leave without a treat.
• At the Teze Bazaar, where you can find the most luxurious delicacies - famous black caviar, smoked sturgeon and other fish from the Caspian Sea.

"What is an outlet in Miami, is Sədərək in Baku"
We won't go to the huge Sədərək - it's too far, but we will definitely visit other equally interesting places:

• Ganjlik Mall - the largest shopping center in the city, with many beautiful shops of local and foreign brands and a crazy number of amazing restaurants.
• Showroom of National Silk Scarves - here I will introduce you to the current trendy prints and the Azerbaijani understanding of retro. By the way, each item has a tag containing information about the scarf and its history.

Fruits of Beauty and Cultural Heritage Union
You will see that Azerbaijani crafts are something incredible. You will visit:

• In souvenir shops of the Old City - non-traditional painting, antique dishes with exquisite engraving, soft fur papakha and karakul hats, traditional hurjurs bags, Azerbaijani headgear - arakhchin - and even carpet purses! Here you can also admire handmade carpets. The most beautiful ones are undoubtedly silk carpets (like kelagai silk scarves and tablecloths), made with natural bright dyes. This is a very complex process. When making carpets, artisans weave in golden and silver threads. The scarves are printed with boiling paint using special "printers". I will tell you how carpet weaving reflects the rich spiritual world, worldview, and aesthetics of the Azerbaijani people.
• In specialized stores, you can buy healing oil or ointment made from white Naftalan oil. The unique properties of white oil help treat 70 different diseases. Or you can buy a painting made with oil: this technique was invented by Azerbaijani artist Sabir Chopuroglu, who learned to paint with "black gold" without using brushes - only his hands.
• In a shop of handicrafts from wood, bronze, and copper - here you will see a variety of famous Azerbaijani stained glass, assembled from many carved wooden elements and pieces of colored glass without glue or nails. I will tell you about products made from stained glass, the symbolism of their patterns, and common compositions.
• In Ali Shamsi's workshop - a wave person. In this space of paints, brushes, some strange things, and magical paintings, you will lose the sense of time and space.
• In a network of jewelry boutiques, where you will touch on the centuries-old traditions of jewelry art. Continuing to evolve and enrich themselves, they lead a life full of beauty. Brand jewelry is created based on carpet pattern motifs: symbols and signs representing a wide range of ancient and later Islamic religious-cultic ideas. Each named item comes with a passport that tells the history and meaning of the ornaments on which the item is based.

Who is the Tour For

For anyone sincerely interested in Azerbaijani culture and traditions, even if you are not inclined to buy anything. But I warn you: it will be hard to leave empty-handed :)