Itinerary: Baku - Beshbarmag - Devechi - Gala Alti - Chirag Gala
Leaving Baku in the morning; Exploring the land of Caspians on the way northwards along Caspian Sea shore.Visiting the Beshbarmag mountain;
Arrival to Devechi town; Short excursion with a visit local history museum;
Arrival to Gala Alti resort center.
Lunch
Excursion to Chirag Gala Castle
Return to Baku
|
Number of tourists |
Rate per person |
Base currency |
|
1 |
315$ |
250 AZN |
|
2+ |
225$ |
180 AZN |
|
4+ |
190$ |
150 AZN |
|
6+ |
125$ |
100 AZN |
1 USD = 0.8 AZN as for September 2008
Package includes:
Only driver and guide services
Package does NOT include:
Meals and other personal expenses
Some background information for the tour:
The word Caspian is derived from the name of the Caspi, an ancient people that lived to the west of the sea in Transcaucasia. The Greek geographer, historian and philosopher Strabo (63 BC - 24 BC)wrote that "to the country of the Albanians belongs also the territory called Caspiane, which was named after the Caspian tribe, as was also the sea; but the tribe has now disappeared". Strabo is mostly famous for his 17-volume work Geographica, which presented a descriptive history of people and places from different regions of the world known to his era Moreover, the Caspian Gate, which is the name of a region in Tehran province of Iran, is another possible piece of evidence that they migrated to the south of the sea.
Beshbarmag: In ancient times in a little distance from the sea, behind the famous Beshbarmag mountain there was a town called Khursangala. The old defensive wall of Beshbarmag which was 36km length, started from seashore and finished in ashirims of Caucasus also passed from here. Beshbarmag is aslo famous as a sanctuary. Every year thousands of visitors come here. According to the legends the everlasting (immortal) prophet of Khizir had lived here. His name was mentioned in the "Koran" and in ancient Greek sources. One of these legends says that Alexander the Great wanted to find water source of longevity and asked prophet Khyzir to help him. The latter took him to a place with two springs. Out of the first spring came milk instead of water; the second one had muddy water. Alexander had to drink water from one of these springs only and he chose the spring with milk. However, Khyzir drank from the second spring which was the source of immortality what made Alexander feel disappointed. Throughout the thin fissure located on the top of the Beshbarmag mountain comes pure water as tear from eye. Nobody knows the secret of this spring which sometimes dries up. Maybe it is the sign of the spring that the Prophet of Khyzir had tasted?!
Devechi: In ancient times instead of this young city there were bazaars and caravanserais. It is believed that the city of Shirvan which was one of the biggest cities in the Orient and whose name was mentioned by the historical sources till the XII century was located in this area. This ancient city has an interesting history. Shirvan was one of the biggest cities of the territory and was the centre of huge Shirvan region. It is interesting that till the X century this city was often mentioned in the books of the sailors as a big trade centre but in the next centuries the name Shirvan is not met in the historical writings any more. What happened to the city? Some historians relate the sudden disappearance of the city that was located on the bank of the river with flood. This place is known for its carpets and aromatic bread.
Gala Alti: One of the most popular sanatoriums of the country is located in this area. The fresh air and sulphur spring water have curing and relieving qualities to human body.
Chirag Gala: The Gala Alti area is dominated by a mountain, topped by the Chirax castle (Chirag Gala / Ciraq Qala - meaning lantern). This first fortress was built there in the 5th century by the Sassanian Empire, and finished it career in the 18th century as an outpost of the Quba khanate. Built at an altitude of 1200 metres, Chirax is one of the few 'European' looking castles in Azerbaijan, although large parts of it have collapsed during the last 200 years. The Castle was a key point in the defensive system of the Gilgilchay wall, erected in 5-6th centuries Sassanids. The wall started on Caspian shoreline in the Davachi region, accompanied the Gilgilchay river, and continued in the mountains.
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