Azerbaijan

Where Is Azerbaijan Located?

Azerbaijan is a country in the South Caucasus, between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, with the Caspian Sea on its eastern coast. Its capital is Baku. It borders Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran, and its Nakhchivan exclave touches Turkey. The country covers about 86,600 square kilometres.

Last checked: November 2026

This Azerbaijan travel guide starts with the map, because geography explains a lot about the country. The Greater Caucasus mountains run along the north, with peaks above 4,000 metres. The Kura and Aras rivers cross a low central plain, and the Talysh Mountains and Lankaran lowlands lie in the south. Baku sits on the Absheron Peninsula, which juts into the Caspian.

Many people are surprised that the Caspian is called a sea but is the world’s largest inland body of water. Azerbaijan also has hundreds of mud volcanoes, many of them in and around the Gobustan area and the Absheron Peninsula. The country uses UTC+4 all year, because it doesn’t observe daylight saving time. Our getting around Azerbaijan guide covers movement inside the country, and the flights to Azerbaijan guide covers arrival by air.

Azerbaijan Travel Guide: What the Country Is Known For

Azerbaijan is a unitary presidential republic known for Baku’s Walled City, ancient rock art, mountain villages, tea culture and a long oil history. Azerbaijani is the official language, the currency is the manat (AZN), and the capital is Baku. About 10.3 million people lived in the country on 1 January 2026, according to the State Statistical Committee.

That population figure is for the whole country, not for Baku. About 54 percent of people live in urban areas, according to the committee’s 2026 figures. The rest live in rural districts and mountain villages.

Three details set Azerbaijan apart from its neighbours:

• It has five UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Walled City of Baku (2000), the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape (2007), the Historic Centre of Sheki (2019), the Khinalig cultural landscape and Köç Yolu transhumance route (2023), and the Hyrcanian Forests, listed with Iran in 2019, with the Azerbaijani part added in 2023. See the UNESCO page for Azerbaijan.
• Mugham, a classical vocal and instrumental tradition, has been on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list since 2008.
• Mountain villages such as Khinalug sit within a day’s journey of the capital.

Entry rules vary by passport, and our Azerbaijan visa guide for tourists explains them. To choose places, see the best places to visit in Azerbaijan, or follow one of the Azerbaijan itineraries. For official visitor information, see azerbaijan.travel.

History of Azerbaijan: From Caucasian Albania to Independence

Azerbaijan’s history runs from ancient Caucasian Albania and the Shirvanshah dynasty through Russian and Persian rule to the Soviet era and independence in 1991. Its position on trade routes and its oil have shaped almost every period. The modern republic dates from 1991.

Early settlement and medieval states

People left rock engravings at Gobustan over thousands of years. In antiquity, much of the area was known as Caucasian Albania, which has no link to the Balkan country of Albania. Islam arrived in the 7th century. The Shirvanshahs ruled from Shirvan for centuries, and their palace complex and the Maiden Tower, which dates to roughly the 12th century, still stand in Baku’s Walled City.

Russian and Persian rule

The Treaty of Gulistan in 1813 and the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828 divided the region between the Russian Empire and Persia. Baku’s oil boom began in the late 19th century, and by 1900 the city was one of the world’s leading oil producers. Wealthy oil families funded theatres, schools and some of the grand buildings seen in Baku today.

Republic and Soviet era

The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was proclaimed on 28 May 1918. It was the first democratic republic in the Muslim world, and women gained the right to vote that year. The Red Army entered Baku in April 1920, and Azerbaijan became a Soviet republic. Baku’s oil also supplied much of the Soviet Union’s fuel in the Second World War.

Independence and the modern state

Azerbaijan restored its independence on 18 October 1991, shortly before the Soviet Union dissolved. Fighting over the Karabakh region began in the late 1980s and ended with a ceasefire in 1994. A second war in 2020 and an operation in September 2023 brought the region under Azerbaijani control. The border with Armenia remains closed, according to the UK government. Many visitors are surprised that Independence Day falls on 28 May, which marks the 1918 republic rather than 1991.

Azerbaijani Culture and Traditions

Azerbaijani culture blends Turkic, Persian and Russian influences with a strong tradition of hospitality, tea and music. These influences show in food, music and craft. Most people are Muslim, but daily life is largely secular, and customs vary between Baku, the mountain villages and the south.

Language

Azerbaijani, a Turkic language, is the official language, and it has been written in the Latin alphabet since 1991. Russian is still widely understood, and English is used in business. Smaller communities speak languages such as Lezgian and Talysh.

Religion

Most people are Muslim, and Shia Islam is the larger branch. Orthodox Christian, Jewish and other communities also live in the country. At mosques, cover your shoulders and knees and remove your shoes before entering.

Festivals

Novruz, the spring festival held around the equinox, is the biggest celebration of the year. Families light bonfires, sprout wheat and bake sweets such as pakhlava and shekerbura. UNESCO listed Novruz in 2009 as a multinational inscription. An autumn pomegranate festival also draws visitors. Dates and events change each year, so our best time to visit Azerbaijan guide has a month-by-month list.

Etiquette

Azerbaijanis greet with a handshake, and many people remove their shoes at the door of a home. Tea is offered as a sign of welcome, and hosts often add fruit, jam and sweets. Dress modestly in rural areas and religious sites. Bargaining is common in bazaars but not in shops with fixed prices.

Music and arts

Mugham was inscribed by UNESCO in 2008, the art of the ashiq, a travelling bard, in 2009, and Azerbaijani carpet weaving in 2010. The tar and the kamancha, both stringed instruments, are central to folk music. Uzeyir Hajibeyov composed Leyli and Majnun in 1908, often described as the first opera in the Muslim world. Silk headscarves called kelagayi are another traditional craft.

Azerbaijani Food: Traditional Dishes, Drinks and Desserts

Azerbaijani food is built on rice, lamb, herbs, fresh bread and fruit, with saffron, sumac and dried fruits as common flavours. Plov, dolma and qutab are the best-known dishes, and tea is served with almost every meal or visit. Recipes differ by region.

Staples and regional differences

Bread baked in a clay oven, rice, lamb, beef, chicken, yoghurt and fresh herbs such as dill, coriander and mint appear on most tables. The Caspian coast is known for fish, Sheki for piti and halva, and the south around Lankaran for tea and citrus. Plov has many regional versions, so the same name can mean different dishes.

Signature dishes

• Plov: saffron rice, often served with lamb, dried fruit or chestnuts.
• Dolma: stuffed grape leaves or vegetables. UNESCO listed the dolma-making and sharing tradition in 2017.
• Qutab: a thin griddled pastry with herb, meat or pumpkin filling.
• Dushbara: tiny lamb dumplings served in broth.
• Piti: a lamb and chickpea stew cooked in a clay pot, a Sheki speciality.
• Lule kebab: minced lamb grilled on a skewer.
• Kuku: a thick herb and egg omelette.
• Dovga: a yoghurt and herb soup, served warm or cold.
• Lavangi: chicken or fish stuffed with a walnut and onion paste.
• Chikhirtma: a chicken soup thickened with egg and a sour note.

Street food

Qutab stalls, tandoor-baked bread and grilled kebabs are easy to find. Shaurma, a meat wrap, is common in Baku. Fresh bread with cheese and herbs makes a cheap, filling snack.

Drinks

Black tea comes in small pear-shaped glasses called armudu, usually with jam, lemon or sweets. Ayran is a salted yoghurt drink, and sherbet is a sweet fruit drink that people also serve at celebrations.

Desserts

Pakhlava is a diamond-shaped pastry layered with nuts, and shekerbura is a crescent pastry filled with ground nuts and sugar. Sheki halva is a layered sweet made with rice flour and syrup, and gurabiya are shortbread-style biscuits. To base yourself near these regional foods, see our where to stay in Azerbaijan guide.