Azerbaijan is exotic by the standards of its more European neighbours. The click of nard (backgammon) through the hot summer night; the endless sweet tea, jam and cigarettes; the entire herds of cattle wandering around aimlessly across motorways - it's clear that Azerbaijan is part of Asia. This ancient land of Zoroastrianism displays a history and scenery that are equally dramatic - from Albanian churches and Baku's old walled city to the extraordinary beauty of the High Caucasus Mountains and the lush plantations of tea covering the gentle hills of the south.

Best time to visit

May to June and September to October, to avoid the extremes of summer and winter.

Essential experiences

Visiting Xinaliq, a remote village high in the Caucasus Mountains; exploring Baku, Azerbaijan's cosmopolitan capital, packed full of crumbling oil-boom mansions and soviet and Islamic architecture; hiking near the ancient Persian mountain hamlet of Lahic; strolling around the hunter-gatherers' caves of Qobustan, home to a unique reserve of Stone- and Bronze-Age petroglyphs.

In a few words, Azerbaijan is

Oil, carpets, wine, Zoroastrianism, tea plantations, saffron, caviar and kebabs.

Did you know?

The Noruz Bayrami (New Year Festival) marks the return of spring and the start of the New Year, according to the Persian solar calendar, traditions associated with Noruz Bayrami include spring-cleaning the house, preparing special rice dishes and jumping over bonfires to cleanse the spirit.