DAVACI - COMBINING PLEASURE AND HEALTH

The small town of Davaci is 122 km from Baku. Translated from Azer-baijani, "Davaci" means "camel driver". Today you won't find any camels in Davaci, although the town was once a major stopping point for the large caravans. It is located in the north-east of the Greater Caucasus ridge. A large part of the territory is semi-desert with a dry climate which becomes more temperate the closer you get to the foothills. To the east Davaci District is washed by the waves of the Caspian, whose sandy shores move seamlessly to higher ground and then forested mountains. Davaci has 21,500 hectares of forest in all. The district is rich in mineral waters and mud volcanoes. Under-ground oil reserves have been found in the Zagli-Zeyva woods - you can see many oil derricks on the road to Davaci. The district has two historical-archaeological reserves. Dav-aci's name is automatically associated with Ciraqqala Castle, but the castle is not the district's only sight worth seeing.

Goat Cliff

Goat Cliff (Keci qayasi) is in the resort area of Zagli-Zeyva. This picturesque spot owes its name to the goats who live here. Keci qayasi is a favourite with tourists who come here to relax in the woods, admire the cliffs and enjoy the murmuring of the mountain river. The abundance of sulphurous water springs help to treat many ailments. 

Liman hunting club

Three lakes, surrounded by reeds, can be found on the coast, 12 km from the district centre, Davaci. Don't worry if you hear shots when you are here. The hunters will be shooting. Autumn and winter are the hunting season at the lakes. Ducks, geese and other wild fowl can be hunted here. And since there are lakes, there are plenty of fish too. As well as freshwater fish, sea fish can be caught here during the spawning season. Local fishermen advise going fishing in the morning - the rise is good as the fish come up to the surface. At the same time you can listen to the hunters' funny stories. And if you lose track of time and stay late, there is room for everyone in the hunters' cabins.

Qalaalti sanatorium

People come to Davaci for treatment as well as holidays. One of the largest and best known health resorts in Azerbaijan, the Qalaalti sanatorium, is here, 1,000 metres above sea level. It has been working since 1976. Treatment at Qalaalti includes the use of spring water, which local people call "naftsu" or "oil water". Naftsu with its strong smell and unusual taste is often compared to the waters of the spas at Truskavets in Ukraine and Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. This water mainly treats urological complaints but it is also good for the digestive organs and gall bladder. Although clean mountain air is mixed with sea air at Qalaalti, humidity is not excessive here. There's also the scent of the woods, which plays an important role in restoring battered health. 

Qaynarca mud volcano

The Qalaalti area is full of mud volcanoes. The best known is Qaynarca volcano ("boiling"). The mud from these volcanoes is considered to have healing properties - it's used to treat joint pains and skin complaints. Volcanic mud warms the body up to 45 degrees. After one hour, the mud is washed off. A course of this treatment usually lasts several days.

A trip to Qalaalti provides an excellent opportunity to combine pleasure and health. Qalaalti is located in the Ciraqqala reserve, named in honour of the ancient castle. Visitors to the sanatorium love to climb to the top of the mountain to look at the castle ruins, although the climb takes a fair bit of time and effort. A beautiful view opens up of local villages and the valley. You can picnic on the mountain top too. Not far from the castle is a tea house where you can quench your thirst with fragrant herbal tea. Ciraqqala is place where you can relax body and soul.

Ciraqqala

This castle is a symbol of Davaci District and is unique in Azerbaijan. It is 20-25 km from the district centre at the top of a cliff. Ciraqqala Castle dates back to the 5th to 6th centuries AD. Right up to the 18th century it was used both for defence and lookout purposes, historians say. In case of siege a tunnel was dug from the castle to the sea. A beacon would be lit at Ciraqqala to warn other castles about an approaching enemy. This is probably what gave the castle its name, which translates from Azerbaijani as "Lamp Castle". Locals call the mountain where the castle stands Ciraq qaya or "Lamp Cliff". Beacons were probably lit on the mountain tops to warn about an advancing enemy even before the castle was built. It was the most important of three major watchtowers that made up the Gilgilcay defensive wall from the Caspian to the slopes of the Greater Caucasus ridge. Over time the defensive wall has crumbled and the single surviving part of this defensive complex is Ciraqqala Castle, which was made a historic and archaeological reserve in 2003. This is not the only place in Davaci that is worth seeing. It is difficult to resist the temptation to visit at least one of the ancient villages with its own history, environment, traditions and, of course, cuisine.

Noxurlar village

Historians date the village of Noxurlar, 1,000 metres above sea level, to the 16th century AD. The village's first name was Gomur but it was later renamed Noxurlar, which means "lakes". The area of the village includes 17 mountain lakes, each more beautiful than the last. The water in all the lakes is fresh but differs in colour. They are said to have been formed after a powerful earthquake and the locals describe them as a miracle of nature. Swimming is not recommended in these lakes as the water is very deep and cold all year round. 

You cannot visit Noxurlar without tasting the local tea made from fragrant herbs, which are good for blood pressure, the kidneys and heart and ease headaches and stomach aches. Noxurlar is an unbeatable spot to eliminate the stress that builds up in the tense life of modern cities. In Soviet times, during Nikita Khrushcev's rule, the villagers were moved to the district centre, since to this day there are no utilities here: no electricity, gas or sanitation. But life is in full swing here in summer. Shepherds herd their flocks to Noxurlar in summer to protect them from the heat. We enjoyed spending time with them. We went to a stone house with a wooden roof and limestone plaster. There wasn't a stick of furniture in the house but there were mountains of bedding: wool mattresses, blankets and feather pillows. We also saw a large collection of pots with different dairy produce. The smell of sheepskin cheese lent a special character to the room's microclimate. In response to our curiosity, our hostess was happy to share with us the secret of making this cheese. 

Sheepskin cheese

Sheepskin cheese has always been highly valued for its quality and taste. Guests have always been offered lavash with butter and sheepskin cheese. Not everyone can make real sheepskin cheese. The villagers say it's a very delicate job. The skin is prepared from a sheep or goat. After the clean shaven skin has been taken from the stomach of a dead animal, it is salted inside and left to dry. After it has dried, cheese and cottage cheese are kept there and the extremities and neck of the animal are tied up with rope. This is how the cheese is made: 15-20 and even 25 kg of white cheese and cottage cheese are placed inside the skin after which it is tied up tight. Over two months the skin is sometimes opened to check that it hasn't gone mouldy, but on the whole they try not to let air in. Herein lies the secret of the long life of sheepskin cheese. It does not spoil even if it is kept for a year. For the cheese to taste good, the skin must first of all be of good quality. As the Azerbaijani proverb says, "We imprison the cheese in the skin as tenderly as a man keeps his wife."

Sabran ruins

The ruins of an ancient city can still be seen near the village of Shahnazarli. Archaeological digs on both banks of the River Shabran in 1979-89 revealed the ruins of a town of the same name, which covered 450 square kilometres. This was a town founded on the Great Silk Road in the 6th century AD by Sassanid Shah Khosrov Anushi-ravan. In the 7th century the town was taken by the Arabs and in the 9th-10th centuries was one of the region's major administrative, commercial and cultural centres. In the 10th-11th centuries Shabran was one of the political centres of the Shirvan Shah state. It was home to the prisons and family tombs of the Shirvan Shah rulers. According to written sources, Shirvansah Ibrahim held a great feast in Sabran in honour of Tamerlane who had defeated Khan Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde. Attacks by the Mongol and Ottoman empires caused great damage to the economy of Sabran and during the decline of the Safavid state only a small village remained of the town. In the early 18th century Shabran was razed to the ground during internecine warfare and left in ruins.

Sabran was a multi-ethnic town. There were Christians and Jews here alongside the main residents, Muslims. The local people produced ceramics. Archaeologists found parts of a sewage system under the ruins of the old city. The 9th century covered sewage system of stone and brick allowed waste water to be sent straight to the river. The first street in Azerbaijan was found in Shabran. The clay ovens of the bakers' district survive to this day. Coins found during excavations show that copper working, jewellery making and arms manufacture were developed in this town in the Middle Ages. 

There are several theories about the etymology of the name Shabran. According to one theory, the town's name divides into two parts: "shab" which is "night" and "ran" which is place or area. This means that Shabran was a place where caravans spent the night because of its location at the intersection of water and land routes. Another theory says that the word Shabran is also Sabiran, meaning the country of the Sabirs and the town was named in honour of the Hun tribe of the Sabirs (5th century AD). There is now a museum and reserve at the site.

After visiting the reserve we asked our guides where we should go next to get a better idea of Davaci. Without hesitation they said Pirabadil.

Pirabadil village

This is the homeland of the famous Musabayov aristocratic dynasty, the Azerbaijan SSR's first justice minister Ayna Sultanova and well-known composer Tofiq Quliyev. The village is 20 km from the district centre, 2,000 metres above sea level. It was named in honour of Sheikh Pir Badal who came from Syria to spread Islam. This village had the first secular school in the former Quba governorate. This was largely down to the aristocratic Musabayovs. There is now a house museum of the Musabayovs in Pirabadil which is different from other buildings in the village. The house was designed by architects from Europe. 

The local people still take good care of the old traditions of hospitality. You will not see high fences here or locked doors. But guests too must respect local customs.

Pirabadil carpets

They include all the colours of the palette, depict the animal and plant world, customs and traditions of these areas. The most popular motifs are the ram's horn and flower patterns. Every carpet is unique and does not repeat the work of another craftswoman. Pirabadil carpets also use the Herat design. Local craftswomen call these carpets Urusiyyat, i.e. Russia, and this name has its own history.

The name Russia began to be used for carpets with the Herat design after a carpet woven by local craftswoman Munavvar Afandiyeva was exhibited in St Petersburg in 1913, bringing fame to Davaci, and Pirabadil carpets began to be displayed at different exhibitions and fairs. 

The composition of the Pirabadil Herat carpet is a local interpretation of the carpets from the Afghan city of Herat. The Pirabadil Herat carpets differ from the Afghan versions in their style, form and colour. Carpet-weaving is the main occupation of local women in the winter months. 

Having looked at carpets, we should not forget other aspects of local life. Let's look at cuisine. We were given a dish in Pirabadil which you will not find in any other Azerbaijani region. It is served to honoured guests.

Pilaff with "atre"

Pilaff is clear but what, you will ask, is "atre". "Atre" is rolled dough cut like spaghetti. It is used with lentils and rice to make this type of pilaff. First the atre has to be cut and left to dry in the open air. The rice and lentils should be soaked separately. Then they are all put with the atre into boiling water and left to simmer for five minutes. The water is then poured away and the contents placed in a copper saucepan and steamed. The dish has to be cooked on a fire otherwise the flavour will not be right, Pirabadil women say. In an hour the pilaff is ready to be served. What will pilaff be like without butter, you may ask. Clarified butter is served separately in glasses with this pilaff, so everyone can add it according to taste. Bon appetit!