GOOD LUCK FROM BES BARMAQ

We are more than seven years into the 21st century and it is time to get rid of the superstitions regarding shrines. But this did not stop us at all from visiting the well-known and popular shrine of Bes Barmaq (Five Fingers) in Azerbaijan's Davaci District, 3-4 km northeast of the village of Zarat and 2.5 km from the Caspian Sea. Indeed, the temptation is huge. This is the same mountain which seemed so divine, mysterious and inaccessible in childhood. This is the mountain that has always been surrounded by popular tales and mysterious stories about the creatures living there. It is a place dear to all of us and a kind of gateway to Azerbaijan as a token of a long journey. We believed that this was the place where the inexpressible, childlike sensation of discovery starts - Davaci, Quba, Ismayilli and Qusar…

Childhood. We would usually start our journey in Azerbaijan early in the morning… It is dark and chilly - Baku, the road to Sumqayit, Xizi and Bes Barmaq - well, this is the point of no return. This means that the adventure is under way. Here it is - a dark speck in the distance, gradually coming closer, and the picture is becoming clearer and clearer. The sight of this natural wonder alone is pleasure enough. You cannot take your eyes off it. With mountains in the background and its bizarre peak, Mount Bes Barmaq has a huge magnetism that mesmerizes any child. "The hand of the Creator," my parents would say. "Can you see those five fingers?" There are many things you do not understand, but your heart feels that this is something more than just a rock. The mountain appears from behind the clouds. It seems to you that someone illuminates and blesses you, and wishes you good journey.

The thought came first

"The picture of a hand in the Islamic religion symbolizes the hand of Imam Ali. In this regard, Mount Bes Barmaq has become a shrine to the Muslim saint and is linked to the Islamic religion".

The first thing that springs to mind is that you will be able to see Bes Barmaq close up, climb it and even touch it. When you see it from afar time and time again, your childish superstitions and feelings return. Of course, it has become noticeably smaller under the influence of climatic conditions, but this does not stop it from being and from occupying its own niche of mystery in our mind. This feeling is boosted by the tales. They say that the mountain has some miraculous power, and the wishes of pilgrims who visit it definitely come true. One could not have a child, another had an incurably ill relative and yet another could not find his love. "Go to the mountain, tell him everything and he will help you. The tales prompt you to do so. Your desire to visit it gets stronger and stronger just like the involuntary belief in a fairy tale. The thought comes back. First it is a weak flower which then turns into a strong, green tree - action.

Sanctity. The consciousness of an adult processes and analyzes all the stories he has heard. There is no more fear of the unknown. These are all superstitions, because you know that there is no god but Allah, and belief in the miraculous power of the mountain is actually a sin. But this is Shi'ism - Islam impregnated with popular fairy tales, superstitions, faith in shrines and stones, and myths about mysterious mountains. "In Bes Barmaq, there is a very narrow place - if you go through it, this means that you are pure before Allah!" And people believe this. There is some sort of childish spontaneity here. What is more, there are people who have already felt the miraculous effect of the "hand of the creator" - dreams come true. God himself probably finds all this very funny. Maybe Bes Barmaq is really a means of testing people's stamina. It is not easy to climb it. Elders say that quite a few people have met their end here.

"Why opium for the people?"

"On top of Mount Bes Barmaq, there is a shrine called Khizr Zind. There is also a cave there, which they say is the home of the prophet. There used to be a source of drinking water, coming out of a whole rock here. There is a myth that in search of the elixir of life, Prophet Al-Khidr (The Green Man) visited the outskirts of Mount Bes Barmaq where he allegedly found a source of "living water" in an underground kingdom and drank from it, and this made him immortal. After that, this place was named after Khizr Zind or Khizir Zindeh."

So we are at the foot of Mount Bes Barmaq. Of course, we can climb it on foot, and there are even people who want to experience all the difficulties of ascent from the very beginning of the journey in order to find spiritual tranquility and peace in reaching the peak. But we decided to ease our way - if there is a road, even though it is not asphalted, there are also cars. That's a deal. You won't be sorry if you drive along this road in a Zhiguli which has almost fallen apart, but has been adapted to these conditions. Having counted all the holes and pitfalls while sitting in an old Soviet Zhiguli, you understand why some people prefer walking to driving. But the driver is a professional and knows this area - the shortest path and even the smallest stone. The driver says that the number of people coming here has increased recently. It was different before. This is the 21st century. Meanwhile, the ramshackle Zhiguli creates a supernatural feeling of respect in you - after all, it is a cross-country vehicle. Dust and sand between your teeth and a scorching sun - you cannot see the mountain at all. After 10 minutes of the "space trek", we drive onto a platform - and here it is, the mountain from my childhood. I will soon be able to touch it, which does not mean that it is any less divine now. 

In the first few minutes, you do not notice anything. When a child finally gets the toy he wants, he is at first absorbed in discovering it for himself and only then does he pay attention to what is going on around him. But the picture that you see afterwards is not very appealing. There is so much litter and so many plastic bags all over the place. Pilgrims are sitting at long makeshift tables, eating and drinking tea. Animals are sacrificed here and "ehsan" is distributed.

Once you head for the steps leading to the peak, you are surrounded by people who literally get in your way. These are not just people asking for alms. Among them are also those who come here every day to work. "Son, come here and touch this stone, and your dream will come true", "daughter, buy this picture of a hand - it will protect you from all trouble…" It looks like a marketplace. It is not easy to cross this barrier - if you do not buy what you are offered, you are accompanied by unfriendly looks. Despite the sunshine, it is unpleasant and chilly. This happens all the way to the mountain. How much money do you have to carry in order to please all those who beg and sell symbols of the shrine, Islam and other stuff? People climb the staircase, stopping every now and then in order to buy another "stone of health". You have to make your way through a living fence.

The journey is by no means an easy one. On Mount Bes Barmaq there are such narrow places that only one person can pass. But what is more dangerous is that the stones on which you walk are very slippery and polished by shoes. This shows that people will never stop coming here. This reminds me of the shrines in Jerusalem where stones have been polished by tourists and pilgrims for many years. But the difference is that their shrines and sights, where people are supposed to attain tranquility and peace, have not been turned into a means of profit. You somehow forget about the purpose of your visit to Bes Barmaq. You feel like a victim that the "sellers of luck" are waiting for on every platform during your ascent.

Looking at our baffled faces, a tourist from Dagestan, who sat down on one of the platforms on Mount Bes Barmaq, said in a strong Russian accent: "I have changed manats for qapiks. I was advised by my relatives who live in Baku. In this way, I will spend less and will have enough money for everyone. But still, all this makes me feel uncomfortable." "Why are you here?" we asked. "They say you have to make a wish and come here, and here I am. But I don't know if you can buy your wish for money. I also heard that if you look at the mountain carefully, you will see a clear picture of a man with a beard…"

The peak

"The local population believes that the ghost Khizr Zind who still lives on Mount Bes Barmaq had sent his brothers - Khizir Ilyas and Khizir Nabi - to the sea for water which he needed for his prayer - namaz. The brothers did not return for a long time. Khizr was so angry that deep down, he wished them to turn into stones. The time for prayer passed, but they never came back. Having decided to find them, Khizr climbed a rock and saw two stones in the sea. Khizr guessed that they were his brothers and hit the rock with a sabre… Now there is a straight cut on that rock where drops of cold and transparent water collect all the time. They say that these drops are Khizir's tears. In the east, people think that Khizr has been given immortality by God, is capable of turning up in any place of the planet and helping anyone who needs help."

At last we get to Khizr Zind - the peak of Mount Bes Barmaq. People are standing in a queue here in order to kiss the small stone and make a wish. But in order to kiss the stone, you have to pay as well - there is a woman sitting near the stone who takes money. At the entrance, there is a mullah who puts people's names in a notebook. The well-known Russian satirist, Mikhail Zadornov, would say that, "it is a kind of direct link with God". Men and women, children and old people have all come here to make their innermost wishes come true. As it were, if you believe, you are blessed. We do not know what this stone is for. Nor do we have any special desire to inquire about it. Instead of the expected feeling of peace on top of the mountain, you have a desire to leave as soon as possible in order escape this farce. Your mind is full of mercantile thoughts - "who runs this place? There is God in heaven, but who is here?" It is finally our turn. The woman takes the money - a so-called nazir - and points at the stone. But it is somehow terrible to kiss - it is too dirty and bedraggled. "People come here hoping to recover" - another unexpected thing that crosses my mind. I fear my own cynicism. "Oh my God, forgive me and forgive those who do not know what they are doing, for we speak to you, not to these people and not to these stones. We respect your creation and forgive us because we could not acquire peace and sanctity." Faith is a great force and I would like to believe that God hears me. He hears anyone who stands on top of Bes Barmaq with hope in their heart. Maybe we are attracted there by our desire to be closer to God?

We left Bes Barmaq with mixed feelings. We saw for ourselves that everything Allah creates is undeniably great. But the childish myth of the distant village of Bes Barmaq was debunked. The aura of sanctity around the mountain has disappeared through people's fault. It is clear that these things do not happen just for the sake of it. But the integrity of a people and its self-sufficiency should first of all manifest themselves in its attitude to popular tales, cults, traditions and shrines. We have not learnt this yet. Having come down, we looked at Bes Barmaq again. "The mountain looks much better from here because it hides everything that happens inside. From here you are more familiar and divine - a mountain of childhood".