NAKHCHIVAN (Azerbaijani enclave)

Location - Caucasus, Europe; Capital - Baku; Population - Nakhchivan - 460,000; Azerbaijan - 10 million; Currency - Manat MORE AZERBAIJAN

I took the 09:30 bus to Ordubad from the main bus station, taking around 1½hrs, returning by taxi via the stunningly located Alinca Castle and Ashabu Kahf - April 2019.

An outline of Azerbaijan on the 5 Manat note, with Nakhchivan separated from the 'mainland', bottom left

Driving past the mountains of Iran, showing how close the border is - Nakhchivan City to Ordubad

It used to be problematic taking photos in the general direction of Iran but no-one seems to mind anymore. However I'm sure walking in sensitive border areas (eg Julfa?) - and especially near Armenia - and snapping away is still likely to land you in hot water - Nakhchivan City to Ordubad

The Iranian mountains rise above the border town of Julfa. If you have an Iranian visa it's possible to cross the border here

The bus drops you off close to the 18th century Qeyseriyye(?) which is home to the town's Historical Museum - Ordubad

There's some intricate tilework on this domed building - Ordubad

The museum was formerly a bazaar, restaurant and also a religious sports venue - Ordubad

An ancient petroglyph from Gamigaya in the north east of Nakhchivan, on the border with Armenia. See the animals carved in the granite - Ordubad

This lady showed me around the museum and ended by asking for a selfie. I don't think they get too many English speaking independent tourists - Ordubad

Opposite the museum is the 17th century Cuma Mosque. Not very mosque-like, maybe because it was once the offices of an important Persian official - Ordubad

The small old town is worth a wander - Ordubad

An ripe-old tree stands next to a communal bathing house and mosque - Ordubad

Walking through the old town - Ordubad

The slightly decrepit-looking mud brick buildings of the old town - Ordubad

The town is surrounded by mountains on three of four sides - Ordubad

These yellow gas pipes are a mess! They follow the gates and doors, up, down and around.. - Ordubad

The view from the top of town next to the river - Ordubad

This teahouse has a great location above the Ordubadchay River - Ordubad

But this is the teahouse hangout for the older guys, along the main road next to the bus drop-off point. It was here that I asked around for taxis to Alinca Castle/Ashabu Kahf/Nakhchivan City, quoting 60-80AZN with waiting time - Ordubad

Take in some lovely mountainous scenery between Ordubad and Nakhchivan City

Hiring a taxi allows a bit more freedom to take photos, and the windows are more likely to be cleaner! Always useful for a clear photo.. - Ordubad to Alinca Castle

Driving along the main road linking Ordubad and Nakhchivan City - Ordubad to Alinca Castle

We turned off the main road and headed for Alinca Castle, passing the very impressive Ilan Dag. At 2,415m it's not the highest in Nakhchivan (that's 3,904m Mt Kapudzhukh on the Armenia border). The cleft caused by a Noah's Ark bump (?) is more evident here

The start of the Alinca Castle trail begins with a museum of some sort (closed when I was there), set in front of Ilan Dag

And these are the steps to the top, all 1,500-2,000 of them (depending on what you read - I didn't count!) - Alinca Castle

The views as you climb are fantastic, a great excuse to rest legs and lungs - Alinca Castle

And this is the great view at the top, which reminds me so much of Peru's Machu Picchu - Alinca Castle

The castle itself is just the remains of 7th-11th century foundations - Alinca Castle

A distant snowy peak from Alinca Castle

Me admiring the panorama. Believe it or not the photographer was my taxi driver Zeynal, who climbed the steps with me! - Alinca Castle

The mountainous scenery from the castle walls - Alinca Castle

These guys were locals from Nakhchivan City who'd made the trip, taking time out from firing up a makeshift shisha - Alinca Castle

This is quite a well known mountain in Nakhchivan but I can't recall the name of it - Alinca Castle

I think the village nestling at the mountain base is Alinca - Alinca Castle

As if 2,000 steps weren't enough, I took a few more - my driver declining the invite this time - to the religious shrine of Ashabu Kahf

It's a network of caves that some say are connected to the Koranic tale of seven holy men falling asleep in a cave for 309 years - Ashabu Kahf

Many pilgrims come here to view the caves and pray at the mosque - Ashabu Kahf

As well as the mosque, pictured, cafes and souvenir shops line the entrance to the site - Ashabu Kahf

The following day I took another taxi tour, this time with my first driver Dilaver, to Lake Batabat with stops at Heydar Aliyev Reservoir and Lake Uzunoba, which cost 80AZN. This is the scenery along the way, as we slowly, then steeply, gain altitude - Kolani

It's those convoluted gas pipes again, these ones snaking around road junctions. Weird - Bichanak

Bichanak is the last village before reaching Lake Batabat

I didn't expect snow! Snow and ice on a lake means not much of a lake to see - Lake Batabat

It was a very windy day in Nakhchivan City and up here, exposed at 2,500m altitude next to the Armenia border, it was rocking the car. Time to leave.. If you come here, come when it's warmer - Lake Batabat

On the return we stopped off at Heydar Aliyev Reservoir, though access through the main gates was off-limits, I guess because it's government property. It's not top of the list of attractions but easy to see from the main road

My last stop was just outside Nakhchivan City at Lake Uzunoba

There's a couple of lakeside restaurants, as well as the opportunity for watersports such as jetskiing - Lake Uzunoba

Rainclouds close in on the lake - Lake Uzunoba

Black tea is the drink of choice in Nakhchivan, served with sugar and lemon - Lake Uzunoba

Website and content Copyright © 2008-2019 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.

LINKS

http://azerbaijan.travel - Azerbaijan tourism

https://caravanistan.com - Main resource for all things Central Asian - extremely useful

http://nakhchivantoday.com - Local news and stories

www.natigtravel.com - tour agency specialising in Nakhchivan

https://ticket.ady.az - Azerbaijan Railways

www.visions.az - contains travel articles on Nakhchivan

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.