Cold mud volcanos

These were popping away. One of our group members fell into one when the ground gave away. Good for rheumatism, the guide said.
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Roman graffiti

Today we went for a drive along the Caspian Sea, about 1 hour south of Baku, to see some 2500 year old petroglyphs. We also saw this 1st century Roman graffiti.
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Land of fire

Azerbaijan is the land of fire. Fire is a national symbol, because of the large supplies of natural gas which frequently burn.
Early Azeris were Zoroastrian. Outside of Baku we visited the Zoroastrian Fire Temple. It was a small four sided limestone building in a courtyard. The building had a small dome and four chimneys at each corner. There were arches on each side and the visible center had a burning flame. Originally each of the chimneys on the roof had flames. This is a major Zoroastrian site.
Many Azeris in the Northwest were converted to Christianity and the were called Albania Christians. When the Persians invaded, all of the Zoroastrians and Albanian Christians were converted to Islam.
This is not a picture of the Fire Temple, but a picture of the Maiden Tower, a major site in Baku.
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Baku

Hot. We have definitely arrived in Asia. Azebaijan is Shiite, but it is a secular country. No veils; very few headscarfs. The old town is beautifully restored. They have lavishly used the oil money.
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Yeddi Gumbaz, Shamakha

We stopped at this 18th century royal tomb on our way to Baku. Our tour guide, who has all of the charm of a Russian tour guide (you know what I mean Sophie and Christie), did not tell some of us about it. All we heard about was the Armenians slaughtering Azeris in 1915.
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To Baku

Enough of dancing, we are driving to Baku today. We left our rooms in the caravanserai and headed east. To our left are the snow capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains, lower forested mountains and foothills down to flat, productive farmland. They raise walnuts, hazel nuts, apricots, cherries and lots of other fruits and vegetables. As we head east, the mountains end and the land becomes desert. But the country is affluent. It has oil.
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Dancing

Hi all, Catherine here. I have temporarily taken over the blackberry.

Last night we went out to a local restaurant for a group dinner. We were on the balcony. In the courtyard was quite a birthday party for either the four year old or the one year old. The party included live music and dancing. We were invited to join.

Dad and Cathy went down and I stayed upstairs to take the blackmail photos. While dancing a local man became quite enthralled with Cathy.

Signing off now and there is a chance that Cathy may not let me near the blackberry again.


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