Baku & Beyond: Stories from Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan sits at the cultural crossroads of East and West, where Turkic, Persian, Russian, and Caucasian influences have layered over centuries of history. Its identity is shaped by a unique blend of Islamic traditions, Soviet legacy, and deeply rooted oral and musical heritage like mugham. Azerbaijan offers a rich tapestry of lived pluralism—where tea ceremonies, fire-worshipping Zoroastrian ruins, and post-Soviet urban aspirations coexist. It is a society negotiating its modern nationhood while preserving regional identities, kinship networks, and long-standing cultural rituals that continue to define everyday life.