Travel Booklet
Dear guests!
Welcome to Azerbaijan, that is located: in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia, at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, on the coast of Caspian sea. This booklet will give you some interesting and important information about 6thNSC of EYP Azerbaijan and help you correctly plan your travels. To avoid problems and make sure your journey goes as smoothly as you want , we kindly ask you to take time and read it very carefully.
The session is going to be held in the capital of Azerbaijan, in Baku from the 16th to the 20th of March 2018. The dates of the session hide a little secret – “Novruz Bayrami”, which is one of the oldest, historical, and unbelievable Holidays, not only in Azerbaijan, but also beyond the borders. Usually preparation for Novruz begins a month prior to the festival. Each of forthcoming 4 weeks is devoted to one of the four elements and called accordingly. Furthermore, each Tuesday people celebrate the day of one of the four elements – Su Chershenbesi (Water Tuesday), Od Chershenbesi (Fire Tuesday), Yel Chershenbesi (Wind Tuesday), Torpag Chershenbesi (Last and Earth Tuesday).
Water – Caspian Sea is a domestic tourist center. The World’s Largest Lake! The sea which is actually the lake that produces 90% of the world’s caviar! Area of the diverse natural beauty! The Caspian coastline is one of the most popular destinations for Azerbaijan's domestic tourists. Starting by sandy beaches followed by the fascinating view to the wide steppes and thickly forested foothills. For many Azerbaijanis, especially those from Baku, the lush vegetation and spectacular natural scenery, along with the tropical summers and mild winters, offer a striking contrast of city life and the dry interior. Fire – In early history Azerbaijan was called the “land of the sacred fire”. On Absheron there were many temples of Fire as well. From their variety the most famous is the well-preserved temple Ateshgah ("the Fire Place") in Surakhany, located 20 kilometers east of the town center. The temple was built over a pocket of natural gas that fueled a vent providing an “eternal” fire.
Wind – unofficial, literary name for Baku is The City of Winds (“Küləklər şəhəri”), mainly because it is windy throughout most of the year. The name derives from the ancient Persian name of this locality: ( بادکوبهBādkube, lit. "pounding winds"). There are two winds common to Baku: cold and rough Khazri and mild and gentle Gilavar. The former is associated with negativeness, while the latter is associated with goodness, forming an important chain in Azerbaijani mythology and beliefs that is related to the struggle of Good and Evil. Earth – Azerbaijan, while being a small country, has 9 climatic zones. It is the state that unifies the East and the West, Europe and Asia. It is the land where ancient and modern traditions meet. A place that hosts hundreds of international events. One of those places on earth which is a MUST SEE!
Should you decide to fly to Azerbaijan, we would recommend booking tickets to Heydar Aliyev International Airport. Alternatively, you can fly to Tbilisi, Georgia and take the bus, at your own expense, which will take an average of 8-10 hours of time to get to Baku. Due to this reason, flying to a city other than Baku should only be considered if necessary. There are also trains from Georgia, Russia coming to the Baku Railway Station as well as minibuses and buses from Turkey. Due to the difficulty of the transfer and the amount of the times it takes, the organising team does not recommend you to take any transport to reach Baku other than plane. International participants can leave the session anytime on 21st of March. If you need further advice for planning your journey and not sure regarding the timing, please contact the Participants’ support. The organising team will lead you to and help you at the departure spot as well.
Some participants may require a visa to travel to Azerbaijan. You can find the information about visa requirements for individual countries here (evisa.gov.az/en). For a length of stay in the country of up to 30 days, a one-time electronic visa can be obtained from the portal (evisa.gov.az/en) and is available within 3 working days after payment and sent directly to the applicant’s e-mail. The state fee is 20 US dollars for a visa. If this is the case, please contact the organising committee. Visa processing can take some time, therefore we recommend you start the process as early as possible. How to get Azerbaijan e-Visa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwHsnArTzeg
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