Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24
By Elchin Huseynov - Trend:
Lahij mountain village is situated in Ismayilli district of Azerbaijan. It was founded in the fourth century. It is a historical and architectural reserve, located at an altitude of 800 meters above the sea level.
The journey begins with Shamakhi district. You are moving along the south-western slopes of the Caucasus mountains and passing by Agsu district. Before reaching the center of Ismayilli district, there is the Sarhad point ("Border"). Here the journey directly to Lahij begins. It will take 40-50 minutes to reach the village via the mountain bends at the speed of 30-40 km / h.
A serpentine road is so complex that many people get to the village by jeeps. If a driver of the car thinks about the complexity of the mountain road, his companions certainly admire beautiful mountain view.
While entering the center of Lahij, first, you will see a nice square and the main street. Local craftsmen restored them well by making attractive for tourists. The architecture of the village is also interesting. The houses have been built from the river stones. There are wooden beams between the bricks. This serves as the ligament and the shock absorber during an earthquake. The rural roads have been paved with stone slabs. It is noteworthy that the sewerage and water systems were created while laying the village. These systems are used up till now. The pipes are made of hardened clay.
Lahij is famous for its artisans and craftsmen. The carpet weaving and production of copper cookware are developed here. In local souvenir shops one can buy the items of local craftsmen, souvenirs made by using ancient methods. They are handed down from generation to generation. There is a local historical museum in Lahij where one can see the ancient way of life and history of the village. There are several cheap hotels and guest houses in the village.
Lahij people live in this mountain village. According to some reports, there are about 2,000 Lahij residents. They speak their own language. The language originates from the Persian language. But many people here speak Azerbaijani, Russian and other languages.
The guests, who will arrive in Baku to attend the European Games, can visit this wonderful district too. The distance from the capital of Azerbaijan to the village of Lahij is 184 kilometers. The journey takes about three hours.
Baku 2015 is the first ever European Games, an exciting and innovative multi-sport event for the continent which will take place on June 12-28, 2015.
There will be a total of 20 sports at Baku 2015: 16 Olympic sports and four non-Olympic sports. More than 6,000 athletes from across Europe will be representing their nations over 17 days of competition.
Baku was awarded the games by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in December 2012.
