Baku | Half Sea, Half Flame

The national flag of Azerbaijan consists of three colors: red, blue, and green. Fire and Azerbaijan are inseparable. In Persian, Azerbaijan refers to the land of fire, and it is indeed a significant supplier of oil and natural gas internationally. On the Absheron Peninsula in Baku, there is a mountain of flames that has been burning for a thousand years. The dry plateau soil, under years of high temperatures, has led to cracks, forming at least 2,900 natural gas leaks. These leaks, ignited by lightning and other factors, burn continuously. Perhaps due to the vast natural gas reserves, they burn freely in the suburbs without any commercial use. Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, became the birthplace of Zoroastrianism. If the entire Azerbaijan is like an eagle spreading its wings over the sea, then Baku is the eagle's eye, half sea, half flame. The whole city of Baku defies the typical impression of an Islamic religious country, giving a slight illusion of being in Barcelona. Baku, meaning the city of wind in Persian, is a place where even slightly lighter people might be blown away by the strong winds. Baku is an ancient city that dates back to the 3rd century BC. However, everything new that you see before you was built with huge investments after Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, intending to move away from the monumental Soviet architectural style. Baku is a historic old city, and its tall and majestic city walls seem more like a medieval fortress to me. The mottled colors on the city walls are full of vicissitudes. In Baku, the new city and the old city are separated by walls, giving the old city its own space. Strolling through the old city, walking up and down the stone steps, finding a restaurant by the window, sipping coffee or tea, watching tourists from all over the world, and seeing the kittens playing in the sunlight... Baku, Azerbaijan.