From Chechnya to Tbilisi: As I drove through the Caucasus by car
Honestly, we were not going to go to Chechnya. We just arrived in Russia by car and hoped to get home on a roundabout route: see Pridonie and Kuban, get to Pyatigorsk, and then take the Georgian Military Road directly to Georgia, where from Turkey, the Balkans and Eastern Europe, return to Germany, where we live . A global and beautiful plan, and what happened to global and beautiful plans happened to him - he failed at the least opportune moment, leaving us to get out of the current situation.
We traveled in early October, and I was not too afraid to drive along the Georgian Military Road - we have friends and relatives who use it all the time and have never encountered any particular difficulties. We got to Pyatigorsk without problems, and already began to hope that everything would go smoothly further - and then in the morning, just before leaving, I accidentally looked at the news for breakfast. It turned out that that night a cyclone passed on the Georgian Military Road and snow fell — unexpectedly and a month or two ahead of time — and it was closed to cars. The second story was news about a new round of events in Ukraine and a multi-day "traffic jam" on its border. The fact that we are sitting just between the blocked road and Ukraine did not add any peace of mind, just as the fact that it is difficult to get to coveted Turkey by some other way: you have to either go back or go through Ukraine or make your way through the most troubled parts of the Caucasus through Chechnya as well.
Scratched in the back of my head, searched the Internet - in general they write that it is possible to go through the Caucasus. Tugged friends from these edges - they say the same thing. I didn’t want to cancel the plans, it was also problematic to wait - the vacation was limited - so we checked, discussed and drove off.
Through the Ciscaucasia, there is a large highway E-50, from which the highway E-117, which crosses the Caucasus Mountains, is separated — it is called the Georgian Military Highway. Another highway goes along the coast of the Black Sea, through Sukhumi, and in another situation it would be the shortest and convenient road for us, but Georgia does not recognize the Republic of Abkhazia, so you can’t go to Georgia normally and without consequences. They planned to go on E-50 to Makhachkala, then along the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and cross at the same time Kabardino-Balkaria, Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan.
The fact that we are sitting just between the blocked road and Ukraine did not add any peace.
At first, the road looked quite familiar. Good coverage, two rows of trees on the sides, very beautiful Kabarda, Balkaria and Ingushetia outside the windows, and on the territory of Ossetia the highway also crosses the textbook "violent Terek". Everything is quite peaceful. But the closer to Chechnya, the more destruction there was, the police on the road, the women in deaf clothing, people's eyes became harder. Then we rested on the first checkpoint.
The checkpoint looks like a blocked part of the road, separated from all sides by barbed wire. Machines pass through it one by one after a thorough check of documents. The guard there are units of the Russian police, sent temporarily from other cities of Russia - we caught troops from Kostroma and several other cities of the Volga region. Checkpoints are repeated, the farther into Chechnya - the more often. At each one I asked if it was safe to go further - and everywhere they answered about the same thing: “Now it’s quite, but earlier ...”
On the territory of Chechnya, the road at one point was wild. A decent four-lane movement turned into a chaotic dense stream with sudden rebuilding and a sea of minor accidents, a highway into a dead rut, and villages into a half-domed rebuilt after the war, decorated with new mosques. Honestly, it was hard to see it all: I know the Ciscaucasia well and I remember it intact. Only nature was glad - the amazing beauty of the mountains on the horizon, and the fact that here and there cultivated fields, gardens and apiaries were found - traces of a slow, but recovery. They told me that Grozny was already well built, but we didn’t go there.
In Makhachkala arrived late at night. Dagestan was much more preserved than Chechnya, Makhachkala seemed quite peaceful city, there were also decent hotels. Nevertheless, for the sake of attractions, they decided not to stay here, but then - in Derbent, the oldest city in Russia.
The road between Makhachkala and Derbent is much better than Chechen - the coverage is newer, the people are much smaller and intercity buses obviously run. Derbent pleased with the clean center and the dirty, broken, but colorful "old town" - the sea of flat roofs and clay houses, as well as two monuments listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List - the Juma Mosque and the Naryn-Kala Fortress on the hill above the city .
The fortress did not appear here by chance. Derbent is located so as to block the Great Caucasian, or Pre-Caspian, passage - an ancient road that allowed crossing the Caucasus. In total, there were two such passages - the Georgian-Military Road, already mentioned, was laid on the second. At this point, the Caspian passage narrows down to a narrow strip between the mountains and the shore of the Caspian Sea, and those who wanted to block this place were from ancient times - both for defense and for monetary interests. Actually, this is why Derbent is so ancient: the same Naryn-Kala fortress, for example, was founded in the eighth century, and the Juma mosque is considered the oldest in Russia and was founded in 733. The roads here are not very good, but the buildings themselves are well maintained, UNESCO gives money to support its facilities, both can be viewed from the inside, including a mosque.
The transition of the Russian-Azerbaijani border did not take much time, but it brought the full effect of the transition to another world - a world where there are good roads, clean places and there are no signs of war. The farther from the border, the greater the difference. It was only at this stage that the tension began to subside, and I felt the extent to which I was tired of the devastation, people with weapons, and much more.
Meanwhile, we drove to Baku. The city seemed modern, clean and crowded - even late in the evening the streets were brightly lit, and well-groomed modern and ancient buildings rose above their heads. We got to the hotel, changed our clothes, went to the center, I looked around - and was shocked.
The tension began to subside, and I felt the extent to which I was tired of the devastation, people with arms and traces of war.
Baku is so different from its neighbors that it seems impossible. The city is modern and dynamic, but at the same time peaceful, comfortable, with a lot of attractions and the brightest flavor. No, I understand the possibilities of oil production and even heard about the Azerbaijani "economic miracle", but I did not think that the miracle was so great. And then I got to the "old" city - and finally disappeared.
The old part of Baku is called Icheri-Shekher, and it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List entirely. This is a confusion of narrow streets inside a preserved medieval city wall, and the buildings here are built mainly between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. They are preserved, there are many of them, some of them are just houses of merchants and artisans, who are five hundred years old, and many of them are still inhabited. The quarter is very atmospheric, and you can look at it for a long time - there really is something to see. In addition to the wonderful old streets, there are major sights - and mosques (including the eleventh century Mohammed mosque, one of the oldest in the country), and the Shirvanshahs Palace of almost the same era, and ancient caravanserais, bathhouses, and much more.
Especially it is worth paying attention to the level of preservation: many buildings have an original historical appearance and even decoration, which is quite rare for buildings of this age. We also liked modern buildings with national motives in design, and the nineteenth-century quarters of the time of the first “oil boom” are generally similar to Barcelona. Back in Baku there are amazing parks, cozy cafes, a pleasant general atmosphere and friendly people.
Separate joy of Azerbaijan is the kitchen. Difficult, interesting, rich and diverse, and yes - for the first time I was in a city where in the "tourist" zone they cook so well. And in general, for all the days in the country I did not come across a single institution with tasteless food. There are a lot of tourists here - both Russians and from neighboring countries - Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Iran.
I had a bad idea of Baku and had never heard before that there were so many historical buildings in it, so the surprise was big, and in the city we were late for three days instead of the planned one. Nevertheless, it was necessary to move on to Tbilisi. The roads in Azerbaijan are not bad (although it can be seen that the regions are noticeably poorer than the capital), and Baku’s joys of tourism are not limited here. There is Shamakhi - the former city of the Great Silk Road with ancient mosques and mausoleums (do you remember the Shamakhan queen from Pushkin's fairy tale? This is from here, and here Shirvanshahs ruled here - the rulers of the country of Shirvan who built the eponymous palace in Baku), there is Sheki with his quaint architecture of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, there is the Gobustan reserve, where, apart from the unique nature, primitive cave paintings are preserved, which are several thousand years old, and many are smaller. And the very area between Baku and Tbilisi is pleasant: endless gardens, where trees burst under the weight of pomegranates and persimmons, soft hills, spicy herbs - and silence.
Probably, everyone heard about the beauty of Tbilisi. It's funny that the city actually turned out to be completely different from what I imagined. Very quiet, very discreet, but at the same time with such charm and humor that the eye does not tear - he has surpassed all expectations. The historic center is occupied by wooden houses with carved balconies that descend from the mountains with terraces. Many buildings are in desperate need of restoration, but even in such a poor form they are immensely good.
Tbilisi turned out to be very quiet, restrained, but with such charm and humor that it’s hard to keep your eyes open.
In addition to the quarters of the old buildings, in Tbilisi there are ancient churches (including two sixth century bookmarks, both very bright), a wonderful Botanical Garden and the famous Tiflis baths - the same ones where Pushkin used to be. But in general, the Georgian capital is one of those places where it's best to just wander the streets. The atmosphere is complemented by quaint architecture, the ubiquitous smell of coffee and friendly people who are always ready to help.
Well, the kitchen, but what about without it. Everyone heard about Georgian food too, but in fact, khachapuri and lobio are not limited to it, there are many dishes that are much less well-known, but often more interesting. And in the historical center there are many small cellar shops selling local wine. I now live in the part of Western Europe where they produce the best white wine in the world (and this, if anything, official status), it happens, I go to tastings, it is difficult to surprise me, but I managed to. She asked what kind of producer - the sommelier replied: "This is not the factory one, I buy it from the growers, this does not happen in stores."
Then we drove through Georgia through all its gardens and fields, and got to Batumi, located near the Turkish border on the Black Sea coast. I do not know what surprised him more - the unusual architecture, where classical and oriental styles mingled, generously seasoned with art deco, or palm trees growing wild in the forest mixed up, but I left Transcaucasia with a head swirling from an abundance of impressions.
However, looking back, I think that the second time in this way would not have gone - just out of unwillingness to plunge into this restless atmosphere again. But I like the idea of returning to Tbilisi, to Baku, to get to know each other better, and I also want to go to Armenia - this time it did not happen because of the sudden snow on the road, from which, in fact, everything started. But in the future - why, in fact, not.
Photo: kilinson - stock.adobe.com, Adik - stock.adobe.com, Gulbesheker - stock.adobe.com, Dmitry Monastyrskiy - stock.adobe.com
