Azerbaijan, known as “the Land of Fire” is located in the Caucasus region below Russia, above Iran, and next to Armenia. It was formerly part of the USSR. There is a long history of being ruled by other peoples, including the Arabs, Mongols, Persians, Turks, and Russians.
The skyline of Baku, the capital city
Armenia and Azerbaijan have an ongoing conflict, including a history of wars. There is still a political stand-off between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, a state claiming union with Armenia. It is a territory within Azerbaijan, populated almost entirely by Armenians, using Armenian money, license plates, etc. The conflict was at its height in the early 1990’s. It is still not resolved.
Petroleum is the biggest export from Azerbaijan. There is a mountain called Fire Mountain, where flames are continuously burning, feeding off the underground gas deposits. Marco Polo, the 13th century explorer, even wrote of seeing flames on this mountain.
Decorative arts play a big part in the history and culture of the country. Azeris have been weaving rugs for centuries, dating as far back as 2,000 BC. A carpet museum was opened in the capital city in 2014, in a building that is shaped like a giant rolled-up rug. Girls are taught to knit and crochet from a young age. There is a traditional contest called Seven Beauties, were girls compete against each other to crochet stockings in the shortest time.
Eighty-eight percent of the population is Muslim, 9% non-religious, and 3% Christian. At the fall of communism, there were only 40 known Azeri Christians. Now, they count 6,000 Azeri Christians. All together, there are 245,000 Christians, however most are from Armenia, Russia, and Georgia. For most Azeris, the Christian faith is a reminder of Russian imperialism and the conflict with Armenia. Please pray that Christianity will no longer be seen as a foreign religion.
Update!
We are in Baku, Azerbaijan now! My team is doing ATL (Ask the Lord) this month. We have already had some amazing days here, getting to meet some awesome people.
To get here, we took a 24 hour ferry ride across the Caspian Sea. It was a cargo ship, so minimal amenities, but we got meals, showers, and beds! I was lucky to not get sea sick, and I really enjoyed the experience.
(My team on the ferry: Parker, Heidi, Brandon, Jenny, me, Jake)
(A mosque near our hostel, and the famous “Flame Towers” in the distance)
My teammate, Jake, is still fundraising, and is selling t-shirts! The quote on the shirt is from the Chronicles of Narnia book, “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe”, where Susan is asking who Aslan is. “Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” In this story, Aslan represents Jesus. I love this quote, thinking of Jesus.
Check out the shirts here: https://www.bonfire.com/jacob-kanes-world-race-shirt-fundraiser/?fbclid=IwAR11nXkwHMxSeFtE5-Rg9bkN0nN9beJS4cxTrkwnj6g13pgLYrqqnCI_kww
