Azerbaijan is a geographical name. On the one hand this name is linked with the population, which lived in this region for thousand of years before our era, and who were mostly fire-worshippers. Local population considered that fire was their God and so they worshipped the fire. "Azer" means fire. The Turkic name "Azer" was used for this territory for a long time. The word "Azer" consists of two parts - "az" and "er". In Turkic languages, "az" means a good intention and a fate of success. Thus, the word "Azer" means "a brave man", "a brave boy", "the fire keeper". The word "Azerbaijan" originates from the name of an ancient Turkish tribe, who resided in those territories.

For more information on Azerbaijan please visit the official Azerbaijan website www.azerbaijan.az.

ACE Forwarding Caspian can offering Relocation services, a crew of five Liaisons will provide you with full range of services. Visa and police registration support, airport collections, accommodation and utility installation arrangements, introduction of banks, hospitals, schools and other public facilities. Below you will find useful information in relation to Baku. If you are interested in more information on our relocation business please contact and advise what additional info you require.

• Important contact numbers
• General information
• Importing & exporting artwork, carpet, ornaments musical instruments
• Museums contacts
• Sites to see






Important contact numbers

Fire	101
Police	102
Ambulance	103
Gas Emergency	104
Time	106
Information	109
Emergency
Service	4661507
Lift Emergency	4949858
Taxi	4621247
Bus Station	4382501
Train Station	4995480
Airport	4257900






General information

Transportation

Getting around the city Yellow taxis dot the streets of central Baku. 2 Manats ($2.50) can get the foreigner pretty much anywhere in the area; locals pay perhaps half that. Private cars frequently stop for fares, at minimal risk to passengers in daylight hours in the center. Officially licensed private mini-buses and vans usually charging 20 Qapik (25 cents) race circles around lumbering public buses. Embassies warn against taking the Baku metro, advice a good number of foreigners regularly ignore.

Air/train/road travel

Foreigners arriving at Baku International Airport are strongly advised to spurn the friendly and very public offers of assistance of security personnel hovering near customs and passport control areas. Such services as jumping ahead in line cost cash dollars, although the kind-hearted men in uniform make no mention of this up front. Beyond Baku, foreigners should avoid road travel outside the company of a close Azeri acquaintance. Foreigners travel by train in the Caucasus at their peril.

Visas

Visas are a must for all foreigners except citizens of Turkey and the other countries of the CIS. It is recommended that visas be obtained at an Azerbaijani embassy or consulate prior to arrival. Yet 30 day visas may be obtained at Baku International Airport upon arrival, you would need a letter of invitation, 2 original passport photos. Foreigners planning to stay long then 30 days can obtain maximum 1 year multiple entry visa at the Foreign Ministry building on Gyanjlik Square.

Safety

The streets of Baku are quite safe by Western standards, yet the city is not without a criminal element. It is generally recommended that foreigners, particularly women, do not walk the streets alone after dark. It is also not recommended that you display large quantities of money in public. All Foreigners need to have a copy of their passport or valid Azerbaijan residence ID card at all times.

Water

The water in Baku is filled to near capacity with bacteria, and drinking tap water should be avoided at all costs. Water pressure drops to a drip for several hours a day in most parts of the city. Most homes have hot water heaters for a reason: the public supply is virtually nonexistent. There is water purifying companies based in Azerbaijan which can install water filters into your home, office or business which filters the water to world health standards. Alternatively bottled water is readily available throughout Azerbaijan.

Electricity

220 volts is standard throughout the ex-USSR. Americans, make sure your electrical appliances are either dual voltage or you have a transformer. Power in the city can be intermittent, making handy a good supply of candles.

Telephones

The Baku public phone system is an adventure of crackling reception and sudden disconnections. The only advice is to be patient and persistent. For international calls dial "8" and wait for a second dial tone. Then dial "10", the country code, the city code, and the number. Azerbaijan telephone code is + 994.






Importing & exporting artwork, carpet, ornaments musical instruments

ACE Forwarding Caspian would like to advise you that any carpets, paintings, swords, samovars, musical instruments and other artwork and antiques need to be registered with customs during import. This way you will not need to get special permissions and export certificates for these items when leaving Azerbaijan at the end of your tenure.

In order to register these items with customs we need to take photos and provide them to Customs for registration. Please note that we have only 24 hours to return with photos to Customs, otherwise they are unable to register the goods. Customs officer compares the description of goods as per the proforma invoice and stamps the photos as proof that these items were brought in and declared. Customs invoice is issued in accordance with packing inventory provided by the agent at origin. If the item is not listed in the customs invoice it will not be registered at all.

All locally purchased carpets, antiques, musical instruments and artefacts require special permission for export. We assist in getting the permissions from Ministry of Culture and Carpet Museum.

Carpets: Carpet Museum will give permissions only to Azeri carpets manufactured after 1961. Any carpets more than 45 years old are not allowed for export. Museum will not give permissions to any carpets of non-Azeri origin, such as Turkmen, Iranian, Persian, Afghan, Turkish, Sumah, etc. Official fee for the carpets (subject to alteration without notice) – AZN 30.00 per carpet.

Paintings and ornaments: Art Museum will issue permissions for export of paintings, ornaments, souvenirs manufactured after 1961. Official fee (subject to alteration without notice) – AZN 10.00 per item.

Musical instruments: Art museum will issue permission to export musical instruments if they were manufactured after 1961 and do not have any cultural or historical value to the country. Official fee for piano is AZM 300,000 plus AZM 100,000 service per item, all other instruments AZN 32.00 plus AZN 20.00 per item.

Samovars and copper jugs: The Art Museum will issue export certificates to samovars and copper pots only if they were made after 1961, any items made before 1961 will not get permissions for export. Please note that Russian Samovars with genuine stamps are not allowed for export.

Icons, religious images and literature are not allowed for export.

Above information is provided in accordance with current requirements of local Customs and Art and Carpet Museums which are subject to alteration with or without notice. Should you have any questions or require assistance please do not hesitate contacting us.






Museums contacts

Azerbaijan History Museum 4 Zeinalabdyn Taghiyev St. tel. 4933648

Ichari Shahar State Historical and Architectural Preserve 101/103 Magomayev St. tel. 4922225, 4920913

Museum of Azeri Literature (named after Nizami Ganjavi) 53 Istiglaliyyat St. tel. 4921713, 4927403

Museum of Fine Arts (named after Rustam Mustafayev) 9/11 Niyazi St. tel. 4925789, 4925117

Museum of Natural History (named after Hassanbey Zardabi) 3 Lermontov St. tel. 4920667

State Museum of Carpets and Applied Arts 123A Neftchilar Ave. tel. 4930501, 4936685






Sites to see

The Boulevard This broad and shady pedestrian walkway runs along the edge of the Caspian Sea in the downtown. At its center, just across busy Neftchilar Avenue, is the huge and brooding former House of Soviets, a Stalinist-inspired government office building now housing the Azerbaijani government. Along the water there are rides and other amusements for the young, and outdoor cafes and billiard tables for the not-so-young. The Terrace Disco and Garden Bar complex, popular among unattached Azeris and foreigners, is located
Temple of Fireworshippers The elaborate pre-Muslim traditions of the Caucasus and Middle East are on full view in the village of Surakhany, 30 kilometers from Baku. The temple, called Atashgah by Azeris, was originally built by followers of the Persian holy man Zoroaster who venerated eternal flames powered by oil and gas deposits. The site, which takes in several buildings and a courtyard, was reconstructed in the 17th century by Zorastrians from India seeking to revive local traditions violently expunged many centuries before by the advancing forces of Islam.
The Fontain Square No one comes to this center city landmark to actually see the fountain, an oblong, cement trough installed during the Soviet era. But the stately if run-down buildings on the square and surrounding streets, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, help ease the eye ache. Many shops, restaurants and outdoor cafes, as well as a number of bars frequented by foreigners, lie within walking distance of one another, making this Baku's social hub.
The Old City Baku's medieval old town, called Ichari Shahar in Azeri, is a warren of narrow alleys and winding passages neatly hemmed in by high fortress walls. The low, stone walls of the Palace of the Shervan-Shahs, built in the 15th and 16th centuries, belie the grandeur of the masonry and inscriptions on the royal chambers, mosques and mausoleums within the compound. On the edge of the Inner City, the legendary Maiden Tower, Baku's oldest building, commands a sweeping view of the bay. Although the palace and adjacent houses, mosques and Turkish baths are not as well-preserved as the visitor might hope, the ancient streets and passages are slowly taking on new life as foreign companies take up residence in Baku's most prestigious neighborhood.
Gobustan Archeologists and tourists from around the world descend on this history and art preserve 60 kilometers south of Baku to study the 4,000 or so rock drawings etched some 12,000 years ago by the ancestors of the Azeris. Early human history comes to life in well-preserved depictions of hunting and religious rituals. Images abound of snakes, goats, lions and men and women in loin cloths. A great number of mysterious carved symbols keep the specialists coming back.