Spend half a day strolling the city centre, home to Ganja’s main historical attractions. On the central square, browse the Shah Abbas Mosque complex and medieval baths, built during the Safavid dynasty that governed Azerbaijan for over 200 years. Discover the nearby mausoleum to Javad Khan, the last khan of Ganja, following whose death Ganja became part of the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union. Traces of that are clearly visible in several more buildings around the square: the grand city hall exudes Socialist Classicism, while the Ganja Hotel and Academy of Sciences opposite are grand, imposing and Stalinist. From the square head south-west to the Khan’s Garden, a six-hectare urban oasis that’s one of Azerbaijan’s oldest parks, and don't miss the nearby Agricultural University building, which briefly housed the government of Azerbaijan’s first independent republic in 1918.
Approximately one hour’s drive from Ganja is Naftalan – a resort town named after a rare type of oil which for centuries has been extracted and used here to cure all sorts of ailments. According to popular legend, the oil’s healing properties were first spotted by a Silk Road merchant who left one of his sickly camels for dead by a pool of naftalan oil and later returned to find it fully recovered. Later, the town’s sanatoriums were a big hit with Soviet health seekers suffering from skin, muscle, joint and bone conditions, and following a decline in the 1990s, the town has recently re-emerged as one of Azerbaijan’s leading health tourism destinations. Treatment typically involves taking daily baths of crude oil for at least a week at one of the town’s many wellness centres.
The peculiar properties of Naftalan’s oil mean it can be used to treat over 70 diseases. These include skin conditions, musculoskeletal, urological and ENT problems, as well as problems related to the nervous system, blood vessels, stress and fatigue. Medical care can be provided throughout the year at a number of five-star hotels such as Garabag Resort & Spa, Chinar Hotel & Spa, and Gashalti Health Resort, all of which have wonderful spas and sports facilities, or at specialist wellness centres such as Kapaz and Naftalan. First, visitors undergo a medical check-up to determine the treatment to be prescribed: typically this involves bathing repeatedly in oil but may also include balneotherapy, bromine baths, massages, physiotherapy and paraffin therapy. Whatever your malady, a solution will be found!
Nature in this subtropical corner of Azerbaijan isn’t just pleasing on the eye, but also naturally therapeutic. Scattered throughout the region are thermal water springs (called ‘istisu’ in Azerbaijani) that have long been used by the local population to cure all sorts of ailments. They tend to be very simple sanatoriums offering bathing booths filled with the hot, mineral-rich water flowing naturally from underground. Bathing in these is surprisingly relaxing, but the village of Haftoni has taken the procedure to an entirely new level. A popular sanatorium opened around the many hot springs here way back in 1958 and became a hit with Soviet health seekers. However, since summer 2019 the village is home to the luxurious Lankaran Springs Wellness Resort.
There are more than 30 deposits of thermal mineral waters with different concentrations, sulphur levels and organic substances in the Caucasus and three of them are located in the charming city of Gabala, which is located at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. The city’s Yengija and Gamarvan thermal springs are popular in Azerbaijan and beyond, and today are the basis of balneotherapy treatments at world-class health and wellness resorts in Gabala, a scenic city where you recuperate to a mountainous backdrop and even experience state-of-the-art cryotherapy.
Hammams in Baku were traditionally places to gather, relax and socialize. Few of the old ones remain, however centrally located Agha Mikayil, Akhund and Tezebay hammams are still visited by locals. Head to any of these for the essential Azerbaijani hammam experience, which entails completely immersing yourself in warm water, visiting the steam room and an all-over body scrub, which can be particularly relaxing during the cooler months. All hammam procedures should be followed by a tea ceremony with friends.
Despite being housed in a former oil-boom mansion, Tezebay was only converted into a hammam about 20 years ago. It’s eccentric, modern and a little more expensive, but offers a wider range of procedures and treatments.
