Azerbaijan also includes the exclave of Nakhchivan, which is located between Turkey, Iran and Armenia.

Currency

Azeri New Manat (AZN)= 100 gopik. Notes are in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 AZN. Coins are in denominations of 50, 20, 10, 5, 3 and 1 gopik.

Electricity

220 volts AC, 50Hz.

2019

Yeni il (New Year’s Day): 1 January 2019
Qadınlar günü (International Women’s Day): 8 March 2019
Novruz Bayramy (Persian New Year): 20 March 2019
Faşizm üzərində qələbə günü (Victory Day): 9 May 2019
Respublika günü (Republic Day): 28 May 2019
Ramazan Bayrami (End of Ramadan): 5 June 2019
Azərbaycan xalqının Milli Qurtuluş günü (National Salvation Day): 15 June 2019
Azərbaycan Respublikasının Silahlı Qüvvələri günü (Army and Navy Day): 26 June 2019
Gurban (Feast of Sacrifice): 12 August 2019
Istiqlaliyyət günü (Independence Day): 18 October 2019
Konstitusiya günü (Constitution Day): 12 November 2019
Milli Dirçəliş Günü (National Revival Day): 17 November 2019
Dünya azərbaycanlıların həmrəyliyi günü (Day of Azeri Solidarity): 31 December 2019

All information subject to change.

Baku’s Old Town is the hub for celebrations welcoming the arrival of spring. Stalls spring up in the streets selling souvenirs and traditional food, and crowds are entertained with live music and dancing. In homes, families bake baklava, shakabura and other pastries, while children share sweets with neighbours.

Born in Baku, Mstislav Rostropovich was a Soviet cellist and conductor. A festival has been held in his honour every year since his death in 2007. Local and international soloists, ensembles and orchestras (including the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra) perform under the artistic direction of the musician’s daughter, Olga Rostropovich.

Azerbaijan remembers the veterans who died during World War II, and celebrates the victory of the Soviet Republic over Germany. Processions, ceremonies and musical concerts mark the occasion and much of the action takes place near a monument commemorating the country’s soldiers.

There are photo ops aplenty during Baku’s annual flower festival, with kaleidoscopic creations blooming in parks, gardens and squares to commemorate the birthday of former president Heydar Aliyev. As well as traditional colourful displays, you can snap floral cartoon characters, animals and famous buildings.

Azerbaijanis commemorate the day Heydar Aliyev returned to power in 1993 with a public holiday and plenty of festivities. In Baku, local singers entertain crowds at a large outdoor concert on Baku Boulevard (the seafront promenade), followed by a late-night glittering fireworks display.

Crowds pack the streets to watch the annual huge and spectacular military parade held in honour of Azerbaijan’s armed forces. Members of the army and navy show off their military might first, with a flyover from the air force following.

Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan with family gatherings, feast and entertainment. Mosques are packed with praying worshippers, and it’s traditional to donate money or food to charity. Many hotels and restaurants in Baku lay on a special spread for the occasion.

Famed Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov is remembered throughout the country, and especially in Baku, with a series of concerts, workshops and lectures featuring world-class conductors, orchestras and soloists. The festival usually takes place over 10 days around his birthday on 18 September.

Heydar Aliyev Palace, the State Philharmonic Hall and Baku Jazz Center are among the venues hosting first-rate jazz musicians from at home and abroad. American saxophonist Joshua Redman, jazz composer Marcus Miller and German jazz artist Christoph Cech have all performed in recent years.