Third edition of the guide that was the first and still remains the only dedicated guide to Azerbaijan. Features 200 maps with 180 explanatory visuals--vital in a country where there are few reliable maps. Includes full historical background, cultural tips, visas, where to stay, and where to eat for all budgets.

Baku is a thriving port city of over two million people, located on the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan, which has been dubbed the "Paris of the East." An easy flight from Moscow and Istanbul, the city is becoming a mecca for shopping and nightlife, as well as antiques and art. Known as one of the urban hot spots for nightlife and for long hours of sunshine and healthy climate in the summer, Baku also boasts world-class mud volcanoes, salt baths, and a new museum of modern art that houses over 1,000 pieces.

Once the richest oil city in the world, several decades of Soviet occupation left the capital of Azerbaijan leagues behind the competition. Now a new wave of oil money and development has fed Baku’s growth into one of the most excitingly developing cities on the globe. In this, the first English language guide to Baku in the world, Hg2 unveils a city on the up and straddling the true dividing line of East and West. Discover a richly diverse and cosmopolitan city, filled with Persian bazaars, Georgian gastronomy, Caucasian hospitality, stunning architecture, luxurious hotels and the UNESCO world heritage site walled old town. A short journey from Baku lie mud volcanoes, lush forests and desert plains rising into the glory of the Caucasus mountains, to say nothing of the photogenic marvel of the Caspian oil refineries. Where Europe collides with Asia and Persian roots have grown into European aspirations, Baku has developed into one of the world’s last true melting pots of ancient and modern, East and West.