Hugging the slopes of Shahdag Mountain as it descends to the Kudyal River, Quba is a historically rich city in the north-east of Azerbaijan. It’s famed for its ancient mosques and beehive-shaped bathhouse while it’s also at the heart of the orchard-studded “Land of Apples.
Things to do in Quba
One of Quba’s most important architectural landmarks is the Juma Mosque, which was constructed in 1802 using bricks made in the nearby village of Igrigh. Founded by Gazi Ismayil Efendi, the mosque is octagonal in its design and topped by a 16-metre-diameter dome. Also not to miss is the Sakina-Khanum Mosque, which was commissioned by the widow of the famous Azerbaijani poet and philosopher, Abbasgulu Bakikhanov.
To learn more about his life and work, head to the House Museum of Abbasgulu Aga Bakikhanov, which occupies the 19th-century residence where he once lived. It can be combined with a visit to the nearby Quba Genocide Memorial Complex, a modern monument that honours the innocent lives that were lost here in 1918.
While no longer operational, the Chukhur Hamam remains one of Quba’s most fascinating sights, with the 18th-century bathhouse unique in its beehive shape. Its large, red-brick dome was designed to maintain an ideal temperature and humidity inside, with water supplied from a well beneath the hamam. The French writer Alexandre Dumas was one of the many people to bathe here before the Chukhur Hamam closed its doors in 1985.
Getting around Quba
Quba is around 2.5 hours’ drive from Baku and Heydar Aliyev International Airport, which has flights to destinations across Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East. Buses connect from the Azerbaijan capital to Quba while a network of buses and minibuses travel throughout the city.