ADA 3rd Annual International Festival

Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy is the reason of my happiness and depression in Azerbaijan. It's quite westernized and not very Azerbaijani. It's aim is to educate yound diplomats and business experts. It has a wide body of international students from Egipt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Palestine, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, USA, Vietnam and many more.

ADA has been established in 2007 by Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Hafiz Pashayev, a former Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the USA, as a rector of the university. ADA's focus, direction and international students make me want to study here. Whenever I'm with the ADA student I do feel like an Erasmus. The International Festival made me really think about doing my masters here, especially knowing all the facilities and an aid the university has to offer to the foreign students...

Just look at the pictures: doesn't it look like a Western university that you would like to study in?

*The pictures are made by an other source

The festival itself was greater than I could have imagined! Walking inside the university you would see a long aile of different countries' stalls. People were dressed up in their national clothes, prepared some traditional food and provided basic information about the countries.

Pakistan

The United States

The stall of the international students at the ADA

Egipt

Argentina

Indonesia

Apart from the stalls there was a boufet... I was lucky I didn't eat anything at home because there was SO MUCH GREAT FOOD! From so many countries! I don't know if it's because of the people I already knew but the Palestinian food definitely won the contest!

The students also prepared the artistic part of the festival with singing and mostly dancing. We could have seen the emotional Chinese dance, the Greek Zorba, the Indian dance (unfortunately not Tunak Tunak Tun) or the Egiptian and Palestinian boys who made the whole crown stand up and dance with them! Here you can see a wonderful Vietnamese girl performing a traditional Vietnamese dance:

Traditional Vietnamese Dance
One suggestion if you are ever planning on studying in Azzerbaijan: do chose the ADA! From what I've heard they might join the Erasmus Mundus/Erasmus + program in the next 2 years or so. Do it and I guarantee you will never regret it!

And here's a material done by Azerbaijani media about the event:
Yurd.tv

Şirvanşahlar sarayı

Şirvanşahlar sarayı (az. Shirvanshahs' Palace) is a fifteenth century castle and complex in İçəri Şəhər (az. the Inner City) in Baku.
It consists of the main building, Divankhana - a small stone pavilion, the Mausoleum, the Palace Mosque and the Bath-House.
Of course my luck would never let me see all of the buildings - some of them were under renovation with parts shipped all the way from Vienna.

First thing that caugh my attention was the entrance fee - it was only 60 qepiq for a student (regular ticket costs 2 manats). Additionally you can pay another 2 manats for taking pictures. Naturally, I didn't pay so the pictures I took are a result of my disobedience.

The Inner City is a city inside a city. It resembles Baku as a whole. Right next to the new builings and world famous Flame Towers there are 12th century streets with ancient history behind them.
The Shirvanshahs' Palace was built in the 15th century right after the Shirvan's capital was moved from Shamaha to Baku. It was a residence for Shirvanshah Khalilula I and his son Faruk who were both killed in the battle in 1501. The palace was seriously damaged in the 18th century durind the Russian invasion.
It was restored during 18-20th centuries. For more historical information please see: Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower as there was no guide when I was there excluding one woman who suddely appeared to explain us a few things in Russian. Can you imagine that those building stay there since the 15th century and are made of clay and eggs?

The chambers were all very small, with the additional entrance for the women (even smaller so they had to be bent over while going out). They also had quite a number of rooms upstairs but the stairs were very steep and curly. Aparantely the rooms upstairs were nit to be seen by the public but I would not be myself if I didn't check those misterious places.. ;)

Göyçay Nar Bayrami

Ancient Azerbaijan is a motherland of the pomagranate. Each year since 2006 there's a pomegranate festival held in Göyçay, about 4 hours drive from Baku. The Goychay pomegranate is different from the pomegranate growing in other regions for its taste, sorts, quality, special effect on health, etc. Goychay people hold the “Pomegranate Festival” every year and present the world with an unparalleled product which they create with hard work. More about the festival: Goycay Pomegranate Festival

Foreign students from different universities from Baku were invited to the festival which took place on November 3rd. We left at 7AM (Azerbaijani 7AM makes it 740AM) to get there at about 12PM. It seemed like this small little town wakes up every year to host foreign visitors and share the best they have to offer. We arrived with two buses to be welcomed by very interested and curious looks from the local people.
First thing that hit me in the face was that it was so different from Baku. In Baku people do look at me, especially when I walk when it's already dark (forget about wearing a dress..) but in Goychay we knew this is the first time they see somebody from another country. People were atring at us, following us, takig pictures with and of us. Children were talking to us in English which was quite surprising (because the people I meet at the university have a lot of trouble speaking in English) and really cute. The picture taking thing was tiring and emberassing too.. I can understand why celebrities are so fed up with the paparazzi...

Well the festival itself was GREAT! As a food lover as big as me you would feel the heavens! There was so much food, everywhere! We tried differet kinds of pomegranate juice, pomegranate fruits, pomegranate preserves, pomegranate wine (so good!), baklava, shekebura (a dumpling-shaped cookie with roasted almonds and nuts), different types of cakes, plov and more pomegranate juice!

That was not all! After we walked around to try all different foods we were invited for lunch! Already full but happy with our bags filled with fresh fruits we walked in a wedding reception ballroom! That's when the real party started! ;)
It was just like a regular wedding reception except there was no bride aad groom. So Azerbaijanis weddings are not that different from Polish ones although they do differ. At frist you get to eat: appetizers, 4 courses (meat, meat, kebab, plov), drink some wine or other drinks and then the dancing starts. Azerbaijani dance is so different from what I've seen so far. The boys try to move their legs as fast as you can, girls try to do almost the same but they do stay graceful the whole time. A little of Azerbaijani dance you can see here:

Azerbaijani dance

After the reception there was a concert so we got to listen to Azerbaijani music stars and being foreigners as we are we started another party just outside. Dancing to Azerbaijani music, watching the lampions go up to the sky and hanging out with people from so many countries gave me so much energy I didn't feel I was up for almost 24 hours :) It was the first time I felt I'm Erasmus and it feels absolutely great!

That wasn't the end, though. After the concert we had a dinner which was pretty much the same thing as lunch so just imagine how full we were by the end of the night! We finished at around 11PM to sleep all the way back to Baku. Everyone tired but happy with many new international friends!

Nar Bayrami - Pomegranate Festival is definitely something you have to do if you're in Azerbaijan in November! I strongly recommend it!!