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Photo Samples, Kaukasus
Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan
For Centuries, the Kaukasus
region has been "something in between Asia and Europe", a feature which is
strongly reflected in both religion and culture. Armenia and
Georgia boast themselves as being the two oldest Christian countries on Earth,
while the Muslim Azerbaijan is a strange mix in between the rigid Islamic
rules of Iran to
the south and laissez-faire, ex-soviet vodka culture from the north.
All of the three are photographic gems,
although the number of tourists is still extremely low. The recent Russian
invasion of Georgia is certainly not going to improve that! As usual, all photos are, of course
© Claus
Qvist Jessen, and none of them are to used without my written permission.
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Very Soviet, indeed, the railway station ("vokzal") is a true reminder
of the Communist past of Tblisi, Georgia.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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No price for guessing that this is a Coca Cola truck; Tblisi, Georgia.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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The mighty cathedral of Tblisi. Georgia. Despite the rustic looks, it's
built in the middle of the 1990'ies. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| As Baku
in Azerbaijan, Tblisi is
famous for its intricate woodwork and beautiful balconies. They are all
over town. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Local transport in the Kaukasus region is slow and
unreliable - and not uncomfortable at all. Even if it was, the
friendliness of the locals easily compensate;
here from east of Gori, Georgia. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Mskheta Monastery in between Gori and Tblisi is regarded as the spirtual
center of Georgia. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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The birthplace of Josef Vissaronovich Dzugashvili still bears the sign
of the cruel dictator - to others better known as Stalin! The central
plaza of the city is guarded by the infamous murderer, and his picture
is found in most offices. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Outside the Stalin Museum, Gori, another statue of the "mild and
peace-loving" dictator gazes
upon the visitor. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Stalinist architecture loved (and still loves) to show the Communists as
a superior type of humans; here from Gori, Georgia. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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largest street in Gori is the Stalin Avenue. Unlikely anywhere else, but
I doubt very much that you'll find a Hitler Street anywhere :o)
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Inside the Stalin Museum, the local kids are brain-washed to believe
that the man was a great hero. Real Soviet style, and neither Troitzky,
the Gulag or the millions of political killings are ever mentioned.
Selective history, indeed. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Outside the Stalin Museum, this armoured train wagon is the one used by
Stalin to travel to Potsdam Conference, right after the WW2. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Small-scale merchant; Gori, Georgia. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Happy faces; Gori, Georgia. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Traditionally, Georgia has produced a lot of first-class chess-players,
in particular women players. Here, locals are playing, well
overlooked by four world champions, including Nona Gaprindashwilij and
Maya Tjiburdanidze. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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grave of national saint Nina in Signagi in south-eastern Georgia
is one of the most sacred spots in the country. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Squat toilet from Signagi, 200 kms east of Tblisi. © Claus Qvist
Jessen |
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Small church on top of a hill in Kazbegi region, norther Georgia, very
close to the unruly Russian republics of the south - North Ossetia,
Chechniya and Dagestan. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Drain pipe from a house in Kazbegi, Georgia. © Claus Qvist
Jessen |
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| Samovars
at a Saturday flea-market in Yerevan (Jerevan), the capital of
Armenia.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Armenian
priest from the important Ekhmiadzin Cathedral, not far from the rather
dull Yerewan, the capital of
Armenia.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Along with the slightly newer Sanahin, the UNESCO protected Haghpat
Monastery is one of the oldest and most rustic in Armenia. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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The inside of the Sanahin Monastery, NE Armenia. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Small girl from the Sanahin Village, NE Armenia. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Antique
mural painting from the Akhtala Monastery, NE Armenia.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Women
from the very colourful and friendly market in Vanadzor, NE Armenia.
This just has to be the best market in all of Kaukasus.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Market
scene; Vanadzor, NE Armenia. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Playing
chess at the Vanadzor market.
The level of the chess players is quite high - almost enough for me not
to beat them!
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Ice
cream vendor at the Vanadzor market,
Armenia.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Local
cafe; Sadahart, NE Armenia.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Making
bread; Sevan, Eastern Armenia.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Want a
taxi? Sevan, Eastern Armenia.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| The
sterile Main Square of Baku, Azerbaijan. The
building to the right is the government building, the one in the back is
the very Soviet "Hotel Azerbaijan". © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Anything
is sold at the Taza Bazar, Baku,
from illegally caught Beluga Caviar (left) to chickens (right). © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Mary
Poppins on display at the Taza Bazar, Baku, Azerbaijan.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Former
chess world champion Gary Kasparov spent his childhood in Baku, and
chess life is still growing here.
The talent is amazing, and I had the doubtful experience of being
soundly beaten 4-0 by a 14-year-old teenager. His name was Shakhriar
Mamedyarov, and eight years later he was twice Junior World Champion and
among the Top 5 of the world. Amazing talent - and he's not the only one!
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| The ugliest
place in the world? Known from the beginning of the James Bond movie "The World is
not Enough", the oil fields right outside Baku, Azerbaijan, is just one big, sad pool
of dirty oil, with loads of used metal scrap everywhere, and sometimes children playing in
the swamp. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Baku oil part 2. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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To the Zoroastians, the most sacred spot on Earth is Surakhani og the
Aspheron Peninsula of Azerbaijan. Here, natural gas is so abundant that
fire has been known to self-ignite, thus causing a belief in fire as a
devine, all ruled by a god, known as "Auramazda".
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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In Quba, a few hours north of Baku, stress is not an issue. Instead,
time is passed playing backgammon.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Women from a small village north of Quba, northern Azerbaijan, close to
Dagestan of Russia. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Making butter; village north of Quba, Azerbaijan.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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"Want some chai?".
Old lady from Lenkoran Market, just 50 kms north of the Azerbaijan
border with Iran. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Despite being only a few miles north of the aeschetic Iran, the main
goods at the Lenkoran Market is vodka! © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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