Visit the holy mountain and other Naxcivan, Azerbaijan Things to Do Tips

Asabi-Kehf is considered one of the holiest places in Azerbaijan. Many people from Baku will just fly in to Nahchivan for one day to pray there and come back. And of course there are always visitors from nearby Iran and Turkey there as well. There is a story behind it which connects this place to the Holy Kuran book where apparently Asabi-Kehf has been mentioned in one of the Hadis. Asabi-Kehf is actually a mountain which has caves and looks as amazing from the faraway. The place has been renovated recently and I mean the steps and the rest area. Because many people come there to sacrifice sheep, there is a special restaurant-like area down below to slaughter the animal and then cook and eat it right there (sorry if it sounds a bit cruel - sacrificing sheep is part of Islam).

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Directions: 15-20 min drive from Nahchivan city on the way to Ordubad. The mountain can be seen from faraway

Well once you're at Asabi-Kehf, you'll hear plenty of stories about the place. However, it all comes to this one: "Many centuries ago, three men and their dog had had enough of king's cruelty and decided to run away. After a long journey, they decided to spend the night in this cave at Asabi-Kehf mountain. When they woke up, they felt uttering hunger and went to the nearest town to buy food. The men looked odd and the coins they took out to pay for the food, completely shocked the shop owner. He told the men that those coins were in use some 300 years ago and were no longer valid. Later the men realized they had been sleeping in that cave for almost 300 years and were taken aback! They went back to the cave and prayed to Allah to turn them into stone because they weren't able to cope with the situation. Allah heard their prayer and turned them to stone." The stone is still there and they say you can see the faces of the men if you have a good heart and clean soul. Well I guess my soul isn't that clean or my eyes aren't - no matter how hard I tried, I still couldn't make out the faces when I tried to stick small stones on the rock. If you happen to go there, make a wish and then try to stick your own little stone on that rock. Hope it sticks right away ;-)

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Directions: Asabi-Kehf mountain, 15 mins away from Nahchivan city on the way to Ordubad

There's another cave almost at the top of the Asabi-Kehf mountain. It had a special aura and I felt like I was in a magical place when I entered the cave. The locals told me this is where you make a wish and then sit anywhere you like. If you get water drops on any part of your body (preferably on the head) that means your wish will come true. When you look up, you can't tell where the water is coming from. Definitely no remnants of rain because it almost doesn't rain the whole summer and the ceiling doesn't look wet either. I saw many women sitting there and one of them had been waiting for more than 6 hours with not a single drop whereas the other girl had her whole back wet. It's usually those girls who want to get married or those women who want to get pregnant that go to that cave. I was there out of total curiousity and what do you think? Of course I made a wish and sat on one of the stones. Hmmm not a single drop! Then I changed my seat and guess what? I had 4 drops that fell on my back and one on my hair ;-) Made me quite happy but I can't really remember what I wished for then...

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Address: Top cave of Asabi-Kehf mountain
Directions: 15-20 mins away from Nahchivan city on the way to Ordubad

Ordubad is basically another region within Nahchivan, not too far driving away from Nahchivan city. It's a nice little town with its own villages and hosts many museums. Just like anywhere else in Nahchivan, the nature is picturesque and the people are amazingly friendly. One day is enough to visit all the museums and to grab a bite in one of the local restaurants. Ordubad is also a birth-place of many great poets of Azerbaijan... the land has it all ;-)

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Directions: About 45 mins driving from the city of Nahchivan

There is a museum of history of Ordubad in Ordubad :) The museum was created in 1980. 18th century "Qeyseriyye-Zorkhana" has been a home for the museum since May, 1990. Geyseriyye means covered east market and that's where they'd sell all kinds of jewels. In 17th-19th centuries fighters from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey came to fight and used the building as the ground for all of their sporting events, thus the name "Zorkhana" (place for holding athletic exercises). At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the place became a silk shop. This ancient monument can be found in only 3 places: Samarkand, Tabriz and Ordubad.

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Address: off the main street
Directions: near the Juma Mosque in Ordubad