Customer Reviews (8)

Azerbaijan (Cultures of the World)
Look at the cover of this book!
Turban is a part of Kurdish national dress.
Why Kurdish Man on the cover of book about Azerbaijan?
Very interesting.

One Terrible Book
Don't be fooled into buying this book if you are looking into learning about Azerbaijan.

The book is poorly written (or rather ignorantly?) and the images the author chose to "describe" the country actually have nothing to do with it. Look at the cover! I have never seen a single man wearing a turban in Azerbaijan.

No matter how you look at it, inside and out - this book is terrible!

My Opinion about this book
As being an Azerbaijani, I also claim to the picture which is on the cover of the book. Azeri men dont wear this kind of dress which is called "turban" or whatever.

It shows that how much the author knows about Azerbaijan, its history, people and respectively, their culture and traditions. Standing from this point of view, in addition, i would say that his ideas given in the book more likely dont reflect the reality as the cover picture. It might not be truth (i wish), yet still i highly recommend the picture to be replaced by a picture, in next volumes, that represnts real Azerbaijan, Azerbaijanis and the culture, history and traditions that they possess.

Distorted Image of Azerbaijan
I wonder if it's the author's complete ignorance on the subject or intention to misrepresent the country made him place this totally irrelevant picture on the cover. Men in Azerbaijan don't wear turbans.

Book starts with cover
Any book starts with a cover -- and in this case, the cover is completely misleading and thus fails not only its primary objective -- "one picture is worth a thousand words" -- but fails the book completely. The man depicted on the cover is probably either from Pakistan or Afghanistan, but definitely not from Azerbaijan. In fact, it is easier to spot a similar looking and dressed person in large cities in the UK and USA, than in Azerbaijan. It is unfortunate that such unprofessionalism creeps into books for American schoolchildren. ... Read more

Product Description
For Westerners, the modern state of Azerbaijan may be hard to pinpoint. This small, oil-rich country in the southern Caucasus, on the southwestern shore of the Caspian Sea, only made its way on to the contemporary world map after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. As the world shrinks and competition for precious resources intensifies, the direction this strategically and economically important country takes will affect us all.
 
The historically tolerant and pluralist Azeri people have an ancient history and a rich culture. Azerbaijan lay on the route of the Great Silk Road, the trade network that connected China with Europe, and its people have lived through centuries of conquests by different imperial powers. It was also situated in the heart of the Great Game, the struggle for control of Central Asia played out between Russia and the West at the turn on the nineteenth century, which seems to be going through a modern remake. Azerbaijan has been called “the quintessential borderland, many times over: between Europe and Asia, Islam and Christianity, Russia and the Middle East, Turks and Iranians, Shi’a and Sunni Islam.”
 
Azerbaijan was briefly independent after the First World War, when it was the first Muslim state to adopt progressive Western values. A democratic republic with full women’s suffrage, it boasted the first women’s high school, the first opera, and the first female opera composer, as well as the first ballet in the Muslim world.
 
There followed seventy years of Soviet rule. After a bitter war in 1991–94, areas of Azerbaijan were occupied by neighboring Armenia, and the country has absorbed a huge number of refugees. At the same time, it is experiencing a new oil boom and the economy is growing. Among the people, there is a growing sense of national identity. Culture Smart! Azerbaijan looks at the many facets of this identity and explains the complex workings of Azerbaijani society. It will equip you with vital information and advice about the customs, practices, and sensibilities of a society poised on the brink of change. ... Read more

Product Description
Azerbaijan has recently come to the attention to global strategic planners.This report puts these executives on the fast track.Ten chapters provide: an overview of how to strategically access this important market, a discussion on economic fundamentals, marketing & distribution options, export and direct investment options, and full risk assessments (political, cultural, legal, human resources).Ample statistical benchmarks and comparative graphs are given. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Rare source of information
I have accessed the item through Cornell University Library. Source of extremely interesting information on wage levels, employee compensation and informal labor in Azerbaijan. Even touches the issues of labor union control and outmigration. Valuable resource for the researches of social relations in Azerbaijan. ... Read more

Product Description
Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall, Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex, Baku International Jazz Festival, Azerbaijan State Russian Drama Theatre, Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre. Not illustrated. Excerpt:Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in BakuThe Akhundov Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (Azeri: Axundov adna Azrbaycan Dövlt Akademik Opera v Balet Teatr) is a theatre in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was built in 1911. The theatre was built at the request of millionaire Daniel Mailov and funded by Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. According to an urban legend, Mailov and his brother were not invited to a housewarming ball of a famous opera singer from Baku whose new house (now the head office of SOCAR) was one of the most outstanding pieces of architecture in the city. The Mailovs therefore decided to erect a building of their own outdoing the "tactless" singer. In 1910, famous Russian soprano Antonina Nezhdanova visited Baku giving several concerts at various clubs and performance venues. On a ball organized on the occasion of Nezhdanova's departure at the local casino, she was asked whether she would like to visit Baku again. Her response was negative followed by a concern that in a city of so many wealthy people no one would fund the construction of a decent opera theatre where singers could fully demonstrate their musical talent. Daniel Mailov who had grown to admire both Nezhdanova's voice and persona during her tour decided to use this opportunity and offered her to revisit Baku in one year to attend the opening of a new opera theatre, which he would order to build in her honour. Civil engineer Nikolai Bayev designed the architectural sketch of the theatre. How... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=8801678 ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Countries and Their Cultures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1818 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Covers the broad range of popular religious culture of the United States at the close of the twentieth century. Beliefs, practices, symbols, traditions, movements, organizations, and leaders from the many traditions in the pluralistic American community are represented. Also includes cults and phenomena that drew followers, such as Heaven's Gale and UFOs. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Childhood Education, published by Association for Childhood Education International on September 22, 2000. The length of the article is 3475 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Early Childhood Education in Azerbaijan.
Author: Lisa Starnes
Publication: Childhood Education (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2000
Publisher: Association for Childhood Education International
Volume: 77Issue: 1Page: 6

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Treasure Troves of Azerbaijan, Kura-Araxes Culture, Govurqala, Qalagah, Qabala Treasures. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 18. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Kura-Araxes culture or the Early trans-Caucasian culture, was a civilization that existed from 3400 B.C until about 2000 B.C. The earliest evidence for this culture is found on the Ararat plain; thence it spread to Georgia by 3000 B.C., and during the next millennium it proceeded westward to the Erzurum plain, southwest to Cilicia, and to the southeast into an area below the Urmia basin and Lake Van, down to the borders of present day Syria. Altogether, the early Trans-Caucasian culture, at its greatest spread, enveloped a vast area approximately 1000 km by 500 km. The name of the culture is derived from the Kura and Araxes river valleys. Its territory corresponds to parts of modern Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and the Caucasus. It may have given rise to the later Khirbet Kerak ware culture found in Syria and Canaan after the fall of the Akkadian Empire. The extent of the Kuro-Araxes culture (light shading) shown in relation to subsequent cultures in the area, such as Urartu (dark shading).In its earliest phase, metal was scant, but it would later display "a precocious metallurgical development which strongly influenced surrounding regions" JP Mallory, EIEC, pp. 341-42. They built mud-brick houses, originally round, but later developing into a square design. The economy was based on farming and livestock-raising. They grew grain and various orchard crops, and are known to have used implements to make flour. They raised cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, and in its later phases, horses. Their pottery was distinctive. It was painted black and red, using geometric designs for ornamentation. Examples have been found as fa...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=956689 ... Read more

Product Description
Azerbaijani culture. History of Azerbaijan, Caucasian Albania, Caliphate, Shirvanshah, Safavid dynasty, Qajar dynasty, Seljuq dynasty, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Armenian?Azerbaijani War, March Days, Battle of Baku, Architecture of Azerbaijan, Cinema of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani cuisine, Azerbaijani dances, Azerbaijani rug, Karabakh carpet, Azerbaijani language, Music of Azerbaijan, Ashik, Religion in Azerbaijan, Islam in Azerbaijan, Church of Caucasian Albania, Azerbaijani Jews ... Read more

Product Description

Students struggling to find information on the modern lives of those living in Eurasia need not look any farther! Written for high school and undergraduate students, Culture and Customs of the Caucasus fills a major void on library shelves. This unique reference work explores contemporary life in three former Soviet Union republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. No other reference book offers such exhaustive material on the traditions and customs of all three nations. Students studying world culture, social studies, and multicultural issues can use this engaging and comprehensive volume to learn about the Caucasus's history, urban life, religion, literature, cuisine, holidays, and leisure activities, among many other topics.

In the early 1990's, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia emerged from the grip of the Soviet Union and stood on their own for the first time in almost a century. Today, these three nations are slowly emerging from communism's dark cloud, thriving culturally and gaining strength economically. Written for high-school students, Culture and Customs of the Caucasus is the ultimate one-stop reference source that explores the three countries in the region-no other reference work provides such comprehensive and current material. Students studying world culture, social studies, and multicultural issues can use this engaging and wide-ranging volume to learn about the Caucasus's history, urban life, religion, literature, cuisine, holidays, and leisure activities, among many other topics.

Product Description
A clash between Armenia and Azerbaijan overMountainous Karabakh has developed into one of themost violent conflicts re-emerged in late 1980s inEurasia. More than a decade earlier, PresidentCarter's advisor on National Security ZbigniewBrzezinski wrote: "The ethnic question in USSR willapparently gain sharper forms, than racial crisis inUnited States." Indeed, the war over Nagorno- Karabakh had by 1996 produced about 1,700,000refugees and internally displaced people and killedover 55,000. Though, the cease-fire agreementbetween Azerbaijani and Armenian sides was achievedin 1994, the consequences of this war still remainunsolved, creating therefore a great potential forthe regional instability. Both countries haveexperienced a tremendous negative impact on theireconomies, thus unable to unlock the full potentialof the regional development and yield benefits fromthe Caspian oil and gas. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Though women in Azerbaijan nominally enjoy the same legal rights as men, gender discrimination is common. Particularly in rural communities, women who appear in public unaccompanied, smoke in public, drive automobiles, or visit certain theaters and restaurants are subject to disapproval. Traditional social norms and poor economic conditions continue to restrict women's roles in the economy, and there are reports that women have difficulty exercising their legal rights due to discrimination. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Archaeological Sites in Azerbaijan, Kurgans, Pazyryk Burials, Noin-Ula Kurgans, Mamayev Kurgan, Kura-Araxes Culture, Merheleva Ridge, Kul-Oba, Thracian Tomb of Aleksandrovo Kurgan, Black Grave, Govurqala, Issyk Kurgan, Qalagah, Håga Kurgan, Solokha, Arzhan, Ipatovo Kurgan, Maikop Kurgan, Archaeology in Azerbaijan. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 67. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Kurgan (Russian: ; Ukrainian: ; Belarusian: ) is a East Slavic word (of Turkic origin) for a tumulus, a type of burial mound or barrow, heaped over a burial chamber, often of wood. The distribution of such tumuli in Eastern Europe corresponds closely to the area of the Pit Grave or Kurgan culture in South-Eastern Europe. Kurgans were built in the Eneolithic, Bronze, Iron, Antiquity and Middle Ages, with old traditions still active in Southern Siberia and Central Asia. Kurgan cultures are divided archeologically into different sub-cultures, such as Timber Grave, Pit Grave, Scythian, Sarmatian, Hunnish and Kuman-Kipchak. A plethora of placenames that include the word "kurgan" appear from Lake Baikal to the Black Sea. Kurgan barrows were characteristic of Bronze Age peoples, from the Altay Mountains to the Caucasus, Romania, and Bulgaria. Burial mounds are complex structures with internal chambers. Within the burial chamber at the heart of the kurgan, elite individuals were buried with grave goods and sacrificial offerings, sometimes including horses and chariots. Kurgans were used in the Russian Steppes but spread into eastern, central, and northern Europe in the third millennium BC. The monuments of these cultures coincide with Scythian-Saka-Siberian monuments. Scythian-Saka-Siberian monuments have common features, and sometimes common genetic roots. Also associated with these spectacular buria...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=193918 ... Read more

Product Description
Edge of Time is the first and only travel guide to feature Armenia and Karabagh in one stand-alone volume. This Revised Second Edition was published in 2002 and contains the most up-to-date information available.

Quality paperback, durable binding, printed on premium quality paper, 5X8 inches. 164 pages with more than 50 color photographs and maps.

Detailed listings for hotels, restaurants and historic sites. How to get there; How to get around; what to bring; when to go; and all the essential information every traveler needs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Nonsense
Does this book say that Karabagh is an essential part of Azerbaijan and its occupied by Armenian armed forces?

A delightful little book
This is a delightful little book. I just couldn't put it down when I first got it! My husband and I had been quite anxious about making our first trip to Armenia and Karabagh this year, and the advice in the book really eased our minds by letting us know what to expect when we got there. Just KNOWING what to expect was such a help especially for someplace so far-off like Armenia. The advice about getting around and just getting by on a daily basis was very practical. And it's an easy read. As pertains history and facts about ancient churches and so-forth, it only skimmed the surface but we didn't really expect a scholarly treatise about religious history and architecture, so we weren't disappointed. Still, a bit more "trivia" would have been welcome. We were thrilled to see so such thorough coverage of Karabagh, but would have liked to have seen more information about Echmiadzin (the "Vatican of Armenia"!) and Gyumri. I suggest reading parts of the history book "Looking Toward Ararat," (by Suny) and another one called "Rediscovering Armenia" (authored by Kiesling), which was sort of an encyclopedia of historical monuments and quite detailed (although a bit of a mish-mash and difficult to read). We also had the Lonely Planet book which we thought was just dreadful.

worth the price
I've been to Armenia 3 times in the past 4 years and have read every single guide that I could find. I agree with several of the reviewers that it is still the best travel guide on the market and the photos are superb. I only gave it 4 stars though because i think it could be "beefed up" in certain areas. I hope the publisher comes out with a 3rd edition some day to update Armenia's constant changes and perhaps provide a little more detail on specific regions and historic sites. however, i don't think it should become an atlas or a compendium- it is afterall a "travel guide."

Great pictures but not enough information
I agree with the reader from India; I also purchased the book hoping to get additional information about hotels, the monasteries, detailed maps etc. The book (first edition) contained information I was already familiar with and could easily obtain on the internet. In fact I managed to read through it in about 1-2 hours. The book may be acceptable for those who have no idea or information on Armenia. However those who know a little about Armenia and want detailed information and advice, should purchase another book.

Second Edition is Bigger and a little better than the First
I already own the First Edition of this book which was published in 2001, but I bought the Second Edition which just came out so that I can have the latest version for my next trip. The biggest changes I noticed are that the Second Edition added a phrases section and a full index. There are also more pages in the new version, with some extra details on the tourist spots. I can see that the listings are updated, too, with information about new hotels and even a new airline. My biggest criticism of the new edition is that most of the photographs are the same as from the first edition. Also, a fold-out map would have been nice. Otherwise, I would say that the Second Edition for 2002 did a good job of building on the First and I am glad I bought it. ... Read more

Product Description
An Autobiography like Something Out of the Arabian Nights In this lively and witty autobiography, Essad Bey, a.k.a. Lev Nussimbaum, tells us the story of his childhood in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and of his flight from the Russian Revolution in 1917, which brought him first straight through the Caucasus, then to Istanbul - where this book concludes - and finally to Berlin. When Essad Bey speaks of the people of the Caucasus and their customs so strange to us, a sort of anthropological cabinet of curiosities unfolds before our eyes, and we cannot help but be astonished. All the while, through his affectionate and sometimes openly ironic words, even the excesses of the Revolution sound like children's pranks and his hair-raising escape like an adventure novel. "Blood and Oil in the Orient" is an informative and entertaining book; in the 1930s, it was a bestseller in the U.S. and Germany. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An autobiography (Of sorts!)
Without giving too much away of this book this is an autobiography of Essad Bey (Also known by the name Kurban Said who wrote the book "Ali and Nino) Bey also wrote a biography of Muhammad and had officially converted to Islam in Istanbul in the last years of the Ottoman Empire.

Here in this book he traces a fantastic journey of his flight from Azerbaijan his native homeland back and forth across the Caucuses, Iran and Central Asia finally making his way to the West. Bey, describing himself as the son of an Azeri oil baron charters his journey meeting princes and kings along his way, rebels in the north of Iran, slaves and concubines.

The stories are almost certainly exaggerated (Armenian revolutionaries literally bathing in Azeri blood in the streets, Azeris encouraging the kids to bayonet Armenians in revenge) and designed to entertain a bohemian German audience of the 1920s-1930s but none the less they are fascinating and entertaining. For every exaggerated tale there is an ounce of truth to his tales and aside from Tom Reiss (Who by the way, aside from his soap box ranting and unashamed advertising of his book in the afterword contributes nothing to the book) and a few glaringly obvious type mistakes (Which considering the price of the book you would expect them to have checked (Or even Tom for that matter considering he is such an expert on Bey (Or Lev as he calls him)) This is an entertaining read. ... Read more