10 Fun Facts You Probably Didn’t Know about Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan

These fascinating countries are pretty far off the typical tourist trail but backpackers and holidaymakers don’t know what they’re missing. To celebrate Lupine Travel‘s incredible tour around these three countries, we’ve put together 10 fabulous facts that will have you determined to cross them off the travel bucket list.

Georgia crosses the frontier between Europe and Asia

Given the nation’s unique geographical location, Georgia is the perfect amalgam of east meets west. The country borders Russia in the north, with Asian influence flooding across the border from Turkey in the south. This transcends across into the country’s cuisine, its culture and its traditional music.

Georgia was the birthplace of Stalin

Georgia was prime to Soviet Union domination given it bordered Stalin’s empire. Interestingly, the country is also home to the notorious communist ruler. The country was ruled for a mammoth 69 years by the Soviet Union, and was led by avid communists. This history is still visible to this day, with a Stalin Museum that showcases Stalin’s house and even his personal train carriage. It’s hard to believe, but sixty years after the death of Stalin, there is still a market for portraits and other bizarre merchandise of the Georgian-born ruler.

Georgia isn’t called Georgia

Locally, the country is actually known as Sakartvelo. The name comes from the Russian word Gruzia, which was in turn derived from the Persian and Turkish versions of the name George, Gorj and Gurju.

Georgia is home to the highest mountain range in Europe

The Caucasus Mountains actually mark the highest mountain range in the continent. The mountains divide up the continent geographically, physically marking the border between Georgia and Russia. While the highest peak is in Russia, Georgia lays claim to the second highest, Shkara at an astonishing 5,193m. The mountain range is home to some pretty terrifying roads and villages that survive at a spectacular altitude. The mountains are increasingly becoming a destination for skiers, climbers and walkers.

Armenia is one of the oldest wine producers in the world

The most discerning of wine connoisseurs may typically think of the vineyards or Europe or California as the world’s major wine destinations. They’d probably be surprised to know that Armenia is one of the oldest countries to produce wine in the world. The fertile valleys of Mountain Ararat are an ideal spot for quality grapes to grow and thrive.

Armenians love apricots

So much so that the bright orange colour on their flag symbolises this fruit. You won’t be able to wander through a local market without noticing an abundance of dried apricots, fresh apricots, and even apricot flavoured wine for sale.

The national symbol of Armenia is Mountain Ararat

This snow-capped, dormant volcano is actually in eastern Turkey but its location is highly contested by the Armenians, who see it as their national symbol. While it might actually be across the border, the dramatic mountain dominates the Armenian skyline.

Azerbaijan is home to a ghost town

The breakaway state of Nagorno Karabakh is geographically part of Azerbaijan and is home to the ghost town of Agdam. The town was founded in the early 19^th century but was the battleground for heavy warfare and a notorious scene of battle of war in 1993. Forty thousand people were forced to flee and now all that remains is a ghostly and abandoned shell of a town between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Azerbaijan citizens love their superstitions

According to Azeri folklore, lending money or bread at night or leaving scissors with open blades can leave you with grave misfortunes. If you meet a man with empty buckets, you are guaranteed downfall and it is common to believe in witchcraft.

Azerbaijan’s changing religions

As a country, Azerbaijan converted from Christianity to the Shia branch of Islam in the 18^th century. Moving forward to the 20^th century, the country switched again after being occupied by the atheist Soviet Union. There had once been over 2,000 mosques across the nation, most of these were closed – a similar scene to what was happening across Soviet conquered Europe around the same time.

If you’d like to see more of these fascinatingly unique countries, hop onto Lupine’s off the beaten track tour of Armenia and Georgia. Find out more about the itinerary here.