The young city of Sumgait (Azerbaijan), located on the shores of the Caspian Sea, is able to surprise lovers traveling with its beauty, comfort, and unusually picturesque beaches. It is located only forty kilometers from Baku. The architecture of the city, its attractions and features are full of contrasts. It has little eastern exoticism, but while walking along the streets and squares, you can plunge headlong into the Soviet past and at the same time get acquainted with the modern history of Azerbaijan.
Tragic past
The village began to be built immediately in the post-war years of the last century. It was planned that it would become a large industrial and industrial center, so young construction specialists poured into the construction of the nascent giant. The city of metallurgists and oil workers in the Soviet era was international. The idea of friendship of peoples in the USSR was the main line of the party and government.
In the late eighties, when the union of the republics cracked, the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations became more complicated. The actions of people interested in inciting ethnic hatred of neighboring nations led to tragic events, the epicenter of which was Sumgait. Azerbaijan has been shaken by ethnic unrest for several years. However, today this conflict is already in the past, and the coastal city, spread out on the Absheron peninsula, lives its own life.
Neighborhoods with ancient history
In the city itself there are no attractions with a rich history, since it is too young for this. But in the nearby coastal village of Jorat, ancient baths and a temple of the XVII century, which is a monument of Muslim culture, have been preserved. A trip to the village of Salari will give an acquaintance with another ancient mosque of Absheron.
Sumgait (Azerbaijan): rest by the sea
The uniqueness of urban and suburban beaches is that they are evenly covered by many shells of different shapes and colors. Twenty-four beaches have varying degrees of comfort and are very different underwater relief. Lovers of diving and swimming, parents with young children, lovers of relaxation and loneliness, builders of golden sand castles, shell collectors - everyone will find a place to their taste. The coastal strip stretches for 34 kilometers along the warm and gentle Caspian Sea, so the beaches are the main attraction owned by Sumgait (Azerbaijan). Photos of shell shores and the bright blue sea are no less impressive than pictures of exotic resorts.
The holiday season in the city opens in May, and August is considered the best time for a beach holiday and swimming. Summer evenings on the beach are always crowded. Tourists, romantics, lovers, families with children and just vacationers are waiting for the sunset, which does not lose its grandeur and magical beauty. Such a spectacle can only be seen on the shores of the southern sea: the horizon line is gradually erased and the sea abyss absorbs a huge red-gold disk of the sun.
Symbol of the city, captured in stone
The monument called “Dove of Peace” was created in 1978 by the local artist V. Nazirov. Today it is a visiting card of such a city as Sumgait (Azerbaijan). Newlyweds often visit the monument on their wedding day, so the white dove of peace has also become a symbol of family happiness for citizens.
Park of Culture and Rest Nasimi
Built in 1967, the park is a favorite place for tourists and residents to walk. At the entrance to it, a monument to the illustrious Azerbaijani poet Imadeddin Nasimi was erected. Numerous benches where you can relax in the shade are surrounded by trees and flower beds with a wide variety of colors. The park has republican significance, so it is worth visiting it when visiting Sumgayit (Azerbaijan). Attractions of the park: a memorial to the victims of the Khojaly genocide, the “Green Theater” and a ten-meter monument dedicated to the victims of the January 20 tragedy.
The stadium is an unofficial attraction
The central city stadium named after Mehti Huseynzade is named after the hero of the Great Patriotic War. The arena seats 16 thousand spectators. It often hosts important matches, and the Azerbaijani football team also trains.
Sumgayit (Azerbaijan) today boasts a tennis arena and several sports complexes. The cultural level of the city is maintained at the height of the Huseyn Arablinsky Drama Theater, many modern cinemas, cozy squares and parks.