Science Fiction lovers may be happy to know that a city on the Caspian Sea can deliver them an almost authentic Sci-Fi experience – with a little imagination of course.
Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan boasts a rich, multi-layered history, and a vibrant, exciting present, that could make it a great source of inspiration for Sci-Fi lovers, as well as novelists, filmmakers or any other kind of artist working in the genre.
Science Fiction turns locations we know and love into new and exciting worlds! In the Star Wars movies alone, destinations abound. The white sands of Tunisia provided deserts for the planet Tatooine, Guatemala’s Mayan ruins became the Rebels’ jungle hideout on Yavin’s fourth moon, and the UK’s Whippendell Woods were transformed into the swamps of Naboo, but Baku too, and the rest of Azerbaijan for that matter, could have much to share with Sci-Fi creatives and fans alike.
Those familiar with the 2012 movie Argo, may see where this is going. The film, based on true events, tells the story of CIA agent Tony Mendez, played by Ben Affleck, who attempts to lead a beleaguered group of American diplomats (some may have called them spies), out of revolutionary Iran amid the 1979-1981 hostage crisis. Agent Mendez enters Iran posing as a Canadian filmmaker scouting out “exotic” Middle Eastern locations for a prospective Star Wars-style adventure thriller, casting the embassy staff as his production team.
Imagine a slightly different story for a moment, if a film crew sincerely intended to make a Sci-Fi flick in a similar location, say, a country bordering Iran, in the year 2024, the South Caucasus city of Baku could be a great place to start.
From architecture to exhibitions, history and food, Baku’s culture and landmarks can offer a wide variety of inspiration for numerous storylines, characters and places. Here are just a few examples:
1) The Flame Towers
Known locally as the “Alov Qüllələri,” the Flame Towers are a unique Baku landmark. The three flame-shaped high-rises lick the city’s skyline. Their very design keeps the country’s geography front and centre.
The name “Azerbaijan” is said to come from an old Iranian term, one of the meanings of which is “The Land of the Fire.”
By making this long-standing national characteristic a part of Baku’s cityscape, the Flame Towers, covered with over 10,000 LED luminaires, add a funky, futuristic, but indigenous feel to the city.
For Sci-Fi loving onlookers, seeing the skyscrapers’ unusual shapes adorned with their transitioning nighttime light shows can give an almost otherworldly ambience that might just remind them of the city planet Coruscant from Star Wars.
Anyone wanting to make a film or write a novel based somewhere that ever so slightly resembles the capital of the Galactic Republic can take inspiration in Baku by soaking up a view that could easily be from beyond the stars!
2) Yanar Dağ and the mud volcanoes
Owing to the country’s abundant hydrocarbon resources, the former soviet republic is even home to a continuously burning natural gas fire on a hillside called Yanar Dağ or the "burning mountain”, believed to have been accidentally lit by a shepherd in the 1950s.
The country also hosts around half of the world’s mud volcanoes, believed by NASA geologists to resemble the uplands of Mars.
These features appear to have grabbed the attention of other observers in the past too. In ancient times for instance, the fifth century Roman historian and diplomat Priscus – known for having shared a meal with Attila the Hun – was told that the Huns had passed “the flame that issues from the rock beneath the sea” on their way back to Europe after raiding Syria and Turkiye. This may well be an early reference to Azerbaijan’s Caspian coast.
Around 500 years later, the tenth century, Arab scholar Al-Masudi also reported seeing a mud volcano in the country, that “never ceases to expel long jets of flame.”
3) The Palace of the Shirvanshahs
Switching from modern to historical attractions, perhaps Baku’s most precious gem is the Shirvanshah Palace, a place with considerable Sci-Fi potential!
The UNESCO World Heritage Site is found in Baku’s “Old” or “Inner City” known as the İçərişəhər (pronounced “Icheri Sheher”). The palace was built during the reign of the Shirvanshahs who once ruled an area found within the borders of present-day Azerbaijan known as Shirvan.
The ancient Iranian title of “Shirvanshah” was first brought back into official use by Haytham ibn Khalid, the great grandson of the Arab general Yazid ibn Mazyad al-Shaybani, who incorporated Shirvan into the Islamic Abbasid Caliphate and served as its provincial governor before his death in the year 801.
Haytham later adopted the title, and became the independent ruler of Shirvan. From then on Shirvanshahs would rule either alone or as vassals of other empires until 1538, when the Iranian ruler Shah Tahmasp replaced them with his own governor.
Nearly five centuries on, however, the legacy of the Shirvanshahs lives on today in the form of their majestic palace. The complex boasts an array of elegant and interesting features that showcase centuries of academia, spirituality and royal grandeur.
The palace, for example, is home to a characteristic octagonal main hall, the tomb of the fifteenth century court scholar and scientist Seyid Yahya Bakuvi, and a pair of mosques.
While the older of the two mosques, known as the Keygubad Mosque, today sits in ruins following a fire in 1918, the other, named the Shah’s Mosque, remains intact; an inscription on its eye-catching minaret dates the tower’s construction to 1441-1442 at the command of Shah Khalilullah I. The same shah also commissioned a breath-taking mausoleum for his mother and young son.
Later rulers have left their mark too. Take the palace’s sixteenth-century “Murad Gate” for instance. The doorway was built for the Ottoman Sultan Murad III (r.1574-1595) after his forces took control of the city. Bearing his name, the magnificent structure is emblazoned with a powerful message: “This noble building was built in the days of rule of the most just and the greatest Sultan Murad”.
While period dramas may come to mind at first, the palace has a lot to offer a Sci-Fi lover.
The building can so easily inspire images of important character archetypes that permeate the genre, from righteous leaders to inquisitive scholars, and wise advisers in times of crisis, not to mention their polar opposites!
In much the same way, it is not difficult to imagine corresponding scenes, such as dignitaries from subject planets entering the throne room to offer their annual tributes, emissaries from a rival intergalactic empire arriving to negotiate a truce, as well as displays of regal generosity and mercy, moments of quiet contemplation, tragedy, and of course the hushed whispers of intrigue!
4) Sac İçi
Exploring the Old City is enough for anyone to work up an appetite, so the Sci-Fi tour’s next stop should be a culinary one!
Pronounced “Sadj Ichi,” this delicious Azerbaijani dish consists of meat, mushrooms and other vegetables fried in a cast iron pan. One pan or “sac” is usually shared between a group; the meal is eaten by hand, which involves scooping up the contents of the pan with a pancake-like flatbread called lavash. This tactile experience is rooted within Azerbaijan’s history.
Some say the term “Sac İçi” literally means “inside the shield,” perhaps harkening back to the Turkic pastoralist tribes that once inhabited the country. The name elicits images of savvy nomadic peoples settling down for the night with their flocks, flipping their shields over a roaring campfire, cooking, and then sharing a tasty meal with their families.
“What does this have to do with Sci-Fi?” a reader might ask.
The answer lies in imagining oneself in a vaguely similar situation to that of those hardy tribes. In another world, what circumstances might someone, reliant on limited supplies, need to live a thrifty lifestyle where protective equipment might double up as kitchenware? There are plenty of examples that could easily fit into a Science Fiction book, film or series.
Borrowing slightly from the 2015 Australian post-apocalyptic action movie Mad Max Fury Road, could a lonely group of travellers searching for signs of humanity in a sweltering barren wasteland not share a small meal cooked on the bonnet of their truck using only the heat of the Sun?
In a similar vein, could an unsuspecting swamp-dwelling hermit not fend off a hungry mutant beast with a saucepan? The possibilities are many!
With that in mind, tucking into Sac İçi can definitely be a thought-provoking experience for a discerning Sci-Fi lover to enjoy.
5) The Heydar Aliyev Centre
The fourth and final destination of our Sci-Fi tour is the Heydar Aliyev Center. Designed by the British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, the award-winning building is one of Baku’s most unique landmarks. The futuristic eight-storey cultural centre was built in a flowing curved style without sharp angles, and boasts such features as a 1000-seat auditorium, a conference centre and a museum. Made using smooth glass-fibre reinforced concrete panels, the structure appears almost like waves from certain angles. The building’s Sci-Fi potential is clear from the start, its distinctive architecture could easily resemble an institution from a far-off millennium or otherworldly civilisation, perhaps even an alien parliament, research facility or university!
The centre is named after Azerbaijan’s former President Heydar Aliyev who also held such offices as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan before his country’s independence from the USSR. In addition to a fascinating exhibition about the life and times of the late president, other areas of the museum showcase Azerbaijan’s rich material culture and historical artefacts. Some of the exquisite items on display include jewellery, carpets, artwork, vases, and swords. Mannequins too, show off beautiful national dress from across the country with a variety of textures and materials from silk and velvets to satins, cashmeres, sheepskin, leathers and furs!
With this in mind, Sci-Fi creatives may relish the opportunity to take inspiration for props, costumes and scenes from many of the centre’s display items. Clothing from different cultures and times has inspired many of the costumes that appear in Sci-Fi movies. Again, borrowing from Star Wars alone, the outfit of Han Solo, the galaxy’s most loveable smuggler and gunslinger, is heavily reminiscent of the cowboys of the old Wild West, while the clothing of the Jedi Knights and the iconic mask of Darth Vader were inspired by the armour and robes of the Samurai of Japan. Similarly, the hairstyle, clothing and facial decoration of Queen Genepil, the last queen of Mongolia, can be credited as one of the inspirations behind both the appearance and indeed, the storyline, of Queen Amidala.
Azerbaijan’s history and traditions too, could yet offer ample inspiration. Taking Azerbaijani men’s traditional clothing for instance, there is great potential. The tall leather or sheepskin hat known as a “papaq” when combined with smart overgarments known as “chukhas” – some of which were decorated with lace, but could also include small pockets for bullets – may illicit images of a hardy, but graceful mountain planet-dwelling civilisation, a people who are well equipped to face the elements, and yet, equally elegant and welcoming to newcomers.
Well Sci-Fi fans and creatives, I hope you enjoyed my tour of Baku, the next thing to do, is see it for yourself!
IMAGES
Unless otherwise stated, all images are courtesy of Azerbaijan Tourism Office except for Murad's Gate.
Murad's Gate, 2015 photo © Interfase, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
